Waymo to bring driverless robotaxi rides to Singapore roads by 2028

Waymo is set to start charging passengers for driverless rides in Singapore in 2028. The American autonomous vehicle company will use electric cars to move people around the city-state, a move that could rattle the transport sector here. Bookings will run through a Waymo app, which opens once the firm has finished testing and training its cars for local conditions.

The first batch of vehicles - all-electric Jaguar i-Pace SUVs - arrives in Singapore within the next few months. Waymo's own staff will then drive them around town so the software can absorb how local roads are laid out and how monsoon downpours affect driving. Only after that stage is done will the app open to commuters.

Waymo frames the pitch as safer roads and easier access, arguing its carefully driven vehicles never suffer fatigue or a bad mood the way human drivers might. The announcement marks the first large commercial robotaxi service confirmed for Singapore. Grab, the Southeast Asian ride-hailing operator, has nonetheless been running an autonomous vehicle trial with China's WeRide in Punggol for several months.

Grab aims to grow that driverless fleet from 10 to 50 within the next six months and has signalled ambitions to extend the service across the island beyond Punggol. Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow, who spoke at the launch, pointed to encouraging sentiment so far: 99 per cent of those who have ridden in a driverless vehicle said they would suggest it to others.

Why it matters for Singapore: A global autonomous driving player choosing the country gives Singapore a live testbed for AI applied to mobility, reinforcing its push to be somewhere deep-tech gets deployed, not just researched. Regulation that lets trials scale - as seen in Punggol - is the kind of groundwork that draws companies like Waymo. For businesses, safer, always-on robotaxis could change how residents and firms think about getting around.