Hanoi (VNA) – Alphabet's autonomous driving unit Waymo announced on September 18 that it will roll out its autonomous all-electric ride-hailing service in Singapore in 2028, marking its entry into the Southeast Asian market for the first time.
Waymo said an initial fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles will arrive in Singapore in the coming months.
In 2027, trained autonomous specialists will conduct initial manual driving to accustom the Waymo Driver to local road geometry and monsoon weather patterns in Singapore.
The company is working with the Singaporean Ministry for Transport and the Land Transport Authority to officially bring its service into the city state in 2028.
Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow said Singapore welcomes Waymo’s entry as the newest autonomous vehicle operator in the Southeast Asian nation. He noted that Waymo will bring world-class technology and operational experience, contributing to Singapore’s vision of creating new transport options for Singaporeans.
Earlier this week, Waymo also announced it is aiming to launch Japan's first fully autonomous commercial taxi service in Tokyo in 2027.
Waymo, which was valued at 126 billion USD in February when it raised 16 billion USD, has been growing its robotaxi fleet as it competes with Amazon's Zoox and Tesla in the self-driving vehicle market./.
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