Singapore tests driverless vehicles

It’s part of the effort to transform Singapore into a smart city.

The Land Transport Authority has launched pilot tests of driverless vehicles in Punggol, Tengah, and Jurong Innovation districts, according to a press release.

The service, which can be accessed via mobile phones, is part of the Smart Nation effort to develop mobility solutions to progressively transform Singapore into a smart city.

“Through the pilot deployment, we can gain insights into how we can design infrastructure, organize services and formulate regulations to better facilitate the safe use of AVs in Singapore,” said coordinating minister for infrastructure and transport Khaw Boon Wan.

The autonomous vehicles (AV) are scheduled to initially travel on less populated roads but LTA is exploring the use of driverless buses for express transit links to connect the North-East line to the North-South, East-West and Thomson East Coast Lines and later on, mass deployment.

The LTA and the Ministry of Transport (MOT) launched a request for information to seek inputs from industry and research institutions to achieve a successful pilot deployment of AVs.