Waymo targets Singapore launch in 2028 after 20 million rides
Waymo plans a 2028 Singapore launch, running alongside existing operators, as it also works towards launches in London, Tokyo and Munich.
Waymo said it plans to bring its fully autonomous, all-electric ride-hailing service to Singapore in 2028, pointing to more than 20 million fully autonomous rides completed globally as evidence for the expansion.
The company is partnering with Singapore's Ministry of Transport and its Land Transport Authority to prepare for the launch, which will run through the Waymo app once live. Waymo said its initial fleet in Singapore will be made up of all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles.
A readiness phase is planned for 2027, during which trained autonomous specialists will drive the vehicles manually to adapt the Waymo Driver system to local road conditions. Waymo said it intends to open the service to riders in Singapore in 2028.
Wider expansion plans
Waymo is also working to launch its service in Tokyo, London and Munich, though it gave no timeline for those markets beyond stating the intention. The company said it has driven more than 300 million fully autonomous kilometres globally.
Waymo said it has demonstrated a 94% reduction in injury-causing crashes compared with human drivers in the US cities where it operates fully autonomously. It added that more than a third of riders in San Francisco are picked up or dropped off near transit stations.
Tekedra Mawakana, co-chief executive of Waymo, said Singapore has built one of the safest, most efficient, and most forward-thinking transportation ecosystems in the world. Jeffrey Siow, Singapore's Minister for Transport, said the country welcomes Waymo's entry as its newest autonomous vehicle operator.
Emissions and local context
Waymo said its fleet, at its current scale, prevents an estimated 480 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from road travel every week, and said its electric fleet supports the Singapore Green Plan 2030 by helping lower urban carbon emissions.
For fleets, Waymo's move into Singapore is built on an all-electric Jaguar I-PACE fleet and is set up to run alongside established local operators rather than replace them. Waymo has separately said it is working to launch in London, which makes the Singapore launch a preview of the operating model and partnership terms that UK regulators and incumbent operators should expect to see argued over, rather than evidence that a London launch is imminent.
What we're watching: the readiness phase due in Singapore in 2027, when Waymo's specialists begin manual driving to adapt the Waymo Driver to local roads and monsoon conditions; the public commercial launch Waymo intends for Singapore in 2028, and whether that date holds; any firming of Waymo's stated plans to launch in Tokyo, London and Munich beyond the intention stated in this announcement; Singapore's manpower transition package for taxi drivers, announced by the government in July 2026, for detail on how it is implemented.
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