Singapore’s push toward driverless mobility hit a sharp speed bump on Nov. 5, when two separate near-misses involving autonomous shuttles in Punggol prompted swift regulatory intervention from the Land Transport Authority.
ComfortDelGro was directed to suspend U-turn testing for its autonomous vehicles at a Punggol junction following a close call with an oncoming car, The Straits Times reported. The incident occurred during testing on a route intended for an enhanced on-demand service.
Dashcam footage shared on Facebook showed a vehicle operated by ComfortDelGro stopped at a junction in Punggol Field before turning directly into the path of an approaching car. Both drivers hit the brakes to avert a collision.
Michael Huang, head of Singapore point-to-point mobility business at Zig by ComfortDelGro, stated that the company is looking into the incident with its technology partner and the Land Transport Authority. “We take safety seriously and will assess the circumstances thoroughly,” Huang said.
The regulatory clampdown followed an earlier incident on the same day when a Grab autonomous vehicle nearly struck a young schoolgirl. Mothership reported that the vehicle nearly hit the child while making a discretionary left turn at 8:11 a.m. along Punggol Field Walk.
Channel NewsAsia reported that preliminary data showed the vehicle tracked two pedestrians before initiating the turn.
In response to the incident, a Grab spokesperson stated: “Safety is our top priority. We are aware of this incident and are closely reviewing it together with the Land Transport Authority and our partner WeRide.”
The Land Transport Authority confirmed it is investigating both incidents. As a precautionary measure, regulators instructed ComfortDelGro to pause U-turns at the affected junction and ordered Grab to halt testing at similar turning points.
The trials involve vehicles from Chinese autonomous driving firms Pony.ai, utilized by ComfortDelGro, and WeRide, partnered with Grab.
