Waymo to launch operations in Singapore in 2028
Following its expansion into Germany and Japan in 2027, Waymo plans to enter Singapore in 2028. This will be the Alphabet-owned autonomous, all-electric ride-hailing service provider's first market in Southeast Asia.
Image: Waymo
Waymo has partnered with Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) as it prepares to enter the country’s robotaxi market. Its first batch of modified Jaguar I-Pace EVs will start arriving in Singapore in the coming months while it sets up local operations.
The company plans to commence testing its autonomous fleet in Singapore in 2027. Initially, it will have trained autonomous driving specialists manually operate the EVs, helping Waymo Driver, its proprietary autonomous driving system, adapt to local conditions, including road layouts and weather patterns. It aims to start offering fully autonomous trips to the public through the Waymo app the following year and has set up a dedicated page on its website to keep potential customers updated on its progress.
Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow was present with Waymo Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana to officiate the company’s Singapore launch announcement. He said that employees working at Google’s Singapore office could potentially be the first Waymo riders in the country, presumably as part of internal testing. Autonomous vehicles have covered more than 160,000 km during testing on fixed routes in Singapore without a major accident, he added.
Singapore is testing autonomous passenger vehicles and also autonomous public buses. In the context of Waymo’s announcement, Siow said that currently there are 16 passenger vehicles, all operating in Punggol. The country expects this figure to grow to several hundred with Waymo’s arrival.
“Singapore has built one of the safest, most efficient, and most forward-thinking transportation ecosystems in the world. Their focus on reliability, sustainability, and human-centric progress directly mirrors how we have built Waymo’s technology and service,” said Mawakana.
The LTA said in a separate announcement that it will work closely with Waymo to ensure operations meet safety and regulatory requirements. Waymo will join homegrown companies ComfortDelGro and Grab in the country’s autonomous vehicle initiatives when it commences testing next year.
