The Waymo Singapore robotaxi launch is on course for 2028, the company’s first foray into Southeast Asia, as the city-state cements its position as one of the world’s most contested autonomous-vehicle markets, South China Morning Post reports.
Waymo’s all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles are expected to arrive in Singapore within the coming months. An initial training phase is scheduled for 2027, during which autonomous specialists will conduct manual driving to familiarise Waymo’s systems with local roads and weather patterns before passenger services begin.
Waymo Singapore robotaxi launch enters a crowded field
Singapore is already home to several rival autonomous-vehicle operations. Chinese robotaxi firms WeRide and Pony AI have both announced partnerships with ride-hailing platform Grab and transport operator ComfortDelGro to bring self-driving vehicles to the market.
Both operators are running autonomous shuttle services in Singapore’s Punggol district, which the government has designated as a test bed for physical AI technology.
‘Waymo brings world-class technology and operational expertise to Singapore, and will move us towards our vision of creating new transport options for Singaporeans,’ transport minister Jeffrey Siow said in a press release dated 18 September.
Siow has previously stated that Singapore was undertaking a ‘really big push’ for autonomous vehicles, calling them a ‘game-changer’ for the local transport ecosystem. ‘I have no doubt, in five years, we will see many autonomous vehicles in Singapore,’ he told Singaporean broadcaster CNA.
Drivers’ fears met with reassurances from officials
The rapid international expansion of robotaxi services has unsettled professional drivers worried about job losses. Singapore officials have moved to temper those concerns.
‘There are over 70,000 taxi and private-hire car drivers in Singapore. In contrast, we only have around 20 AVs running around on our roads,’ Siow said during a parliamentary address in July.
‘Even if I gathered every AV in the world today and moved them all to Singapore, there would only be about 7,000 cars, or less than 10% of our total taxi and private-hire car population,’ he added.
Waymo’s Singapore push is part of a broader international expansion. The company is also preparing a robotaxi service in Tokyo, in partnership with Japanese taxi app operator GO and taxi company Nihon Kotsu, set to go live in 2027.
‘We’ll grow our fleet responsibly over time, steadily operating until anyone in Tokyo can download an app and take a ride,’ Waymo’s co-chief executive Tekedra Mawakana said at a press conference in Japan on 15 September.
Japan’s robotaxi landscape remains far less developed than Singapore’s. The country does not yet have fully operational public robotaxi services, though Uber, Nissan and UK startup Wayve are set to launch a pilot programme in Tokyo in late 2026.
Singapore’s transport ministry has not confirmed a precise commercial start date beyond the 2028 target, with the 2027 training phase serving as the immediate next milestone for the Waymo Singapore robotaxi launch.
