Grab to increase autonomous vehicle fleet to 50, eyes expansion beyond Punggol

[SINGAPORE] Grab will grow its autonomous vehicle fleet in Singapore to 50 vehicles over the next six months from 10 currently, as it prepares to broaden operations within Punggol and eventually expand to other parts of the island.

The ride-hailing company said on Monday (Sep 14) that expansion beyond Punggol will be subject to regulatory approvals. Its current fleet comprises 10 units of the WeRide GXR, an autonomous vehicle model developed by Chinese self-driving technology company WeRide.

Grab is also preparing to introduce an on-demand, point-to-point service across selected locations in Punggol, with more service points to be added in the coming months.

The company had announced in July that the service would allow passengers to book a dedicated autonomous vehicle travelling directly between pick-up and drop-off points, instead of following the fixed loops used by its existing shuttle services.

It said then that the service would be progressively opened to the public in the fourth quarter of 2026, with commercial fares applying.

Grab’s autonomous fleet has now clocked more than 110,000 km on Singapore roads and served more than 12,000 unique riders. Some 99 per cent of riders surveyed said they would recommend the service, while more than 1,000 people have joined a waitlist for new autonomous vehicle experiences.

The latest figures are up from about 90,000 km and more than 9,000 unique riders disclosed in July.

Grab is also exploring the possibility of making Singapore its regional centre of excellence for autonomous vehicle localisation and deployment, which it said could create hundreds of new roles in areas including engineering, design and operations.

GrabAcademy – Grab’s training arm – and WeRide have so far certified 30 safety operators, including six who are also certified as remote operators.

SEE ALSO

After Indonesia, Grab comes under pressure in Vietnam over driver earnings

Grab said to be in talks to buy Singapore fintech firm Atome

Grab to roll out on-demand autonomous vehicle rides in Punggol ahead of Q4 commercial launch

The expansion is part of Grab’s longer-term goal to deploy thousands of autonomous vehicles across South-east Asia by 2030. It is pursuing a “hybrid mobility strategy”, under which autonomous vehicles operate alongside its human driver network.