ASEAN’s first driverless bus service debuts in Singapore

Chinese autonomous driving technology company WeRide has launched Southeast Asia’s first fully driverless public bus service at Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa (RWS). The service, which operates without an onboard safety driver, received approval from Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) after a year of successful trials.

During the trial period, which began in June 2024, the WeRide Robobus, with a safety operator present, transported tens of thousands of passengers over thousands of autonomous trips within the integrated resort.

The fully driverless service will now connect key locations within RWS, including several hotels, on a fixed 12-minute loop. The vehicle, which has no steering wheel or pedals, is equipped with a suite of sensors, including light detection and ranging (Lidar) and cameras capable of detecting obstacles from over 200 metres away.

“This launch marks a ground-breaking milestone for WeRide and the future of mobility in Southeast Asia,” said Jennifer Li, chief financial officer and head of international at WeRide. “Deploying the region’s first fully driverless Robobus demonstrates that our vehicles are safe, reliable and ready to transform public transportation at scale.”

The launch aligns with Singapore’s ambitious plans to incorporate autonomous vehicles (AVs) into its public transport system to address manpower constraints and improve efficiency. The city-state has adopted a phased and cautious approach, prioritising safety above all else. All AVs must undergo rigorous assessments at the Centre of Excellence for Testing and Research of Autonomous Vehicles (Cetran) before being allowed on public roads.

The LTA has also established a comprehensive framework for AV trials, which requires companies to demonstrate safe operations with a safety driver before they can transition to fully driverless operations under remote supervision. This milestone was achieved by WeRide in January 2025, when it was permitted to remove the steering wheel from its Sentosa shuttle, relying on a combination of remote operators and an onboard safety officer.

Besides Sentosa, self-driving shuttles have been trialled in other areas like Punggol, Tengah and the Jurong Innovation District since 2015. The government’s goal is to see AVs as a regular part of the transport landscape by 2040, helping to achieve its vision of “20-minute towns and a 45-minute city”.

WeRide has been an active participant in Singapore’s AV ecosystem. In addition to the Robobus, the company deployed autonomous road sweepers at Marina Coastal Drive and the Esplanade in November 2024, followed by a trial in Jurong Lake Gardens in March 2025. The company has also established a local research and development centre with support from the Singapore Economic Development Board to further innovate and create jobs in the sector.

Singapore’s acting minister for transport, Jeffrey Siow, recently announced plans to significantly expand the use of driverless vehicles on fixed routes within public housing estates in the next five years.