Why self-driving technology?
- Self-driving technology has the potential to radically transform our transport system and improve our living environment. We are exploring the application of self-driving technology to public transport not only to bring in new forms of shared mobility, but also to address the constraints we face in land and manpower.
Image: LTA
- The technology also holds great potential for the freight transportation and utility services sectors, in part to address manpower challenges and also to ease traffic congestion during peak hours by deploying autonomous systems at night.
Autonomous Vehicles trials in Singapore

Image: SMART
- nuTonomy, an MIT / SMART spin-off
- A developer of autonomous vehicle technology with focus on launching a commercial autonomous mobility-on-demand service in Singapore, nuTonomy’s software has been tested in the US, Singapore, and Europe.
- nuTonomy was the first private company - and the third applicant - to obtain approval for public road testing at one-north as of April 2016.
Image: nuTonomy
- Gardens by the Bay, in collaboration with ST Engineering
- Auto Rider, the first fully-operational SDV in Asia aimed at enhancing connectivity within the Gardens and providing visitors with an alternative, revolutionary mode of getting around.
- Fully electric-powered and air-conditioned, each vehicle has a capacity of 10 people.
Image: Gardens by the Bay
- Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
- Driverless shuttle bus now travels a 500m route connecting student halls with the main academic areas, ferrying up to 300 passengers a day.
- The vehicle will eventually travel across the entire campus, and is expected to connect NTU to the neighbouring Cleantech Park.

Images: LTA, NTU
- LTA and ST Kinetics
- ST Kinetics will develop and integrate autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies onto two 40-seater electric buses. These buses will use a satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) and a suite of sensors to scan and determine their location and immediate surroundings. Radars and sonars will also detect other vehicles and pedestrians up to 200m ahead.
- The three-and-a-half year project will also look into improving autonomous buses’ ability to navigate in heavier rain conditions, up from the current 10mm/h to 30mm/h.
- The autonomous buses will be tested in various locations, scenarios and environments, which can potentially include Jurong Island and NUS campus.

Source: LTA, Graphic: TODAY
- MOT and PSA collaboration with Scania and Toyota
- In two phases over a three-year period from January 2017 to December 2019, the collaboration will involve developing technologies to enable heavy vehicles to move in leader-follower formation, as well as to fully automate the processes for precise docking and undocking of cargo.
- Phase 1 trials will be conducted in the companies’ respective research centres, following which MOT and PSA Corporation will select one company for phase 2 trial. A 10-km long test route along West Coast Highway has been designated for the phase 2 trials.
- Katoen Natie and VDL
- 12 driverless trucks will go on trial on Jurong Island from September 2017. The trucks will be retrofitted with autonomous systems which will communicate with transponders installed in the road.
- The trucks will ply a fixed 6km to 8km route as part of the initial phase, then guided by satellite in the next phase. The trucks will eventually ply public roads.

Image: Katoen Natie
LTA has also signed agreements with companies to develop solutions for autonomous truck platooning to transport containers from one port terminal to another, as well as issued a Request for Information for the development of self-driving utility vehicles for waste collection and road sweeping.

Image: Ministry of Transport
Useful links:
Driverless Trucks to Start Trials on Jurong Island in September
LTA Inks Agreement with ST Kinetics to Develop and Trial Autonomous Buses
Factsheet: Leveraging Technology for a Smarter and Greener Transport System
NTU Tests New Autonomous Electric Shuttle
Singapore to Start Truck Platooning Trials
Factsheet: Facilitating the One-North AV Test-Bed
On the Road to a more Sustainable and Reliable Transport System
Driverless Vehicles: A Vision for Singapore’s Transport
LTA, JTC & A*STAR – A SAVI Step Towards Autonomous Transport
Speech by SMS Josephine Teo – Committee on Autonomous Road Transport for Singapore
Speech by PS Pang Kin Keong – Future Mobility
MOT & LTA – Self-Driving Vehicles will Transform Singapore’s Transport Landscape
MOT & Gardens by the Bay – First Fully-Operational Self-Driving Vehicle in Asia Set to Ply Gardens by the Bay in Mid-2016
MOT & PSA – Autonomous Truck Platooning Technology to Boost Port Productivity
MOT, SDC & ST Engineering – On-Demand Self-Driving Shuttles in Sentosa at the Touch of a Smartphone
LTA to Launch Autonomous Mobility-on-Demand Trials
Committee on Autonomous Road Transport for Singapore (CARTS)