Grab opens Southeast Asia’s first public robotaxi service

Grab is starting a limited driverless ride service in Singapore’s Punggol area with Chinese robotaxi operator WeRide, making it the first ride provider in Southeast Asia to open an autonomous service to the public.

The pilot runs on two approved routes with multiple stops and uses an 11-vehicle fleet to shuttle riders to nearby amenities and transport links.

After testing since September, the fleet carried more than 1,000 riders and logged over 30,000 km in autonomously.

The rollout is part of Grab’s push to improve long-term profitability amid competition from Indonesia’s GoTo Group.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

This pilot has a large investment and fits Singapore’s national autonomous vehicle strategy

The Punggol trial is the first public step in a wider partnership. Grab has committed to a strategic equity investment in WeRide, with completion expected by the first half of 2026, subject to usual closing conditions and WeRide’s preferred timing 1.
Grab and WeRide plan a long-term rollout that could put thousands of robotaxis on roads across Southeast Asia 1.
Singapore’s national agenda lists autonomous vehicles as one way to ease manpower constraints and support an ageing population 2.
Grab CEO Anthony Tan said autonomous vehicles should add capacity to Grab’s driver network, with deployments aimed at cities that face significant driver shortages 3.

Singapore serves as a careful test site in the global robotaxi race

Analysts expect an island-wide robotaxi network to remain unlikely within the next five years due to Singapore’s strict “safety-first regulatory framework” 4.
Open issues include earning public trust, settling liability after crashes, and handling dense traffic plus heavy rain 4.
Competition is growing. Pony.ai has approval to start robotaxi road tests in Punggol, after a 2024 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ComfortDelGro, Singapore’s largest land transport operator 5.
This environment gives autonomous vehicle firms a place to prove performance in a complex city, which can support international expansion plans 5.