Waymo Sets Its Sights on Singapore, Targeting 2028 Robotaxi Launch

Waymo is preparing to bring its all-electric robotaxi service to Southeast Asia for the first time, confirming plans to begin operations in Singapore by 2028. The Alphabet-owned company has joined forces with the country’s Ministry of Transport and the Land Transport Authority as it lays the groundwork for entering the local ride-hailing market.

The rollout will unfold in stages. Waymo intends to begin testing in Singapore during 2027, when a first wave of modified Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles arrives and local operations are established. During this early phase, trained autonomous driving specialists will manually operate the vehicles so that the company’s self-driving system, known as Waymo Driver, can grow accustomed to local conditions such as road layouts and weather. Public fully autonomous trips through the Waymo app are planned for the following year, and the firm has created a dedicated page on its website to keep prospective riders informed.

Singapore’s Transport Minister, Jeffrey Siow, appeared alongside Waymo Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana to mark the announcement. Siow suggested that staff at Google’s Singapore office could become the first passengers, likely as part of internal testing. He noted that autonomous vehicles have already covered more than 160,000 kilometres on fixed routes in Singapore without a serious accident.

Singapore is running trials with both autonomous passenger cars and autonomous public buses. Siow said 16 passenger vehicles currently operate in Punggol, and that number is expected to climb into the hundreds with Waymo’s entry. The Land Transport Authority said separately that it will work closely with Waymo to make sure operations satisfy safety and regulatory standards.

When testing begins next year, Waymo will join homegrown players ComfortDelGro and Grab in the country’s autonomous vehicle programmes. The move follows Waymo’s expansion into Germany and Japan in 2027, making Singapore its first market in Southeast Asia and another step in the company’s international growth. Mawakana framed the partnership as a natural fit, praising Singapore’s reputation for building one of the world’s safest, most efficient and most forward-looking transport ecosystems, and saying its emphasis on reliability, sustainability and human-centred progress mirrors how Waymo has developed its technology and service.