SINGAPORE - Visitors to Sentosa will be able to book free rides in self-driving shuttles on the resort island from early 2027, under a pilot that Sentosa Development Corporation and the ride-hailing company Tada announced on Thursday. The trial will start with two eight-seat vehicles that use autonomous driving technology from WeRide, the Chinese self-driving company.
In the first phase, riders will book through the Tada app between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and choose from 21 pickup and drop-off points on the western side of the island, around Siloso, Imbiah and Beach Station, The Straits Times reported. The stops include Mega Adventure Park, Ola Beach Club and Siloso Beach Resort along Siloso and Palawan beaches. A second phase would raise the number of stops to 27 across the island, including eastern Sentosa, subject to approval from the Land Transport Authority.
The shuttles will use public roads as well as service roads that are normally open only to service and delivery vehicles, The Business Times reported. Each will carry a trained safety operator and be monitored remotely. The operators come from Tower Transit Singapore, the bus company that runs Sentosa's buses, and are in a monthlong training program that covers vehicle handling, emergency response and defensive driving.
"This will complement our intra-island transportation infrastructure, all of which will bring about better convenience, better comfort and better accessibility for guests," Thien Kwee Eng, the corporation's chief executive, said at the launch. She described the island, which the corporation operates on its own, as a "living lab" for new technology.
For now, many visitors reach the beaches by taking the monorail, transferring to the beach tram and walking the rest of the way. Ms. Thien said the two partners would weigh demand and usage and would tell the public in advance if fees were introduced after the trial.
"The AVs' public trial with Sentosa is our first step," a Tada spokesman told The Business Times. "Our commitment to our existing ride-hailing services and drivers remains important, and we see AVs as complementing these services."
Sentosa ran a three-month trial of a 10-seat self-driving shuttle bus in 2019. Across Singapore, Grab and WeRide, as well as ComfortDelGro and Pony.ai, are running autonomous vehicle pilots in Punggol, and Waymo plans to start rides in 2028. This month the Land Transport Authority dropped a plan to put driverless buses on two public bus routes.
