ASEAN’s first fully driverless public bus service has begun operations at Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa. WeRide, a Chinese autonomous driving firm, began the service following approval from the Land Transport Authority. The WeRide Robobus, which has no steering wheel or pedals, performs a fixed 12-minute loop connecting Sentosa’s hotels and key locations.

The introduction follows a year of trials, which began in June 2024, during which the Robobus was operated alongside a safety operator while transporting thousands of people. The vehicle is equipped with Lidar and high-resolution cameras, allowing it to detect obstacles from almost 200 metres away.

Jennifer Li, CFO and head of international at WeRide, remarked that the deployment of the region’s first completely driverless Robobus illustrates the technology’s preparedness to transform public transportation securely. The rollout aligns with Singapore’s intentions to integrate self-driving vehicles into its transportation system to address manpower challenges and improve efficiency.

Singapore has been cautious with AV integration, requiring extensive testing at Cetran before road deployment. WeRide reached a critical milestone in January 2025 when it received approval to eliminate the steering wheel and convert to remote operations. 

Singapore wants to integrate AVs into its transport landscape by 2040 to fulfil its vision of efficient urban transportation.