Trials will start in Marina Bay and one-north

The first of six autonomous public buses has reached Singapore and will be tested on routes 400 in Marina Bay and 191 in one-north from the second half of 2026 as part of a three-year pilot programme.

In a Facebook video on Mar 25, the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that the six buses will be rigorously tested to ensure that they meet all safety and operating requirements before they hit the roads.

When ready, the self-driving public buses will operate alongside existing manned buses, allowing LTA to maintain routes with lower ridership or introduce new services that are currently difficult to introduce due to manpower constraints.

In its Facebook video, LTA offered a glimpse of the driverless bus interior./ Screengrab from LTA

The video from LTA revealed a 16-seater bus with features that resemble those of existing public buses. It also showed a space designated for a wheelchair.

Cameras and sensors are seen mounted on the front, rear and top of the autonomous bus, providing operators with a 360-degree view of the surroundings.

LTA noted that further preparation is needed before testing begins.

The tests will include LTA’s closed-circuit assessment, consisting of basic manoeuvres and safe passenger boarding and alighting at all designated stops.

Service 400 connects Marina Bay and Shenton Way, stopping at Marina Bay Cruise Centre, Gardens by the Bay, Shenton Way and Downtown MRT stations.

Whereas service 191 loops through one-north, with stops at Buona Vista bus terminal, one-north MRT, and Buona Vista MRT.

Following this deployment, LTA may procure up to 14 additional autonomous buses and expand the pilot to more public bus services.

LTA first teased the launch of driverless public buses last Oct, where it awarded a contract for the pilot deployment of autonomous buses to a consortium of MKX Technologies Pte Ltd, Zhidao Network Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd and BYD (Singapore) Pte Ltd for a contract sum of around S$8.14 million to pilot autonomous buses.

The consortium will also work with the Singapore Bus Academy to train existing bus captains to take on new roles as safety operators, so that they are equipped to operate the autonomous buses competently and confidently.

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Featured Image Credit: LTA