Self-driving buses to be tested on public bus routes from mid-2026

First six to operate alongside manned buses in Marina Bay/Shenton Way and one-north

- Vanessa Paige Chelvan

From mid-2026, six driverless buses will ply public bus routes in Marina Bay and Shenton Way, as well as one-north in Buona Vista, as part of a pilot by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

LTA launched a tender on Jan 27, seeking proposals from the industry to trial autonomous buses and evaluate the feasibility of using autonomous vehicle (AV) technology for public bus services.

This will also help it understand how to operate autonomous buses at the service and fleet levels, the authority wrote on Facebook.

The first six autonomous buses will be deployed from mid-2026 and operate alongside existing manned buses for an initial three-year period, the authority said in a statement.

The pilot will start with smaller buses - those with at least 16 seats - on two routes, starting with service 400.

This service plies the Marina Bay and Shenton Way area, calling at Marina Bay Cruise Centre, Gardens by the Bay, and Shenton Way and Downtown MRT stations.

The second route, service 191, serves the one-north area, stopping at one-north and Buona Vista MRT stations, as well as Buona Vista bus terminal.

"We are starting with these routes, as they are shorter and simpler," LTA said on Facebook.

A phased approach allows the authority to thoroughly assess the feasibility and reliability of AV technology while ensuring public safety, it added.