Waymo has said it intends to open its fully autonomous ride-hailing service to riders in Singapore in 2028, working with the Ministry of Transport and the Land Transport Authority. An initial fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles arrives in the coming months. Through 2027, trained autonomous specialists will drive them manually, adapting the Waymo Driver to local road geometry and monsoon weather before any driverless rides are offered.
The useful number here is the gap. Roughly two years separate the announcement from the service, and most of that is spent gathering data in a city the system has never driven in. That sits awkwardly with the industry habit of describing autonomy as solved and merely awaiting permission. Singapore follows Tokyo, where Waymo said last week it will open to riders in 2027 with Nihon Kotsu and GO, and insurance groundwork in London and Munich.
The supporting statistics Waymo cites — more than 20 million fully autonomous rides, more than 300 million fully autonomous kilometres, and a 94% reduction in injury-causing crashes compared with human drivers — come from its own safety research, not an independent audit. No fleet size, price or service area for Singapore has been given. The announcement is on Waymo’s blog.