Waymo plans to launch its robotaxi service in Singapore by 2028, marking the US operator’s first entry into south-east Asia as it expands its self-driving business internationally.
The announcement comes days after the company unveiled plans to enter Japan, its first Asian market. Waymo has also set out roadmaps for bringing its vehicles to Germany and the UK.
Singapore has already become a testing ground for autonomous vehicles. Chinese robotaxi companies WeRide and Pony AI announced partnerships with ride-hailing platform Grab and transport operator ComfortDelGro last year.
Both operators are running autonomous shuttle services in Punggol, a district designated by the Singaporean Government as a test bed for physical artificial intelligence technology.
Waymo’s electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles are expected to arrive in Singapore in the coming months. The cars will undergo training in 2027, with autonomous specialists initially driving them manually to help the vehicles learn about local roads and weather conditions.
Tekedra Mawakana, Waymo’s co-chief executive, said Singapore had “built one of the safest, most efficient and most forward-thinking transportation ecosystems in the world”.
“As we begin our journey here, we are committed to listening to the community, creating high-skilled local operational jobs and working…to complement Singapore’s world class public transit network,” she said.
Singapore’s transport minister, Jeffrey Siow, said Waymo would bring “world-class technology and operational expertise” and help advance the country’s plans for new transport options.
Mr Siow said last year that Singapore was undertaking a “really big push” for autonomous vehicles, describing them as a “game-changer” for the transport system. He added in an interview with Singaporean broadcaster CNA: “I have no doubt, in five years, we will see many autonomous vehicles in Singapore.”
Waymo expands robotaxi operations into Asia
Waymo’s planned Singapore service contrasts with its proposed expansion in Japan, where there are currently no fully operational public robotaxis. Uber, Nissan and UK start-up Wayve are due to begin a pilot programme in Tokyo later in 2026, while Waymo intends to launch there in 2027 with taxi app operator GO and taxi company Nihon Kotsu.
Waymo has said it will expand its Japanese fleet gradually. “We’ll grow our fleet responsibly over time, steadily operating until anyone in Tokyo can download an app and take a ride,” Ms Mawakana said at a press conference in Japan.
The international expansion has prompted concern among taxi and private-hire car drivers about the potential impact on employment. Mr Siow has sought to put the scale of the challenge in perspective, saying Singapore had more than 70,000 taxi and private-hire car drivers, compared with about 20 autonomous vehicles on its roads.
“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 said during a parliamentary address in July.
