Set to transform land transport in Singapore, Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technology can open up new mobility options for commuters, allow goods delivery and utility operations such as road sweeping to be done more efficiently,  as well as alleviate the manpower constraints in the land transport industry.

In particular, the deployment of AVs will improve the accessibility and connectivity of our public transport system. Commuters that need point-to-point mobility to the nearest train station or the town centre will be able to hail autonomous shuttles on demand. This may be especially useful for the elderly, families with young children and persons with disabilities. By making public transport more convenient and inclusive, we hope to reduce reliance on privately owned cars, ultimately reducing congestion on the roads.

With fewer cars on the roads, carparks and roads can be converted to other uses such as parks and communal space.

When AV technology matures and becomes commonplace, it is likely that our roads will become safer, as accidents resulting from human error are gradually eliminated.

AV Trials

AV trials on public roads began in one-north in July 2015. Since then, we have expanded the test bed to neighbouring areas – the National University of Singapore, Singapore Science Park 1 and 2, Dover and Buona Vista. This also allows us to increase the number of roads for AV developers to trial their AVs. AVs are also being trialled in several other locations in Singapore such as Sentosa and Jurong Island. Besides autonomous cars, trials for autonomous buses and shuttles are also being conducted in these locations.

Centre of Excellence for Testing & Research of AVs – NTU (CETRAN)

To ensure that AVs can be safely deployed on public roads in Singapore, LTA works with CETRAN and its partners on the development of the necessary standards and testing regimes for AVs. This is especially important as there are currently no existing international test standards or international certification bodies for AVs.

To provide a simulated road environment for the testing of AVs prior to their deployment on public roads, a two-hectare AV Test Centre, jointly developed by LTA, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and JTC, was launched on 22 November 2017. The CETRAN AV Test Centre is designed to replicate the different elements of Singapore’s roads, and also features a rain simulator and flood zone to test AVs’ capabilities under different weather conditions. 

Autonomous and On-Demand Shuttle Buses