Punggol residents voice safety concerns after two autonomous-vehicle near misses but support continued trials
Two near-miss incidents involving autonomous shuttles in Punggol prompted residents to raise safety worries, while most interviewees said trials should keep going after a review.
Two separate near-miss incidents involving autonomous vehicles (AVs) were reported in Punggol on 5 November. In one case, a Grab-operated AV made a discretionary left turn close to a schoolgirl at a traffic junction, and in another, a ComfortDelGro AV turned into the path of an oncoming vehicle while attempting a U-turn at a different junction. Both vehicles were testing new routes for on-demand services, not the fixed shuttle routes that currently operate in the town.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has opened investigations and instructed Grab to suspend testing at similar junctions and ComfortDelGro to pause U-turns at the Punggol Field junction as a precaution. Earlier in the year, a ComfortDelGro AV collided with a road divider during testing, an incident that was later attributed to manual intervention by a safety officer.
Residents interviewed by CNA expressed concern, especially parents of young children. > "I’m definitely a bit worried and a bit sceptical about boarding the autonomous vehicles with my family," said Mr Tan Kar Yeow, 46. > "Even when you’re not on board the vehicle, you’re just crossing the road normally with your young kids, you will have to keep a special lookout for the autonomous vehicles," he added. Others said they would avoid the shuttles while still supporting the overall trial programme. > "Testing has to continue, you can’t really stop," said Mr Yang Lou, 59, noting that trials help identify problems before a wider rollout.
Despite the incidents, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) says the AV trials are intended to augment Singapore’s public-transport network, linking residential estates to MRT stations and polyclinics. As of 3 November, 15 passenger AVs were operating in Punggol. LTA’s July post-ride survey reported that 99 % of about 900 respondents felt safe during their rides and would recommend the service.
Grab’s self-driving shuttles, launched to the public on 1 April 2025 in partnership with WeRide, and ComfortDelGro’s shuttles, launched in June 2025 with Pony.ai, have collectively logged tens of thousands of kilometres and rides across Singapore. The authorities emphasise that the focus remains on learning from incidents and improving system safety before any broader deployment.