Bus that can drive itself gets into accident in Clementi, driven by human safety driver

UPDATE on Jan. 21 at 12:15am: This article has been updated to include statements from Ngee Ann Polytechnic and the Land Transport Authority

A driverless bus with a safety driver collided with a car at the junction of Clementi Avenue 4 and 5, resulting in one person sustaining minor injuries.

In response to Mothership queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to a road traffic accident on Jan. 20 at 9:05am.

A person was assessed for minor injuries by SCDF, but declined to be sent to the hospital.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the bus crashed into the side of the white car, leaving both cars dented.

Driverless bus

The bus, an autonomous shuttle service, had a "trial run" sticker on it as it is part of the driverless bus service by Ngee Ann Polytechnic deployed by MooVita.

In 2023, the polytechnic announced that the MooBus is a bus service provided to its students and staff.

A press release by MooVita in 2023 stated that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) requires a safety operator on board, and the operator will take the wheel at certain points along the route.

It also stated that the bus only operates autonomously within the campus and the operator must drive it manually on Clementi Road and Bukit Timah.

In response to Mothership's queries, a Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) spokesperson shared that they were aware of the MooVita autonomous bus incident.

"At the time, the bus was under manual operation by the safety operator and not driven autonomously. Both the safety operator and the one passenger on board at that time were unhurt," said the NP spokesperson.

"The safety of our students, staff and road users is our utmost priority and we will work with the relevant authorities and partners investigating the incident".

A Land Transport Authority (LTA) spokesperson told Mothership that the bus was being driven manually in accordance with LTA conditions at the time of the accident.

The LTA spokesperson stated that MooVita's autonomous buses are only allowed to operate autonomously within the polytechnic's campus and must be driven manually on public roads.

Mothership has reached out to MooVita for comments.

Top photo via Lianhe Zaobao