SINGAPORE: Grab will be shuttling employees between its One-North office and the MRT station with an autonomous vehicle (AV) starting Wednesday (Jul 9).
The 22-seater electric shuttle bus will operate daily during the off-peak hours of 2pm to 4pm, the local tech firm announced on Tuesday, adding that employees can track the vehicle’s location using the Grab app.
A trained safety driver will be present at all times to “ensure passenger safety and smooth operations”, said Grab in a statement.
The shuttle will only be available to Grab employees and is operated in collaboration with Autonomous A2Z, a Korean AV manufacturer.
A2Z’s business and international managing director Ryan Kim said that A2Z has been collaborating closely with Grab, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and local safety drivers to prepare for AV operations in Singapore.
“The pilot will enable us to better assess the commercial viability of autonomous shuttles in addressing first- and last-mile commute challenges while exploring their potential to alleviate manpower shortages in the public transport sector,” he said.
He added that A2Z and Grab will share insights from the initiative with the government to “support Singapore’s broader AV ambitions”.
