Alphabet-owned Waymo to launch autonomous ride-hailing service in Singapore by 2028

Alphabet's Waymo, the autonomous driving subsidiary of Google's parent company, plans to launch a fully driverless ride-hailing service in Singapore by 2028. The first step involves a pilot program in the Labrador and Harbourfront areas of western Singapore, starting with a fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-PACE cars. Waymo will partner with the Ministry of Transport and Land Transport Authority to introduce the service, which can be booked through their app.

The autonomous system, called Waymo Driver, will undergo a readiness phase where trained operators will manually drive the vehicles to adapt the system to local road conditions and monsoon weather. Waymo's autonomous vehicles will use lidar, radar, and cameras for a 360-degree view of their surroundings to detect and predict the movements of pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users.

Singapore's transportation system is already one of the safest and most efficient in the world, according to Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, who emphasized the company's focus on reliability, sustainability, and human-centric progress. Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow noted that autonomous vehicles could complement existing transport options and fill gaps in areas where human drivers are less willing to operate, such as during off-peak hours or in less densely populated regions.

The Land Transport Authority has approved Grab's expansion of its autonomous vehicle fleet to 50 vehicles over the next six months, with the service set to launch in Punggol and eventually extend to other parts of the city. With Waymo's entry into Singapore, the country's total autonomous vehicle fleet is expected to grow to several hundred vehicles within the next two years, creating new job opportunities in vehicle fleet management, remote operation, system maintenance, data analysis, and safety oversight.