Singapore Gears Up for Futuristic Self-Driving Buses by 2026

In preparation for their widespread implementation, the government said Monday that self-driving public buses will begin operating routes throughout Singapore starting in mid 2026. In a Facebook post, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that it had opened bids for the city-state’s autonomous public bus pilot program.

The post reads, “This RFP (Request for Proposal) will help us assess the technical feasibility and operational requirements for deploying self driving buses at both individual service and fleet levels. From mid-2026, the autonomous buses will operate alongside our existing manned bus services for an initial period of three years.”

According to LTA, six autonomous buses with a minimum of 16 seats would traverse the financial district’s Marina Bay and Shenton Way neighbourhoods as well as a business park and research facility on the outskirts.

“We are starting with these routes as they are shorter and simpler.” During the first phase, the buses will operate with a driver on board as “safety operators”, it said. A “remote safety operator can take over the supervisory role” after that phase.

In order to expand the pilot, LTA stated that it “may purchase up to 14 more” driverless buses. By the end of 2025, the project will be granted and the call for bids is anticipated to close in the second quarter.

Well-organised For a number of years, Singapore has been testing autonomous vehicles including tests for trucks, buses and taxis are conducted in certain locations. In an effort to entice more international companies to invest, the government has taken the lead.