Are autonomous vehicles safe?

Gabriel Ng, Head of Platform Safety, Singapore & Thailand

. September 20, 2025

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are now sharing the roads with us in some parts of the world, signalling that they have crossed important safety milestones.

In Southeast Asia, however, AVs are still relatively new. It’s fair to ask: Are they really safe? Can they make the right call when traffic gets messy?

The short answer: yes.

Before any AV hits the roads anywhere, it goes through rigorous simulation, closed-track trials, and carefully supervised on-road testing.

In Singapore, Grab is operating its first AVs on fixed routes with layered safeguards and safety as its top priority. The company has collaborated with Autonomous A2Z (A2Z), a Korean full-stack autonomous vehicle technology manufacturer to shuttle employees between One-North MRT station and the office with an autonomous bus.

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Grab is also training AVs developed by autonomous driving technology company WeRide to provide shuttle services for residents in the Punggol community in the near future.

Working with the right partners

To run these AVs, Grab teams up with industry leaders in autonomous technology. WeRide, for example, brings global experience across 30 cities in 11 countries, with 2,200 days of safe operations under its belt.

A2Z, on the other hand, adds a strong safety track record from South Korea, having logged over 668,000 km of safe autonomous journeys from 2020 to May 2025.

Both companies bring advanced autonomous tech capabilities to the table.

AVs rely on advanced sensors and software to “see,” understand their surroundings, and make smart decisions. WeRide’s vehicles use a 360-degree sensor suite that can detect objects up to 200 metres away, even in the rain.

The AV shuttle for Grab employees—an electric bus retrofitted with A2Z’s autonomous hardware and software, alongside Grab’s IoT devices—runs with 11 sensors providing full 360-degree coverage. If the system detects an issue, a built-in safety algorithm brings the bus to a safe, complete stop.

How will AVs react to changing roads?

That said, roads evolve. This could be anything from new traffic lights popping up, lanes shifting due to construction projects, to road signs getting updated.

To keep pace, AVs are trained and retrained with the latest information and real-world runs so they can adapt to different environments and scenarios.

For example, for Singapore’s upcoming Punggol shuttle service, WeRide’s vehicles undergo a route familiarisation phase where they will study every detail along their assigned routes including traffic lights, zebra crossings, speed limits, and more. This will enable the vehicles to navigate smoothly while detecting and responding to new road changes.

Good citizens of the road

To add, the AVs are programmed to be courteous road users. They’ll always observe speed limits, turn signals, and stop signs and they’re designed to prioritise safety and predictability above all else in their driving behaviour.

They are trained to adhere to Singapore’s traffic laws and have passed safety assessments conducted by CETRAN (The Centre of Excellence for Testing and Research of AVs-NTU) before deployment. All vehicles have passed the Milestone 1 (M1) test, where they showcase their ability to navigate basic scenarios and respond to obstacles according to Singapore traffic rules.

They’re also clearly labeled as AVs, making it easy for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to spot them on the road.

Additional layers of safety

During the initial phases of the AV’s service, a trained safety operator will always be onboard. The role of the safety operator includes:

Supervising vehicle operations and taking manual control during emergencies.
Reporting system malfunctions and documenting incidents.
Ensuring passenger safety and coordinating with authorities if needed.

Grab has developed a safety operator training curriculum in collaboration with A2Z and WeRide. From AV fundamentals to emergency handling, trainees undergo hours of hands-on experience before certification.

If anything happens during an AV ride, passengers can also contact a remote safety operator through a dedicated hotline to get help.

Grab is taking a cautious and calibrated approach to autonomous technology pilots. With trusted partners, layered safeguards, every ride will help the AVs learn. Guided by community needs, Grab will ensure smart, safe and reliable rides to solve urban mobility challenges.

Autonomous Technology