LTA says six autonomous buses will be tested before joining services 400 and 191 in a three-year pilot
Singapore has received the first of six self-driving public buses that will be tested before joining public bus services in Marina Bay and one-north from the second half of 2026, marking a major step in the country’s autonomous transport plans.
First bus has already arrived in Singapore
The first of the six self-driving public buses arrived in Singapore earlier in March, according to the Land Transport Authority’s March 25 update. LTA said the buses will undergo rigorous testing before they begin road operations.
This first arrival is part of the autonomous public bus pilot that LTA formally awarded in October 2025. That contract covers an initial fleet of six buses for the trial.
The pilot will run on services 400 and 191
LTA has said the autonomous buses will be deployed on public bus service 400 in the Marina Bay and Shenton Way area and service 191 in one-north from the second half of 2026. The pilot will run for three years and the buses will operate alongside existing manned buses as part of a hybrid fleet.
Service 400 serves locations such as Marina Bay Cruise Centre, Gardens by the Bay, and the Downtown and Shenton Way MRT areas, while service 191 serves one-north and Buona Vista. LTA previously said these routes were chosen because they are shorter and simpler, making them suitable for an initial rollout.
The buses will be tested thoroughly before public deployment
LTA said the six buses must pass safety and operating checks before they can enter service. The testing process includes closed-circuit trials covering basic maneuvers and the ability to let passengers board and alight safely at designated stops.
The authority has previously said that during the initial phases of the pilot, a safety operator will be on board at all times. It also said fares during the pilot will be the same as normal public bus fares.
The buses are small, electric, and heavily sensor-equipped
The autonomous buses are 16-seater electric vehicles. LTA’s preview showed that they include accessibility features such as a wheelchair space, along with cameras and sensors mounted around the vehicle to provide 360-degree awareness of the surroundings.
The pilot buses and systems are being supplied by a consortium comprising MKX Technologies, Zhidao Network Technology (Beijing), and BYD. LTA awarded the pilot contract to this consortium in October 2025.
Singapore may expand the pilot later
LTA has said that after the first six buses are deployed, it may procure up to 14 more autonomous buses and expand the pilot to additional public bus services. That phased approach is meant to let the authority evaluate the technical and operational feasibility of autonomous buses before scaling up further.
For Singapore, the pilot is not just about testing vehicles. It is also about understanding how autonomous buses can fit into live public transport operations at both the route and fleet levels.
The arrival of Singapore’s first self-driving public bus turns a long-planned pilot into something tangible. The real test now is whether the buses can meet safety, reliability, and passenger-handling standards on live public routes. If the Marina Bay and one-north pilot goes well, it could become the foundation for a broader expansion of autonomous public transport in Singapore.
Sources: Straits Times (2026) , LTA on YouTube (2026)
Keywords: Singapore self-driving bus, LTA autonomous bus pilot, service 400 autonomous bus, service 191 driverless bus, Gelora Bung Karno, BYD autonomous bus Singapore
