Grab to pilot on-demand autonomous vehicle service in Punggol

SINGAPORE: Grab will pilot an on-demand autonomous vehicle (AV) service in Punggol in the next few months, allowing riders to book an AV to travel directly between existing pick-up and drop-off points served by its current shuttle routes.

Grab currently operates autonomous shuttles in Punggol that ply fixed routes with designated pick-up and drop-off points.

The pilot will see AVs take the most direct route between the rider’s selected pick-up and drop-off points instead of following a fixed route, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Wednesday (Jul 29).

The new service will open to trial riders in the next few months, before being gradually made available to the public in the fourth quarter of 2026, when commercial fares will apply, Grab said.

It will improve transport options between residential areas and key amenities, including medical clinics, markets, schools and transport hubs like Punggol Coast MRT station, it added.

LTA announced the pilot programme as an enhancement to the current autonomous shuttle services in Punggol, following feedback from its post-ride surveys. 

Among survey respondents, including around 270 Punggol residents, almost 60 per cent said they preferred being able to choose where they board and alight, while around 40 per cent preferred more direct routes to their destinations.

As of Jul 12, more than 11,500 unique riders have taken the autonomous shuttle services, LTA said. 

It added that feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with 99 per cent of around 900 survey respondents indicating that they felt safe during the ride and would recommend the service to others.

Meanwhile, over 500 individuals have already joined a waitlist to be among the first to try new AV experiences, Grab said.

“The pilot is a step towards on-demand, direct-routing services across more pick-up and drop-off points in Punggol,” LTA said. 

Grab's existing fixed-route shuttle services will continue to operate alongside the enhanced on-demand service upon the latter’s commencement. 

The fixed-route rides will remain free of charge to allow more people to experience the AV shuttles, LTA said.

More pick-up and drop-off points will be added progressively based on feedback from residents, LTA said, adding that it will continue to work with both Grab and ComfortDelGro - which also provides AV rides in Punggol - to enhance services and improve the convenience and accessibility of autonomous shuttle services.

“To ensure that the public is prepared for new AV experiences, LTA and Grab will continue with education and engagement initiatives in the coming months,” Grab said.

Grab also said that it is actively building its operational infrastructure and has established an AV depot in Punggol, and will add more AVs to its fleet this year.

“We are deeply grateful to the Punggol community for their support for our AV shuttle trials,” said Grab president and chief operating officer Alex Hungate.

“In response to their feedback, this next phase brings increased flexibility with on-demand, direct routing."

The self-driving shuttle services were on trial in Punggol since September 2025, before being opened to the public on Apr 1, 2026. Grab operates two of the three routes, while ComfortDelGro operates the other.

While presenting the Ministry of Transport's budget plans to parliament in April, then-Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow said that he intended to expand AV trials to other parts of Singapore if the Punggol rollout went well.