Waymo plans to enter Singapore in 2028, following its planned expansion into Germany and Japan in 2027. The Singapore launch would mark the Alphabet-owned autonomous electric ride-hailing company’s first market in Southeast Asia.
The company has partnered with Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) and Land Transport Authority (LTA) as it prepares to begin operations in the country.
Waymo to Begin Singapore Testing in 2027
Waymo plans to start testing its autonomous fleet in Singapore in 2027. The initial fleet will consist of modified Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles, with the first vehicles expected to arrive in the country in the coming months as the company establishes local operations.
During the initial testing phase, trained autonomous driving specialists will manually operate the vehicles. The testing is intended to help Waymo adapt its Waymo Driver autonomous driving system to Singapore’s road layouts and weather conditions.
Waymo plans to transition to fully autonomous operations and begin offering public trips through its app in 2028.
Singapore Expands Autonomous Vehicle Testing
Singapore is already conducting trials involving autonomous passenger vehicles and public buses.
Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow, who attended the launch announcement with Waymo Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, said autonomous vehicles have covered more than 160,000 km on fixed routes in Singapore without a major accident.
According to Siow, Singapore currently has 16 autonomous passenger vehicles operating in Punggol. The number is expected to increase to several hundred following Waymo’s entry.
Employees at Google’s Singapore office could potentially become some of the first Waymo riders as part of the company’s local testing activities.
Waymo Works With Singapore Transport Authorities
The LTA said it will work with Waymo to ensure the company’s operations comply with applicable safety and regulatory requirements.
Waymo will join Singapore-based companies ComfortDelGro and Grab in the country’s autonomous vehicle initiatives when its testing programme begins.
“Singapore has built one of the safest, most efficient, and most forward-thinking transportation ecosystems in the world. Their focus on reliability, sustainability, and human-centric progress directly mirrors how we have built Waymo’s technology and service,” said Tekedra Mawakana, Co-CEO of Waymo.
The planned Singapore programme will give Waymo an opportunity to test its autonomous driving technology in a Southeast Asian operating environment before the company’s targeted public launch in 2028.