SINGAPORE: Two Chinese robotaxi companies said on Saturday they will partner with Singapore companies to launch shuttle services in the city-state as it expands into autonomous driving.
Ride-hailing operator Grab said it would partner with China's WeRide to begin services next year. Pony.ai and Singapore taxi and transport company ComfortDelGro said they were teaming up for similar services.
Grab said in a statement it has been selected by local authorities to operate two autonomous shuttle service routes in the Punggol area.
It will begin taking passengers on five- and eight-seater vehicle models from WeRide from early 2026, after a test phase for the vehicles to study the routes in detail.
In July, WeRide was granted a permit from the Shanghai municipal government to operate autonomous robotaxi ride-hailing services.
Pony.ai said in a statement on Saturday that it and ComfortDelGro plan to introduce autonomous vehicle services initially in Punggol before expanding to neighbouring communities, and that they will begin services “in the coming months” after obtaining regulatory approval.
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority said in a separate statement that Pony.ai and ComfortDelGro will ply a 12-km (7.5-mile) route in Punggol. The LTA said both WeRide and Pony.ai have “a proven track record of deploying (automated vehicles) overseas across multiple vehicle types, including shuttles and cars.”
Pony.ai now operates commercial robotaxis in four of China's largest cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Pony.ai, backed by Toyota Motor, has also been exploring deploying its driverless service in South Korea, Luxembourg, the Middle East and other countries after raising $260 million from its Nasdaq listing in November. It plans to grow its robotaxi fleet to 1,000 by the end of this year.
The Singapore government has been exploring autonomous driving technology, with Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow visiting several autonomous driving companies in China in June - REUTERS
