Singapore, 29 July 2026 – Grab will be launching an on-demand autonomous vehicle (AV) trial in Punggol. Under this pilot service, riders will be able to book their own dedicated AVs to travel between pick-up and drop-off points currently served by Grab’s AV shuttle service, taking the most direct route instead of following a fixed shuttle loop.

The pilot service will improve transport options between residential areas and key amenities – including medical clinics, markets, schools, and transport hubs like Punggol Coast MRT station. More AV pick-up and drop-off points in Punggol will be added progressively this year, in consultation with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the local community.

Opening to trial riders in the next few months, this pilot service will be gradually available to the general public in the fourth quarter of 2026, during which commercial fares will apply. Grab’s existing fixed-route shuttle services – Route 1 and Route 3 (click here) – will continue to operate and remain free in the interim.

Alex Hungate, President and Chief Operating Officer of Grab, said: “We are deeply grateful to the Punggol community for their support for our AV shuttle trials. In response to their feedback, this next phase brings increased flexibility with on-demand, direct routing. This also marks the next step in Grab’s hybrid mobility strategy, where AVs complement our core driver community to expand transport options for the public. We will continue working closely with regulators and local communities to test and iterate, with the aim of responsibly deploying thousands of AVs together with fleet partners across Southeast Asia by 2030.”

Grab has been operating AVs in Punggol in partnership with WeRide since 2025. Following rigorous testing, Grab started Community Rides for its AV shuttle service in January 2026, to gather feedback from trial riders, including Punggol community leaders and residents. This was followed by public operations in April. Since the start of the year, Grab’s AV shuttle service has served over 9,000 unique riders. To date, Grab’s AV fleet has clocked about 90,000 kilometres of autonomous mileage on local roads.

Responses to the post-ride surveys conducted by LTA and Grab have been very positive, 99% indicated that they felt safe during the ride and would recommend the ride to others. However, the riders also requested enhancements like more destinations, direct connections and flexible bookings. Meanwhile, over 500 individuals have already joined a waitlist to be amongst the first to try new AV experiences (click here to join the waitlist).

To pave the way for the new pilot service, Grab continues to nurture the local AV talent pool. GrabAcademy – a Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) Registered Training Provider – and WeRide are supporting interested Grab driver-partners in transiting to AV roles. To date, more than 20 Safety Operators have been certified and another batch is undergoing training. Amongst these, six have stepped up to be further trained as Remote Operators, qualifying them to monitor and manage fleet operations from Grab’s AV Operations Command Center.

Further, Grab is actively building up its operational infrastructure. It has established an AV depot in Punggol and will be adding more AVs to its fleet this year. In addition, to ensure that the public is prepared for new AV experiences, LTA and Grab will continue with education and engagement initiatives in the coming months.

As Grab advances its autonomous capabilities, it remains committed to strengthening its core human driver network – reinforcing the two pillars of its hybrid mobility strategy. Through various initiatives, including strategic partnerships to electrify and expand its fleet under GrabRentals and GrabCab, Grab continues to drive toward its broader vision of ensuring a safe, sustainable and future-ready transport ecosystem for everyone.