ComfortDelGro, Pony.ai get OK to test self-driving shuttles in SG

In Singapore, ComfortDelGro is set to roll out a five-seater autonomous shuttle service by the second quarter of 2026 / Photo credit: ComfortDelGro

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore has given its approval to transport operator ComfortDelGro and its autonomous vehicle (AV) partner, Pony.ai, to begin testing their AV shuttles in the residential district of Punggol.

ComfortDelGro told The Business Times that the Centre of Testing and Research of Autonomous Vehicles – NTU (Cetran) has also approved all five of the vehicles that will be used in the trial.

The center supports LTA in developing test requirements and standards for deploying AVs in Singapore. It was established in 2017 by Nanyang Technological University, LTA, and JTC, a government agency tasked with developing industrial infrastructure.

Cheng Siak Kian, ComfortDelGro’s group CEO, told The Business Times that completing the Cetran Milestone 1 batch assessment highlights the company’s “dedication to innovation, safety, and operational excellence.”

“This achievement meets the stringent standards for AV systems, enabling us to responsibly introduce intelligent transport systems in Singapore,” he added.

The approval comes after regulators gave Grab and WeRide the green light last month to also test their AV shuttles in Punggol.

Singapore wants to roll out commercial AV services next year. For the initial phase, the city-state is eyeing a shuttle service that will ply a fixed number of locations within a specified district.

Punggol, located in the northeast of Singapore, will be the first residential district to have the service.

ComfortDelGro will operate five seven-seater AV shuttles when road trials begin, which is expected to be in the first quarter of 2026. Its competitor Grab has an AV fleet made up of 10 five-seaters and one eight-seater Robobus.

The tests in Punggol are key to the commencement of AV operations. They will allow ComfortDelGro and Pony.ai to localize their AV software by gathering data such as road infrastructure, weather patterns, as well as the behaviors of road users and pedestrians.

Massive amounts of such data are needed for AVs to operate in the city-state, as their AI systems rely on this information to make real-time decisions.

In March, ComfortDelGro and Pony.ai began a sandbox program in Guangzhou, China, to develop capabilities for operating an AV fleet.

Securing approval to start tests in Punggol arguably marks an important step in ComfortDelGro’s AV ambitions, as it allows the company to deploy the capabilities it acquired in Guangzhou and in other markets.