Punggol's first self-driving shuttle service officially opens to the public

Punggol's first self-driving shuttles made their public debut on Wednesday (April 1), said service operator Grab.

The shuttles — called Autonomously Intelligent Ride (Ai.R) — ply two of three planned routes around the neighbourhood: Route 1 connects Punggol West and East, while route 3 links Punggol West and North.

Online reservations for both shuttle routes opened on March 25, and the rides are free of charge until Grab begins commercial service in the middle of 2026.

"Grab is delighted to be bringing the first autonomous vehicle service in a residential area in Singapore to the public," the super app said on Wednesday.

"This service...is about building a future where technology and the community move forward together."

@asiaone Singapore’s first self-driving shuttle in Punggol has opened to the public, offering residents a glimpse into the future of transport. The autonomous vehicle operates on a fixed route and is designed to improve first- and last-mile connectivity, as part of the nation’s push towards smarter mobility solutions. #Singapore #Punggol #AutonomousVehicle #SmartNation #Transport ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

The fleet of 11 autonomous shuttles operated by Grab are developed by Chinese autonomous vehicle company WeRide. 10 of the vehicles are five-seaters, while one can accommodate up to eight passengers.

The shuttles underwent months of testing and collectively travelled more than 30,000km without incident before service officially opened to the public, Grab added.

To ride the Ai.R, members of the public can reserve a time slot for their desired route on the website rideair.ai.

Operating hours are from 9.30am to 5.30pm on weekdays, and a full loop takes around 50 minutes. A 20-minute "Mini Route" is also being offered for route 3.

During this initial phase of public rides, Grab will be gathering feedback from passengers as well as insights into usage patterns to help fine-tune service and pricing standards for the introductory discounted fare.

Passengers will eventually be charged a flat fare of $4 once commercial service begins, Grab previously said.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Punggol GRC MP Sun Xueling said more than 1,000 people have signed up for a trip on the Ai.R for the next few weeks.  

"We look forward to receiving feedback from members of the public on the rides," she added.

The last shuttle route — route 2 — will be operated by ComfortDelGro and connect Punggol East to North.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com