Waymo to bring autonomous ride-hailing to Singapore in 2028

Alphabet's autonomous driving subsidiary Waymo will introduce its self-driving electric ride-hailing service in Singapore by 2028, the company announced on Friday. This marks Waymo's initial entry into Southeast Asia.

The venture will commence with an initial fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles arriving in Singapore in the coming months. In 2027, certified autonomous specialists will perform initial manual driving to familiarize the Waymo Driver with Singapore's road geometry and monsoon weather conditions.

Waymo anticipates the public launch of its autonomous ride-hailing service to occur in 2028. The company is collaborating with Singapore's transport ministry and the Land Transport Authority to facilitate the integration of its services into the city-state.

Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow expressed Singapore's enthusiasm for Waymo's arrival, stating that the company brings cutting-edge technology and operational expertise to bolster the city-state's transport options. "Waymo's entry represents a step towards realizing our vision of providing innovative transport solutions for Singaporeans," Siow noted.

Recently, Waymo unveiled plans to launch Japan's first fully autonomous commercial taxi service in Tokyo by 2027. The company, valued at $126 billion following a $16 billion fundraising round in February, is expanding its robotaxi fleet as it competes with Amazon's Zoox and Tesla in the self-driving vehicle market.