Driverless shuttles operated by Grab, ComfortDelGro to ply 3 routes in Punggol from 2026

Punggol will begin its rollout of autonomous shuttles in the community by the second quarter of 2026.

It will be the first place in Singapore to deploy driverless vehicles, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling at the Sep. 20 Autonomous Vehicles Roadshow in Punggol.

Sun, who is also Member of Parliament (MP) for Punggol GRC, explained that the shuttles — which, as the name suggests, will operate without a driver — will serve harder-to-reach parts of Punggol town.

Before they start to carry passengers however, the vehicles will first undergo rigorous testing and familiarisation.

The bright purple vehicles, which can carry between five to eight people, will appear on the roads of Punggol from next week for the testing process.

This is what they look like:

After the initial testing, members of the community will be invited to trial the autonomous shuttles for free.

There will be a safety operator onboard during this trial.

The service will then open to the public for passenger service. During this period, residents can also submit their feedback and suggestions.

Three routes

Three routes have been planned so far.

The first route, operated by Grab, will open to the public by the second quarter of 2026.

Running a 10km round trip from east to west Punggol, it will connect residents from Matilda Court and Punggol Clover to the polyclinic at Oasis Terraces, via the wet market at Punggol Plaza.

The second route, operated by ComfortDelGro, will operate in north-east Punggol. 12km long, it will connect residents from Punggol Northshore to Oasis Terraces and Punggol Plaza.

Through this route, residents at Waterway Sunrise will be connected to One Punggol and Punggol Coast, including the mall, MRT station, and bus interchange.

The third route, also operated by Grab, will connect residents from Matilda Court, Punggol Clover, and Punggol Northshore to One Punggol and Punggol Coast mall.

The second and third routes will be launched subsequent to the first.

Testing period

Introducing the vehicles, Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow called autonomous vehicles (AVs) "the next technological breakthrough".

They will add to Singapore's public transport network, to complement buses, cover feeder routes, and even operate night services.

"Everybody wants more bus services, but it's very difficult...to recruit more bus drivers," he said.

He added that AVs will help fill that gap.

Furthermore, they will benefit Singaporeans of all ages — from parents with young children, to young people coming home after a late night out.

They should also be theoretically safer, as they don't speed or tailgate, and are immune to the effects of drink driving and road rage.

Siow unveiled the first three shuttles, and explained that by the end of next year, Singapore will aim to have brought in 100 to 150 autonomous shuttles.

In the meantime, Sun advised road users and pedestrians to "not treat them differently from other vehicles" when the shuttles appear on the roads next week.

"These vehicles are meant to operate alongside other vehicles...so drive as you normally do, cross the road as you normally do," she said.

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Top image from @motsingapore and Sun Xueling/Facebook