logo
Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for Singapore, Singapore News

Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for Singapore, Singapore News

AsiaOne18-07-2025
SINGAPORE - In a first for Singapore, autonomous vehicle (AV) firm WeRide has been given permission to operate a self-driving shuttle bus service in Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) without any safety personnel on board.
Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) gave the firm the green light after extensive testing and safety assessments of WeRide's remote operations and on-road performance here, said the Guangzhou-based company on July 17.
The company said this is also the first time in South-east Asia that AVs have been given permission to operate without an onboard safety officer.
Its eight-seater driverless bus, fitted with a suite of cameras and light detection and ranging sensors, has been plying a fixed 12-minute route within the RWS integrated resort since June 2024.
The company said it has completed thousands of trips and ferried tens of thousands of passengers without any incident.
In January, WeRide was allowed to remove the steering wheel and pedals from the vehicle, but a safety officer was still required to be on board to intervene in case of an emergency.
WeRide's chief financial officer and head of international, Jennifer Li, called the removal of the onboard safety officer a "groundbreaking milestone" for the future of mobility in the region.
"Deploying the region's first fully driverless robo-bus demonstrates that our vehicles are safe, reliable, and ready to transform public transportation at scale," Li added.
LTA deputy chief executive for technology Lam Wee Shann said the authority has been working with WeRide to facilitate autonomous shuttle trials at RWS, pointing to an assessment framework that was revised in November 2024 to drive the safe adoption of more mature AV technologies.
WeRide, which has established a dedicated research and development centre in Singapore, has also been trialling its self-driving road sweepers in Jurong Lake Gardens since March.
This is after it had earlier deployed similar driverless road sweepers in Marina Coastal Drive and at the Esplanade in November 2024.
WeRide's announcement on July 17 comes as Singapore prepares to make a major AV push to strengthen the public transport network.
By the start of the fourth quarter of 2025, self-driving shuttles will hit the roads in Punggol as part of plans to ramp up driverless vehicle deployments in the next five years.
Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow told reporters during a visit to Guangzhou in late June that the deployment of the autonomous shuttles here will be done in steps.
[[nid:719631]]
At the start, these vehicles will not ferry any passengers until residents and road users are more comfortable with them. They will have a safety officer on board and be clearly identifiable by a bright colour.
The hope is that the autonomous shuttles can start taking passengers by the end of 2025.
The safety officer can then be removed eventually in the third stage of the roll-out, as is the case in places like Guangzhou, where some autonomous bus routes are already being operated remotely.
The Straits Times spoke to 27 Punggol residents earlier in July and found a mix of excitement and scepticism about autonomous vehicles.
Financial advisor Shariqqi Rizvi, 28, said he was open to the idea, noting that newer residential estates in Punggol East are hard to access as they are served by only one bus route currently.
Carole Yeo, 36, however, does not believe that driverless vehicles are safe. She said: "I'd be scared. What if something happens suddenly? I don't quite trust them."
This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Liverpool CEO says player spree should quell ownership gossip
Liverpool CEO says player spree should quell ownership gossip

Straits Times

time10 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Liverpool CEO says player spree should quell ownership gossip

Find out what's new on ST website and app. Billy Hogan said he expects the broadcast rights of English football to shift ever closer to the more commercially lucrative video-streaming platforms. LONDON – Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group remains committed to the team long term, the club's chief executive Billy Hogan said, adding that its multi-million pound spending spree over the summer should put speculation about its future ownership to bed. 'There is absolute commitment from ownership,' Hogan said in an interview with Bloomberg. He noted that John Henry, who leads Fenway Sports, has said the group has been acquiring more teams and properties 'than we are selling and exiting'. In 2023, Fenway Sports sold a minority stake in Liverpool to New York-based private equity firm Dynasty Equity in exchange for up to US$200 million of fresh investment. Speculation around suitors over the years has ranged from Qatar to the world's richest person, Elon Musk, and Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani. But in August, the Reds will commence its defense of the Premier League after spending big on a series of players this summer, including a reported £116 million for German attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz and £79 million for French striker Hugo Ekitike. The club will be hoping its on-the-field success can translate into further commercial gains. The 20-time winner of England's top-flight football championship will wear a new playing kit at the start of next month after signing a lucrative deal with Adidas AG, reported to be worth £60 million a year. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Asia Live: Thailand-Cambodia border clashes continue for second day Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Work to build bridge linking Marina Centre and Gardens by the Bay to start in Q1 2026 Singapore Fine for couple whose catering companies owed $432,000 in salaries to 103 employees Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly Hogan said the kit deal will be a 10-year partnership. The German sportswear giant joins top commercial partners including Standard Chartered Plc, Japan Airlines Co. and insurer Axa SA. Liverpool is also set to open its 20th dedicated football store, in Hong Kong, and is mulling one in Japan. Hogan took the reins of Liverpool in 2020 after being parachuted in from Fenway Sports, which also owns the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Penguins. Founded in 2001 by Henry and Tom Werner, it bought Liverpool FC for £300 million in 2010. The club was valued at £5 billion in 2024, prior to its latest league win. Hogan also said he expects the broadcast rights of English football, which is controlled by the game's regulator the Premier League, to shift ever closer to the more commercially lucrative video-streaming platforms. 'We're in an evolving media market, clearly,' said Hogan. Deep-pocketed players like Netflix Inc., Amazon Prime or the more sports-focused DAZN Group Ltd. would be the likeliest candidates to cash-in on the global popularity of English football. The Len Blavatnik-owned DAZN spent US$1 billion for the exclusive rights to the controversial Club World Cup recently. Netflix has also grown increasingly fond of sports-based content, as evidenced by the hit documentary Formula 1: Drive to Survive. BLOOMBERG

