Waymo to start offering driverless ride-share car services in Singapore in 2028

SINGAPORE – Driverless ride-hailing operator Waymo will start accepting bookings for trips in Singapore in its self-driving cars from 2028, marking its first entry into South-east Asia.

Announcing its plans on Sept 18 at Google’s Asia-Pacific headquarters in Pasir Panjang, the unit of technology conglomerate Alphabet said its first fleet of vehicles will hit local roads in the coming months.

The initial fleet will be made up of Jaguar I-PACE sports utility vehicles, although the operator did not disclose how many cars will be deployed or its eventual target fleet size.

The cars will be driven by trained autonomous vehicle (AV) specialists so that on-board systems can familiarise themselves with Singapore’s road and weather conditions.

The specialists will be hired locally, along with other operational roles such as fleet maintenance and customer support.

Waymo said many of its customers use its rides to connect to public transport, including more than a third of those in San Francisco who are either picked up or dropped off near public transport stops. It said: “We aim to bridge first-and-last-mile transit gaps across residential and commercial hubs.”

It is unclear if Waymo’s vehicles will be available islandwide or restricted to certain parts of Singapore when its service goes live, with more details slated to be released in time.

Checks on corporate intelligence platform Sayari showed that the Singapore subsidiary was registered on May 20, with Waymo’s financial controller and deputy general counsel listed among its directors.

Currently available across 15 US cities, Waymo’s launch in Singapore marks the second confirmed Asian market for the autonomous vehicle (AV) operator, following Tokyo, Japan, where it plans to start commercial services in 2027.

Beyond Japan and Singapore, Waymo has been laying the groundwork for further expansion in the region, having established a subsidiary in South Korea in July. However, a specific timeline for commercial operations there has yet to be disclosed.

Aqil Hamzah is a transport journalist at The Straits Times. He is also interested in issues related to crime and technology.