Punggol’s East–West self-driving shuttles begin community rides

Residents in Punggol will soon get to experience driverless travel close to home, as Community Rides for the area’s new autonomous vehicle (AV) shuttle Route 1 begin from Jan. 12, 2026.

The route links homes in western Punggol, including Matilda Court and Punggol Clover, directly to key amenities in the east such as the polyclinic at Oasis Terraces and the market at Punggol Plaza.

Selected members of the community will be invited to try the service first and provide feedback, ahead of a full public launch in the coming months.

Routes 2 and 3, which connect other parts of Punggol, are still undergoing mapping, calibration and familiarisation training.

Community Rides phase

The Community Rides phase for Route 1 started on Jan. 12, 2026. During this period, invited residents can try out the autonomous shuttle and share feedback on their experience.

This stage is meant to help operators fine-tune the service and understand how passengers interact with the shuttles, allowing operators to understand and further refine the AV shuttles’ operations and Safety Operators’ protocols with passengers on board.

The rides are expected to be opened to the public in about two to three months’ time.

Route 1, 2 and 3

Route 1 is designed to improve east–west connectivity within Punggol.

It runs from residential blocks at Punggol Matilda Court (Block 234) and Punggol Clover (Block 204A) in the west, to Punggol Plaza and Oasis Terraces in the east.

The route is about 10km long and takes roughly 40 minutes to complete.

It is operated by Grab and is part of a wider plan to deploy three autonomous shuttle routes across Punggol.

Route 2, which will be run by ComfortDelGro, is still in the earlier stages of preparation.

This second route will operate daily 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 will connect residents from Matilda Court, Punggol Clover, and Punggol Northshore to One Punggol and Punggol Coast mall.

For Routes 1 and 3, which are run by Grab, services operate only on weekdays.

Shuttles will arrive about every 15 minutes for all three routes, similar to a regular bus service, and will run from 9:30am to 5pm.

They will also be branded in bright purple livery to help residents identify them, with “Autonomous Shuttle” decals prominently displayed on the front and sides of the vehicle.

Residents can locate the shuttle stops using purple wayfinding signs placed around the neighbourhood.

According to LTA, the shuttles are meant to provide more direct access to amenities and transport nodes, helping residents save up to 15 minutes per trip by cutting out indirect bus routes or long walks.

Safety measures and testing

Safety remains a key focus of the programme. Each autonomous shuttle has a trained safety operator on board who can take over if needed.

The transition to fully remote operations will only happen after the vehicles prove they can navigate the routes safely and reliably.

Before carrying passengers, the shuttles were tested in closed circuits with realistic road conditions, including stationary vehicles and pedestrian dummies.

For Route 1, the shuttles have already completed more than 10,000km of autonomous driving without incident.

Vehicle data is also shared with LTA, which monitors the performance of the autonomous vehicles during deployment.

Sarah Binte Ahmad, 45, a certified AV safety operator, added that the AVs prioritise safety.

“Even if you talk about pedestrians crossing the road, it will actually slow down and stop when needed.”

What residents think so far

An LTA survey of about 900 Punggol residents conducted between late September and late October 2025 found generally positive attitudes towards autonomous vehicles.

About three in four respondents said they were comfortable riding in autonomous vehicles, while more than half believed such vehicles would improve road safety.

Four in five felt autonomous vehicles would be a good development for Singapore and would improve connectivity.

To familiarise residents with the programme, Grab and ComfortDelGro also conducted 12 “Meet and Greet” sessions at various pick-up and drop-off points since December 2025, engaging about 200 residents in total.

95 per cent of those engaged during the Meet and Greet sessions indicated that they were aware of the AV Shuttles.

Dennis Wang, the head of Strategic Projects for Grab, mentioned that Grab, as a mobility network, is always looking to service underserved segments of the community, along with areas where there are gaps in transportation.

“The first deployment we have in Punggol will help us deeply understand the operational realities of running AVs on the ground and ensuring that they are safe for residents and commuters.

“In this phase we will iteratively gather feedback on things like how people interact with the AVs, and also consumer demand for services."

Top photos via Mothership and Grab