{
  "id": 8218319,
  "title": "Alphabet’s Waymo to deploy fully autonomous ride‑hailing service in Singapore in 2028",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/alphabets-waymo-to-deploy-fully-autonomous-ride-hailing-service-in",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-18T09:34:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2026/09/18/alphabets-waymo-to-deploy-fully-autonomous-ridehailing-service-in-singapore-in-2028/235681"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Alphabet’s autonomous‑driving firm Waymo announced it will debut a fully driverless ride‑hailing service in Singapore next year, representing its debut in Southeast Asia. The company is collaborating with Singapore’s Ministry of Transport and Land Transport Authority to roll out an electric commercial service via its mobile application. Waymo’s co‑CEO Tekedra Mawakana praised Singapore for its “one of the safest, most efficient and most forward‑thinking transportation ecosystems in the world”. The firm intends to collaborate with local authorities and communities throughout the deployment process, with the goal of generating skilled operational jobs in the city. Waymo’s initial fleet of Jaguar I‑PACE electric vehicles is expected to arrive in Singapore in the coming months, as the company sets up local operations. The firm will commence a readiness phase next year, during which trained specialists will operate the vehicles manually while Waymo fine-tunes its autonomous system, known as the Waymo Driver, to adapt to Singapore’s road geometry and monsoon weather. Waymo aims to offer fully autonomous rides to the public in 2028, pending regulatory approval. The company’s Singapore fleet will be fully electric to align with the nation’s sustainability objectives and diminish reliance on private automobiles. Waymo’s autonomous system employs lidar, radar and cameras to construct a 360-degree view of the surroundings, enabling the detection of pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users. Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow highlighted that autonomous vehicles will complement existing public transportation and augment capacity in taxi and private‑hire fleets. He added that they could serve areas where human drivers are hesitant to operate and function beyond the hours when public transport ceases service. Siow stated that Waymo will initiate testing in western Singapore, starting with the Labrador and Harbourfront region, covering scenarios such as commuting, weekend travel, and catering to industrial zones with limited transport options. He noted that Waymo’s entry signifies a new chapter in Singapore’s driverless‑vehicle development. Siow revealed that authorities plan to deploy autonomous vehicles in one or two additional Housing Board towns situated further from the city center, such as Tampines North and Tengah. Currently, Singapore hosts 16 autonomous passenger vehicles operating in Punggol. Ride-hailing platform Grab announced it will enlarge its autonomous‑vehicle fleet from 10 to 50 over the next six months as it prepares to broaden services beyond Punggol. The Land Transport Authority granted Grab and autonomous‑driving company WeRide approval for community rides in Punggol in January, followed by public rides beginning in April. Grab is poised to launch an on-demand point‑to‑point service across selected locations in Punggol, with further service points forthcoming. Siow projected that Singapore’s autonomous‑vehicle fleet will expand to several hundred units within the next two years, although it will remain relatively small compared to the over 70,000 taxi and private‑hire drivers presently on the road. He emphasized that the industry will generate new jobs in fleet management, remote operations, system maintenance, application testing, data analysis, and service reliability. Siow also mentioned that operators have initiated training programs for drivers aspiring to these roles, and the government will subsidize up to 90% of their salaries during training.",
  "summary": "SINGAPORE, Sept 18 — Alphabet’s autonomous‑driving company Waymo said today it will launch a fully driverles...",
  "key_points": [
    "Waymo plans to launch fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Singapore by 2028.",
    "Collaboration with Singapore's Ministry of Transport and Land Transport Authority.",
    "Electric commercial service via mobile application, starting in Labrador and Harbourfront region."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}