Grab, a superapp in Southeast Asia, announced last Saturday its plans to launch Autonomously Intelligent Ride (Ai.R), its first autonomous vehicle (AV) service for consumers in Singapore, in partnership with WeRide, a China-based autonomous driving technology firm.

Grab said in a statement that selected by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for Singapore’s first autonomous shuttle service in a residential neighborhood, Ai.R will serve residents in Punggol along two designated routes.

Ai.R is the only service selected to run on two routes in Punggol, and will start with a fleet of 11 vehicles.

The Ai.R fleet will feature two WeRide vehicle models: the five-seater GXR and eight-seater Robobus.

Both have passed Singapore’s stringent Milestone 1 (M1) assessment, making them the first AVs designated for Punggol to attain this certification.

The M1 assessment verifies the vehicles’ ability to operate safely on public roads in autonomous mode in accordance with Singapore’s traffic rules.

There will also be a trained Grab Safety Operator onboard every Ai.R ride in the initial phase, ready to take over if needed.

These Safety Operators are experienced Grab private-hire and taxi driver-partners with strong safety records and driver ratings. Training has been underway since August, conducted by GrabAcademy and WeRide.

“We see the potential of autonomous vehicles to improve connectivity within underserved neighborhoods in the near term. Together with our AV partners like WeRide, we are building a leading AV passenger fleet with a diverse range of vehicle models, to bring more transport options to the public,” said Alex Hungate, President and Chief Operating Officer of Grab.

“We are deploying our GXRs for the first time in Singapore and Southeast Asia, marking a regional milestone in urban transportation,

“Together with Grab, these AVs will support smarter mobility in Singapore by integrating with the public transport network and enhancing first- and last-mile connectivity for residents,” said Jennifer Li, Chief Financial Officer and Head of International of WeRide.

“Singapore’s leadership in demonstrating the potential of AVs with this initiative sets a benchmark for the region, paving the way for WeRide to extend GXR passenger services to more communities,” she added.

Starting this month, Ai.R vehicles will begin an extensive “route familiarisation” phase in Punggol with an onboard Safety Operator.

The vehicles will study the routes in detail, such as traffic lights, zebra crossings, speed limits and more.

This will enable the vehicles to smoothly navigate to the pick up and drop off points, as well as recognise and adapt to future road changes autonomously.

By early 2026, Ai.R is expected to start taking its first batch of passengers, improving access to key amenities including supermarkets, food courts, clinics, business parks, schools and major transport nodes such as the bus interchange.

Ai.R vehicles use a combination of advanced cameras and LiDARs to see up to 200 meters in every direction, and detect objects even in heavy rain. This 360-degree vision helps the vehicles drive autonomously alongside other road users and respond dynamically to unexpected hazards.

Ai.R vehicles are also trained to be courteous road users, consistently adhering to Singapore’s traffic laws.

As the AV industry develops, Grab said new roles in technology and operations are expected to emerge.

It noted Grab’s in-house training institution, GrabAcademy, will seek to develop specialized programs to support interested driver-partners in transitioning into AV foundational roles, such as remote operators, fleet managers, and customer support officers.

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