US self-driving car company enters Singapore, heating up driverless ride-hailing services in the country

SINGAPORE: Waymo, the American self-driving car company, has officially announced its plans to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Singapore starting 2028. With this plan, Singapore will be Waymo’s first market in Southeast Asia, intensifying competition among driverless ride-hailing services in the country. 

As reported by Yan.sg, Waymo will begin its road testing and mapping next year, and the first batch of vehicles is expected to arrive in Singapore in the coming months. It is reported that trained personnel will drive the vehicles to familiarize the system with Singapore’s roads, traffic, and weather conditions. Afterwards, Waymo plans to offer driverless passenger services through its own application after completing testing and obtaining regulatory approval. 

Autonomous driving market in Singapore

Waymo is not the first company to enter Singapore’s autonomous driving market. As of the moment, Punggol has an autonomous shuttle service in operation. This autonomous vehicle fleet has served approximately 20,000 residents, with 99% of passengers saying they would recommend it to others.

 Furthermore, Grab is also expanding its services with an autonomous vehicle fleet and partnering with the Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide. 

Grab and WeRide launched their partnership on April 1, 2026. As part of their initial process, the vehicles were equipped with safety drivers and accumulated more than 30,000 kilometers of safe driving before the public launch. More than 1,000 passengers participated in the test ride experience.

Moreover, ComfortDelGro’s Zig service also opened for public bookings in June 2026, covering key locations such as Punggol Coast Mall and Punggol Integrated Community Centre, facilitating residents’ connections to the MRT and buses. On the service’s opening day, it attracted hundreds of people to sign up for the experience. 

As more companies introduce self-driving services, Singapore’s transport industry is expected to see more competition in the following years. Without a doubt, these services could give commuters more travel options, making their transportation journey smooth and with ease.