SMRT fined S$2.4M, down from S$3M, for 2024 East-West Line disruption; S$600k to boost reliability
SMRT fined S$2.4M, down from S$3M, for 2024 East-West Line disruption; S$600k to boost reliability

Online Citizen​

time11 hours ago

  • Online Citizen​

SMRT fined S$2.4M, down from S$3M, for 2024 East-West Line disruption; S$600k to boost reliability

SINGAPORE: Rail operator SMRT will pay a reduced fine of S$2.4 million for a major six-day disruption on the East-West Line in September 2024. This figure was announced by Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a statement on 25 July 2025. The revised amount is lower than the S$3 million financial penalty that LTA initially intended to impose when it released investigation findings in June. Penalty to support Public Transport Fund According to LTA, the S$2.4 million fine will be channelled to the Public Transport Fund. The fund aims to help lower-income families manage their daily public transport expenses. In addition to the financial penalty, LTA has directed SMRT to invest at least S$600,000 to strengthen its capabilities. This investment is intended to address areas of improvement identified during investigations into the disruption. Challenges during train overhaul regime Explaining its decision to lower the fine, LTA acknowledged the challenges SMRT faced during its overhaul of the Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) trains. These challenges included difficulties in securing spare parts due to global supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The authority said that these factors were taken into account when reviewing SMRT's representations. Strengthening technical capabilities In a Facebook post following LTA's announcement, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai stated that the operator will enhance its direct engagement with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of trains and related systems. Lam also noted that SMRT plans to deepen its technical and engineering expertise by collaborating more closely with OEMs. As part of efforts to meet LTA's directive, Lam said SMRT will continue supporting the secondment of LTA engineers to SMRT. This initiative, started in 2018, is intended to build in-house engineering know-how. SMRT will also work with LTA and Alstom, the manufacturer of the new R151 trains for the East-West Line, to roll out the new fleet progressively. Background to the penalty decision LTA first notified SMRT of its intention to impose a S$3 million penalty on 30 May 2025, citing serious lapses in maintenance practices and system response. The operator was given two weeks to submit representations, which it did on 6 June 2025. LTA stated that Singapore's rail system remains one of the most reliable worldwide. Since 2019, the mean kilometres between failure of the MRT network has stayed above one million train-km. This means that, on average, MRT trains travel over a million kilometres before encountering a delay of more than five minutes. One of the highest fines to date The revised S$2.4 million fine is the second-highest penalty ever levied on a rail operator in Singapore. The largest was the S$5.4 million fine that SMRT incurred in July 2015 for a disruption that paralysed both the North-South and East-West Lines for over two hours during the evening peak. In June, LTA described the initial S$3 million fine as 'proportionate' to the circumstances of the September 2024 incident. The disruption affected train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations and impacted around one in six daily train trips. Extent of the disruption The six-day disruption affected nine stations between Boon Lay and Queenstown. Normal service resumed only on 1 October 2024. Approximately 500,000 of Singapore's 2.8 million daily MRT journeys were affected each day during the incident. Investigations found that degraded grease was the likely cause of the disruption. A faulty component of a first-generation KHI train's undercarriage detached on the morning of 25 September 2024. The detached component, known as an axle box, holds the train's wheels to the axle. It fell out near Dover station while the train was being moved to Ulu Pandan Depot for withdrawal from service. Derailment caused extensive damage The dislodged axle box caused one of the train's 12 bogies to derail. Despite this, the six-car train continued travelling as its remaining bogies stayed on the rails. However, the derailed bogie of the third carriage caused severe damage to 2.55km of track. It also damaged trackside equipment, including power cables and the third rail, which supplies electricity to trains. In addition to repair costs, SMRT bore expenses for providing free bus and shuttle train services for affected commuters during the six-day period. The financial penalty takes into account these costs as well as the operator's efforts to address the root cause of the failure.

SMRT fined $2.4 million for six-day East-West Line breakdown last September
SMRT fined $2.4 million for six-day East-West Line breakdown last September

Independent Singapore

time11 hours ago

  • Independent Singapore

SMRT fined $2.4 million for six-day East-West Line breakdown last September

Photo: Depositphotos/ joyfull (for illustration purposes only) SINGAPORE: Public transport operator SMRT has been fined S$2.4 million over a disruption on the East-West Line in September last year. The fine is lower than the original S$3 million penalty that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) had initially intended to impose. LTA said in a statement that it informed SMRT on May 30 this year of its intention to impose the S$3 million fine. SMRT responded on June 6 with a detailed submission and after reviewing SMRT's response, the LTA reduced the fine to S$2.4 million. The penalty will be directed to the Public Transport Fund, which aims to provide support for low-income families by easing transport expenses. In addition to the financial penalty, SMRT has been instructed to invest at least S$600,000 to enhance train service reliability. The funds are to be used to increase system capacity and rectify gaps uncovered during investigations into the September disruption. The LTA said the final decision on the fine took into consideration a number of mitigating factors. These include the operational challenges SMRT has faced in maintaining its trains. Procuring necessary spare parts for these trains has proven especially difficult amid ongoing global supply chain issues linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities also acknowledged the cost SMRT had already incurred in dealing with the disruption. These included repair works and the provision of free bus and feeder train services to support affected commuters. The September 2024 disruption on the East-West Line had caused delays and inconvenience to thousands of commuters during peak hours, prompting widespread frustration and calls for greater accountability. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store