The Land Transport Authority (LTA) in Singapore has awarded a contract to a consortium of MKX Technologies Pte Ltd, Zhidao Network Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd and BYD (Singapore) Pte Ltd for a contract sum of around $8.14 million ($6.31 million) to pilot autonomous buses.

LTA said in a statement on Thursday that the award is a part of the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the LTA’s plans to pilot the use of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology.

According to the statement, these buses will be piloted on public bus services 400 (Marina Bay) and 191 (one-north) for an initial period of three years, adding to the number of AVs being tested and deployed for public transport in Singapore.

This pilot was started before recent efforts by MOT to test AVs in Punggol, but will add to our overall efforts to augment our public transport network and expand mobility options for commuters.

In response to the Request for Proposal launched on January 27, 2025 for the buses, autonomous bus fleet management and remote operations systems, electric charging infrastructure, AV hardware and software, as well as maintenance and support services, LTA received a total of four proposals.

The proposals were evaluated based on the maturity of the AV technology, and the AV developer’s track record in local and/or overseas deployments and capability to meet the operational needs of public bus services.

The consortium awarded the contract has proven track records overseas in deploying autonomous bus services on public roads with mixed traffic and remote operations.

Zhidao Network Technology (Beijing), which has deployed autonomous buses in Chinese cities such as Beijing, Dali, Shanghai and Tianjin, will provide the autonomous vehicle software and hardware kit such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR) and cameras, as well as the fleet management and remote operations systems.

MKX will lead local research and development (R&D) and project management efforts, while BYD (Singapore) will supply the electric buses.

Together, the consortium will supply the 16-passenger seat autonomous buses capable of navigating local roads, supported by a suite of AV solutions such as fleet management system and electric charging infrastructure for the pilot deployment.

LTA will work closely with the consortium to ensure both the autonomous buses and supporting systems are operationally ready.

For a start, LTA will procure six autonomous buses from the consortium.

These buses will have features similar to existing public buses, including designated spaces and boarding/alighting ramps for wheelchair and personal mobility aid users, and strollers.

Before commencing the pilot, LTA will conduct rigorous testing to ensure that the autonomous buses meet safety and operating requirements, including LTA’s AV Milestone 1 test and assessment of the buses’ capabilities to perform safe boarding and alighting at all designated stops.

From the second half of 2026, these 16-passenger seat autonomous buses will operate alongside existing manned buses as part of a hybrid fleet. Fares payable during this pilot will be the same as the public bus service.

During the initial phases of the pilot deployment, a safety operator will be on board at all times.

LTA will monitor the autonomous buses in real-time to ensure consistent self-driving performance and regulatory compliance.

The bus operator, SBS Transit Ltd, will also take into account commuters’ feedback to review and improve autonomous bus operations.

After the autonomous bus has demonstrated its capabilities to operate smoothly and safely, it will progress to the next phase where a remote operator will monitor the operation continuously in a remote control center.

In place of an onboard safety operator; a customer service officer will be deployed onboard to assist commuters.

The consortium will work with SBS Transit Ltd to develop operational concepts and plans for the hybrid fleet.

It will also work with the Singapore Bus Academy to train existing bus captains to take on new roles as safety operators, so that they are equipped to operate the autonomous buses competently and confidently.

LTA, public transport operators and the National Transport Workers’ Union will also work together to prepare training programs for new roles in the AV industry such as safety operators, customer service officers, fleet managers, and other technical functions.

Through this pilot deployment, LTA aims to assess the technical feasibility of AV technology for public bus services, and gain insights into the operational aspects of running autonomous buses at both service and fleet levels.

Following this deployment, LTA may procure up to 14 additional autonomous buses and expand the pilot to more public bus services.

This phased approach enables LTA to progressively scale up the deployment of autonomous buses, while ensuring bus operations remain reliable and safe.

AV buses will complement existing buses, allowing us to maintain routes with lower ridership or introduce new services that are hitherto difficult to introduce due to manpower constraint.

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