Singapore has become the latest country to give the green light to autonomous bus trials.
Following recent trials in the Finland, Switzerland and Western Australia, Singapore has signed an agreement with will see self-driving buses used in the Gardens by the Bay from December.
“They say big dreams start small, so we are collaborating with Nanyang Technological University on an autonomous bus trial, starting with two electric hybrid buses,” Singapore’s transport regulator said in a Facebook post.
According to secretary for the transport ministry, Pang Kin Keong, the new buses hace the potential to change the way public transport works in the city-state.
“Self-driving vehicles can radically transform land transportation in Singapore to address our two key constraints – land and manpower,” Keong said.
“The trials will help us shape the mobility concepts which can meet Singapore’s needs, and also gain valuable insights into how we can design our towns of the future to take advantage of this technology.”
Singapore aims to utilise the technology for buses, freight, taxis and road sweepers in the future.
The Land Transport Authority is also looking to retro fit existing buses with sensors and develop a self-driving system that can effectively navigate Singapore’s traffic.
