Grab to expand autonomous vehicle fleet fivefold in Singapore, eyes rollout beyond Punggol

Ride-hailing operator Grab on Monday (Sept 14) announced that it will be expanding its autonomous vehicle (AV) fleet from 10 to 50 vehicles.

Following months of testing , Grab began its free-of-charge autonomous vehicle (AV) public rides service on April 1, at two of three planned routes in Punggol.

Then, on July 29, it announced that enhancements would be made to the driverless shuttle rides before revenue service begins, including the trail of an on-demand shuttle service that allows users to book a direct shuttle between any existing pick-up and drop-off points.

There are also plans to add more pick-up and drop-off points in Punggol this year.

In its Monday statement, Grab said it is working with the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and Land Transport Authority (LTA) to broaden its AV service coverage within Punggol.

It added that the expanded fleet will also allow it to expand beyond Punggol to other locations in Singapore, subject to regulatory approvals.

The operator said it hopes these efforts will enhance connectivity for everyday commuters.

Giving an update on its AV shuttle service in Punggol, Grab said that its fleet has accumulated over 110,000 kilometres of autonomous mileage on the roads.

It has since served over 12,000 unique users, with another 1,000 users on the waitlist, according to the operator.

Grab's president and chief operating officer Alex Hungate said in a statement that the company will continue to evolve and build on its service by responding to direct feedback from the community and drawing on data and technology from its ride-hailing business.

He also reiterated Grab's assurances that AVs will be introduced in a way that complements its existing driver network, while also unlocking new career pathways for its driver partners.

The NASDAQ-listed company has plans to eventually deploy thousands of AVs across Southeast Asia by 2030.

网约车运营商 Grab 于周一（9 月 14 日）宣布，将把其自动驾驶汽车 (AV) 车队规模从 10 辆扩大到 50 辆。

经过数月的测试，Grab 于 4 月 1 日在榜鹅的三条计划路线中的两条路线上开始提供免费的自动驾驶汽车 (AV) 公共乘车服务。

随后，在 7 月 29 日，该公司宣布将在开始盈利服务之前对无人驾驶班车服务进行改进，包括试行按需班车服务，允许用户预订任何现有上车点和下车点之间的直达班车。

今年还计划在榜鹅增设更多接送点。

Grab在周一的声明中表示，该公司正在与交通部（MOT）和陆路交通管理局（LTA）合作，扩大其在榜鹅的自动驾驶汽车服务覆盖范围。

该公司还表示，扩大的船队也将使其业务从榜鹅扩展到新加坡的其他地区，但需获得监管部门的批准。

运营商表示，希望这些举措能够提升日常通勤者的网络连接体验。

Grab 对其在榜鹅的自动驾驶接驳服务进行了最新汇报，称其车队已累计行驶超过 11 万公里。

据运营商称，该服务至今已服务超过 12,000 名独立用户，另有 1,000 名用户在候补名单上。

Grab 总裁兼首席运营官 Alex Hungate 在一份声明中表示，公司将继续通过回应社区的直接反馈，并利用其网约车业务的数据和技术，不断发展和完善其服务。

他还重申了 Grab 的保证，即自动驾驶汽车的引入方式将与其现有的司机网络相辅相成，同时还将为司机合作伙伴开辟新的职业道路。

这家在纳斯达克上市的公司计划到 2030 年在东南亚部署数千辆自动驾驶汽车。