[SINGAPORE] The local offshoot of Chinese self-driving technology company WeRide and a consortium led by Malaysian bus operator Handal Indah, also known as Causeway Link, are among four companies that have submitted bids to participate in a trial of autonomous public bus services here.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) called a tender in January seeking proposals for the trial, which is slated to start from mid-2026, on two public bus routes – one in Marina Bay and Shenton Way, and the other in one-north in Buona Vista.
The tender, which closed on June 9 and is expected to be awarded by the end of 2025, drew four submissions in total.
Apart from WeRide (Singapore) and the Handal Indah consortium, the other two tenderers are vehicle distributor Cycle & Carriage Automotive and another consortium led by MKX Technologies.
According to business records, MKX Technologies was incorporated in Singapore in April and has two shareholders.
The majority owner is X Star Technology, a Singapore subsidiary of Chinese online vehicle financing company Yixin Group, and the minority owner is MK.X, a Japanese electric car-sharing company.
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Government procurement website GeBiz did not state the other companies that make up the Handal Indah and MKX Technologies consortiums.
The Straits Times has contacted WeRide, Handal Indah, Cycle & Carriage and X Star Technology for comment.
LTA previously said that it will start the trial by buying six autonomous buses with at least 16 seats and deploying them on bus services 400 and 191. This is so the authority can assess the feasibility of self-driving technology for public bus services and gain operational insights.
Former transport minister Chee Hong Tat had said that the use of autonomous vehicles would help to address pressing manpower challenges in the public transport sector, where it has been difficult to hire drivers.
LTA’s plan is for the autonomous public buses to operate alongside existing manned buses for an initial three-year period. Depending on how they perform, LTA may buy up to 14 more autonomous buses to expand the trial to two more routes later.
LTA said it chose to trial the self-driving buses on services 400 and 191 because they are shorter and simpler routes. The authority is also taking a phased approach so it can thoroughly assess the reliability of autonomous vehicle technology while ensuring public safety.
During the initial phase of the trial, the self-driving buses will have bus drivers on board to act as safety operators, and the buses will be monitored in real time by LTA.
Extra safeguards, such as requiring all passengers to be seated and to wear seat belts, will be put in place, and a remote safety operator will be allowed to take over the supervisory role only after at least six months of testing.
LTA had said that the autonomous vehicle developer selected for the trial will have to work with public transport operator SBS Transit, which runs services 400 and 191, to come up with operational concepts and plans for operating the autonomous public buses.
The authority said it will evaluate the proposals it receives based on the maturity of the technology, the record of the autonomous vehicle developer and its ability to meet operational needs.
Other factors being considered include the supporting infrastructure, such as fleet management and vehicle charging systems.
WeRide, which holds driveless vehicle operator permits in China, the US, the United Arab Emirates and France, is no stranger to self-driving vehicle operations in Singapore.
Since April 2024, it has been running an autonomous shuttle bus service at integrated resort Resorts World Sentosa. Two of WeRide’s driverless road sweepers have also been on trial on public roads in the Marina coastal area since October 2024.
Handal Indah has some autonomous vehicle know-how, too, via company founder Lim Han Weng’s other business, Yinson Holdings.
In 2021, Yinson backed Singapore-based autonomous vehicle start-up MooVita, which today operates a driverless shuttle bus service at Ngee Ann Polytechnic – albeit with a safety driver on board. THE STRAITS TIMES
