Singapore's Sentosa to trial free self-driving shuttles from early 2027: book on your phone, ride beach to hotel

Visitors to Singapore's Sentosa island will be able to book free self-driving shuttle rides from early 2027. Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) and ride-hailing company TADA Mobility Singapore announced on October 29 a pilot on-demand shared autonomous vehicle service, letting visitors request rides through the TADA app between beaches, hotels and attractions, instead of waiting for a fixed shuttle timetable or changing shuttles mid-journey.

How the first phase will run

The first phase will use two autonomous vehicles developed by WeRide, each seating up to eight guests, with a trained safety operator on board from Tower Transit Singapore. The service will run daily from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will be free during the pilot. Riders book in the TADA app, which uses GPS to suggest the nearest pickup point. The first phase covers 21 pickup and drop-off points on western Sentosa, along Siloso Beach and Palawan Beach, including Mega Adventure Park, Ola Beach Club and Siloso Beach Resort, using service roads and public roads on the island.

Where it expands next

A second phase would expand the network to 27 pickup and drop-off points, including eastern Sentosa, subject to approval by Singapore's Land Transport Authority; no date has been confirmed. SDC said the pilot will test whether shared autonomous mobility can cut waiting times, improve ride certainty and shorten connections between transport nodes, hotels and attractions, and that SDC and TADA will run further trials to validate routes, booking, boarding and safety procedures before launch. Sentosa previously tested free on-demand autonomous shuttles in 2019; this is the island's first on-demand shared service across a wider network of locations.

This report is compiled from verified sources.