Waymo, the autonomous ride-hailing company, is set to begin taking bookings for trips in its self-driving vehicles in Singapore from 2028. The move represents the company's first foray into South-east Asia.

The announcement was made on Sept 18 at Google's Asia-Pacific headquarters in Pasir Panjang. Waymo, part of tech giant Alphabet, revealed that its initial fleet will begin operating on Singapore's roads in the coming months.

That first fleet will consist of Jaguar I-PACE sport utility vehicles, though the company has not shared how many cars it plans to deploy or what its final fleet size will be.

Preparing for Local Conditions

To start, trained autonomous vehicle (AV) specialists will operate the cars, allowing the onboard systems to adapt to Singapore's unique road and weather conditions. These specialists will be recruited locally, alongside staff for other roles including fleet maintenance and customer support.

Waymo noted that a significant share of its riders use its service to link up with public transport. In San Francisco, for example, more than a third of customers are dropped off or picked up close to public transit stops.

"We aim to bridge first-and-last-mile transit gaps across residential and commercial hubs," the company said.

It remains uncertain whether the service will operate island-wide or be limited to specific areas of Singapore when it goes live, with further details expected to be shared later.

Safety Track Record

Speaking at the Sept 18 event, Waymo chief executive Tekedra Mawakana pointed to the company's established record on road safety. She cited studies showing that in the areas where Waymo operates, its AVs are 94 per cent less likely to be involved in crashes causing serious injuries, and there are 84 per cent fewer injury-causing collisions with cyclists, compared with human drivers.

Mawakana said Waymo has delivered tens of millions of rides in US cities offering the service since 2020. Through its arrival in Singapore, the company hopes to "complement Singapore's mobility ecosystem with a safe, convenient and reliable option".

"Ultimately, we believe autonomous mobility is about saving lives while enabling freedom and independence," she said. "It's about providing families peace of mind when their loved ones are on the move, and it's about giving people precious time back."

Regional Expansion

Records on corporate intelligence platform Sayari indicate that Waymo's Singapore subsidiary was registered on May 20, with the company's financial controller and deputy general counsel listed among its directors.

Waymo currently operates across 15 US cities. Singapore becomes its second confirmed Asian market, after Tokyo, where commercial services are due to launch in 2027.

The company has also been building toward broader regional growth, having set up a subsidiary in South Korea in July. A firm timeline for commercial operations there has not yet been announced.