Punggol's first self-driving shuttle to open to public in 2 to 3 months' time: Sun Xueling

Punggol residents will soon be able to travel round the neighbourhood on driver-less shuttles, with the first of three fixed-route services expected to begin full service in "two to three months", Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday (Jan 7), the MP for Punggol GRC said that the shuttles plying route one has completed testing and preparatory work and have travelled more than 10,000km without any incident.

The 10km-long route connects Matilda Court, Punggol Clover, Punggol Plaza and Oasis Terraces. 

Operated by Grab, the service will run from 9.30am to 5pm on weekdays.

Sun said that stakeholders including key grassroots leaders and agency partners will be invited to take a ride in the vehicles in January. 

"Apps will also be rolled out then by the AV shuttle operators to enable commuters to check ride availability," she said.

Signages are being fixed at the pick-up and drop-off points, with boarding areas demarcated in bright purple.

Sun added that some lane markings in crowded areas such as Oasis Terraces have been adjusted for safety reasons.

The shuttle services will help improve first-mile-last-mile connectivity within the town.

Route 2, operated by ComfortDelGro, will connect residents living in Punggol Northshore to Oasis Terraces and Punggol Plaza. 

Route 3 operated by Grab will connect Matilda Court, Punggol Clover and Punggol Northshore residents to One Punggol and Punggol Coast Mall.

The launch dates for these routes have yet to be announced.

"The Ministry of Transport will work closely with union leaders on job opportunities and concerns drivers may have," said Sun.

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