Waymo Plans Autonomous Ride-Hail in Singapore by 2028

SINGAPORE - Alphabet’s Waymo said Friday it will introduce a fully autonomous, all-electric ride-hailing service in Singapore by 2028, its first Southeast Asian market, in partnership with the Ministry of Transport and the Land Transport Authority, according to Waymo, Reuters, and Channel NewsAsia.

An initial fleet of Jaguar I-PACE vehicles is expected to arrive in the coming months as Waymo sets up local operations. In 2027, trained autonomous specialists will conduct manual mapping and validation driving to adapt the Waymo Driver to local road geometry and monsoon weather. Public rides through the Waymo app are planned for 2028, subject to regulatory approvals.

Photo: Waymo

Photo: Waymo

Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said Singapore welcomes Waymo as its newest autonomous vehicle operator and that testing and preparation will begin in western Singapore, including the Labrador and Harbourfront area. Channel NewsAsia reported that authorities later plan deployments in one or two Housing Board towns farther from the city, such as Tampines North and Tengah.

Photo: Waymo

Photo: Waymo

Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said the company would work with local authorities and communities and create skilled operational jobs in Singapore. Waymo’s announcement cites more than 20 million fully autonomous rides, more than 300 million autonomous kilometres driven, and a 94 percent reduction in injury-causing crashes versus human drivers in the U.S. cities where it operates fully autonomously.

Photo: Waymo

The Singapore plan follows Waymo’s stated aim to launch commercial service in Tokyo in 2027 and builds on U.S. robotaxi operations that the company says now span more than 15 major cities. Grab and WeRide already run limited autonomous shuttle services in Punggol. Siow said Singapore’s total autonomous passenger fleet could grow to several hundred vehicles over the next two years, still a small fraction of more than 70,000 taxi and private-hire drivers.