Driverless public bus services at Marina Bay & one-north to begin in 2nd half of 2026

Driverless buses will begin plying the routes of service 400 in Marina Bay and 191 in one-north from the second half of 2026 in a three-year pilot.

In an Oct. 2 news release, LTA said it had awarded an S$8.14 million contract to a consortium of companies following its Jan. 27 call for proposals.

This is part of the Ministry of Transport's (MOT) and Land Transport Authority's (LTA) plans to pilot the use of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology.

Six buses & same fares

Bus service 400 and 191 were chosen because the former was a shorter route, while the latter plied One-north, which has been a test-bed for an existing AV, LTA explained earlier in January.

From the second half of 2026, six 16-passenger seat autonomous buses will operate alongside existing manned buses as part of a hybrid fleet, LTA said in the Oct. 2 news release.

The autonomous buses will have features similar to existing public buses.

These include designated spaces and boarding/alighting ramps for wheelchair and personal mobility aid users, and strollers.

Fares payable during the pilot will be the same as the public bus service, according to LTA.

Phased transition to remote monitoring

LTA also highlighted that the autonomous buses will feature a safety operator on board at all times during the initial phases of deployment.

SBS Transit, who operates the two services, will review and improve the autonomous bus operations based on commuters' feedback.

Once the autonomous buses have demonstrated their capabilities to operate smoothly and safely, bus operations will be monitored by a remote operator from a control centre instead.

"In place of an onboard safety operator, a customer service officer will be deployed onboard to assist commuters," LTA said.

Prior to the commencement of the pilot, "rigorous testing" will be conducted to ensure that the buses meet safety and operating requirements.

"LTA will work closely with the consortium to ensure both the autonomous buses and supporting systems are operationally ready," it added.

Similarly, the consortium will work with SBS Transit to develop operational concepts and plans for the hybrid fleet.

Training to be provided to bus captains

Working together with the Singapore Bus Academy, SBS Transit will train existing bus captains to take on new roles as safety operators to ensure that they are "equipped to operate the autonomous buses competently and confidently."

Additionally, LTA, public transport operators and the National Transport Workers' Union will prepare training programmes for new roles in the AV industry.

Such roles include safety operators, customer service officers, fleet managers, and other technical functions, LTA shared.

Consortium of companies

The consortium which won the contract comprises MKX Technologies, Zhidao Network (Beijing) and BYD (Singapore).

LTA explained that it received four proposals for the pilot and evaluated them based on maturity of AV technology, the AV developer's track record and capability to meet the operational needs of public buses.

Zhidao Network (Beijing) will provide the AV software and hardware, such as Lidar technology. It has deployed autonomous buses in Chinese cities such as Beijing, Dali, Shanghai and Tianjin.

MKX Technologies will lead local research and development and project management efforts.

BYD (Singapore) will supply the electric buses.

Zhidao Network (Beijing) is a Chinese company specialising in self-driving technology.

BYD is a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer who had provided electric buses currently operating in Japan.

MKX Technologies was incorporated in Singapore in April 2025, according to The Straits Times (ST).

Its majority owner is X Star Technology, a Singapore subsidiary of a Chinese online vehicle financing company, Yixin Group.

Its minority owner is Japanese electric car-sharing company, MK.X.

Expanded pilot on the cards

Down the road, the AV buses pilot may be expanded to include more public bus services, with LTA saying it may procure up to 14 additional autonomous buses.

LTA also pointed out that the pilot deployment along bus services 400 and 191 will allow it to assess the feasibility of AV technology for public bus services.

"AV buses will complement existing buses, allowing us to maintain routes with lower ridership or introduce new services that are hitherto difficult to introduce due to manpower constraint," it explained.

According to LTA, the pilot was started before MOT's recent test deployment of AVs in Punggol.

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Top image via LTA, Google Maps