Sentosa and Tada to kick off autonomous vehicle rides in early 2027
The public can book rides through the startup’s app, with the service operating from 1 pm to 7 pm daily
[SINGAPORE] Statutory board Sentosa Development Corp (SDC) and ride-hailing company Tada Mobility on Thursday (Oct 29) launched an autonomous vehicle (AV) service with planned rides for the public starting next year.
The first phase of the project will begin in early 2027. Members of the public can book rides on the shuttles through the Tada app, with the service covering the west of Sentosa, including Siloso, Imbiah and Beach Stations.
The project will use two self-driving shuttles that have a capacity of eight passengers each, from China AV company WeRide.
They will ply predetermined routes with 27 pick-up and drop-off points around Sentosa, with planned operating hours from 1 pm to 7 pm daily.
Thien Kwee Eng, CEO of SDC, said that with the pilot, guests “can simply book a ride, get picked up nearby, and travel to where they want to go”.
“This partnership with Tada is also part of our Smart Sentosa ambition and our role as a ‘living lab’ to explore new mobility solutions that can make the guest experience even more seamless and convenient,” she added.
“Our first step”
A Tada spokesperson told The Business Times: “The AVs’ public trial with Sentosa is our first step. We see AVs as another way to meet people’s mobility needs (and to) explore how we can make different mobility options accessible to riders.”
He added: “Our commitment to our existing ride-hailing services and drivers remains important, and we see AVs as complementing these services.”
A joint statement noted that the pilot aims to lower wait times, improve ride certainty, and connect key Sentosa locations. Findings from the pilot will facilitate the operation of AVs alongside existing transport modes, and determine how AVs could be integrated into Sentosa over the long term.
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The shuttles will have a safety operator and are remotely monitored. They will use a mix of public roads as well as service roads. The latter are open only to service and delivery vehicles, reducing travel times.
Subsequent phases will extend the service to the rest of Sentosa, subject to the Land Transport Authority’s approvals.
AV trials have been ongoing in Singapore since 2015, while Sentosa previously ran an AV trial in 2019 with ST Engineering.
In recent months, there has been increasing interest in self-driving vehicles as Singapore leads new test beds with high-profile AV companies and transport operators.
Grab and WeRide, as well as ComfortDelGro and Pony.ai, are operating AV pilots in Punggol, while Alphabet’s Waymo plans to start rides in 2028.
Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said in 2025 that he expects to see many AVs on Singapore’s roads in the coming years, while AV pioneer Sebastian Thrun told BT that Singapore is primed for a “landslide” adoption of the technology.
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