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People in Singapore will soon be able to ride in cars without human drivers. Autonomous vehicle company Waymo, owned by Alphabet, announced plans to launch a self-driving taxi service in the city by 2028. Before opening to passengers, the company will bring its vehicles to Singapore to map roads and test them with human safety drivers in 2027.
Singapore was selected because it has a modern and safe transportation system. However, Waymo cannot offer rides immediately. The company must get official approval from Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA). Every self-driving car in the country must pass strict safety tests at the Centre of Excellence for Testing and Research (CETRAN), a center created by transport officials and the Traffic Police.
Singapore already allows some autonomous vehicles, including driverless buses for airport workers and automated street sweepers. Waymo is also expanding to other major cities around the world, planning robotaxi launches in London, Tokyo, and Munich over the next few years.
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Passengers in Singapore may soon be hailing driverless taxis as Alphabet-owned Waymo prepares to launch its robotaxi service in the city-state by 2028. The expansion marks another major international move for the self-driving technology company. Waymo plans to bring its vehicles to Singapore in the coming months to begin road mapping and conduct autonomous testing with human safety drivers behind the wheel throughout 2027.
Before launching public ride-hailing services, Waymo must receive official approval from Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA). The city-state mandates that all autonomous vehicles complete a rigorous safety assessment at the Centre of Excellence for Testing and Research (CETRAN), which developed its testing criteria alongside the LTA and the Traffic Police. Waymo has already laid the groundwork for its entry by creating a local corporate entity and joining Singapore's Steering Committee on Autonomous Vehicles.
Singapore has established itself as a leading global hub for autonomous vehicle testing. Local authorities have previously approved self-driving freight delivery vehicles, automated road sweepers, and driverless worker buses at the airport, while Hyundai-backed Motional tested robotaxis there as early as 2016. Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana praised Singapore's focus on reliability and sustainability, noting that its forward-thinking transport ecosystem mirrors Waymo's own technological goals.
The Singapore announcement is part of a broader global push by Waymo, which aims to launch robotaxis in London by the end of 2026, Tokyo in 2027, and Munich in late 2027 for its European Union debut. While Waymo operates roughly 4,000 vehicles across 15 U.S. cities—recently adding markets like Las Vegas and Denver—regulatory hurdles and political opposition have delayed its entry into major American cities such as New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., driving its accelerated growth overseas.