PUBLISHED ONJanuary 29, 2026 12:44 PMBYSean LerComfortDelGro (CDG) will be allowed to resume operating its autonomous vehicles (AVs) in Punggol for familiarisation purposes from Friday (Jan 30), said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, the authority said that it has reviewed the Jan 17 incident with CDG, including operating procedures on transitions between autonomous and manual driving.
The incident on Jan 17 involved an AV colliding with a road divider at about 3.10pm as it was undergoing routine mapping and familiarisation around Edgefield Plains.
LTA added that the vehicle had correctly manoeuvred into an adjacent lane after detecting an object that was not on the road.
However, the safety officer onboard, observing that the AV was manoeuvring into a different lane without an obvious reason, intervened to take over manual control. But he was unable to complete the manoeuvre in time.
The regulator also said that its simulation showed that the vehicle would have likely completed the manoeuvre safely, if there had been no intervention.
"This (incident) also highlights the importance of the familiarisation phase, where the AV familiarises itself with Singapore's road conditions, and fleet operators and safety officers understand the behaviour of AVs, without any passengers onboard," the regulator concluded.
Having completed its review, LTA said the safety timeout has been lifted and CDG will resume its operating its AV in Punggol on Friday.
When operational, CDG will operate route two of Punggol's designated shuttle service. This route connects residents living in Punggol Northshore to Oasis Terraces and Punggol Plaza.
Grab's fleet of self-driving vehicles were not affected by the post-incident safety timeout imposed on CDG, as its AVs use different software and are of a different vehicle type.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said in a Facebook post on Jan 19 that both the Ministry of Transport and LTA will work closely with both operators to ensure safety while striving to improve last mile connectivity for Punggol residents.
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