Driverless buses will appear on some roads in Singapore from 2022

Driverless buses will appear on some roads in Singapore from 2022 as part of plans to improve mobility in the land-scarce city-state, its transport Minister said on Wednesday.

The buses will be piloted and deployed during off-peak traffic hours in three new suburban towns designed to accommodate the vehicles in a pilot project in three new neighborhoods which will have less-crowded roads designed to accommodate the buses.

“The autonomous vehicles will greatly enhance the accessibility and connectivity of our public transport system, particularly for the elderly, families with young children and the less mobile,” the Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said at the launch of a test Centre for self-driving vehicles.

The new Centre will allow driverless developers to test how their cars and buses would handle pedestrians, heavy rain, aggressive drivers, cyclists, scooters and other road scenarios, Mr Khaw added.

Singapore has so far avoided the massive traffic jams that choke other Asian cities like Manila and Jakarta by imposing road tolls, spending massively on public transport and becoming one of the world’s most expensive places to own a car.

At least 10 companies are currently testing driverless car technology in Singapore and plans to embrace self-driving technology to further reduce reliance on cars and improve how people get around.

The autonomous buses are expected to complement existing manned bus services, and will initially operate during off-peak hours.

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