The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has launched a Request for Proposal (RFP) to seek the industry’s proposals to pilot autonomous public bus services.

Through this pilot, LTA aims to assess the technical feasibility of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology for public bus services and gain insights into the operational aspects of running autonomous buses at both service and fleet levels. The awarded contractor will collaborate closely with SBS Transit Ltd (SBST), the current operator of Services 191 and 400, to develop operational strategies and plans for running autonomous public buses. During the initial phase, bus captains will be onboard as safety operators to oversee operations. The autonomous buses must adhere to operational standards, including ensuring safe boarding and alighting at all designated stops. The selected contractor must operate for at least six months to validate the reliability of the self-driving and remote operation systems before transitioning to remote supervision. LTA will monitor the buses in real time to evaluate their autonomous performance and regulatory compliance. Additionally, LTA will enforce safety measures such as requiring all passengers to remain seated with seatbelts fastened. A customer service officer may also be stationed onboard to assist passengers in need.

LTA will initially acquire six autonomous buses for the pilot program, which will operate alongside existing manned buses. These autonomous buses are set to be deployed from mid-2026 for a trial period of three years. Based on their performance, LTA may explore the possibility of purchasing up to 14 more autonomous buses, allowing for an expansion of the pilot to include two additional public bus services. Proposals should outline the proposed bus models, fleet management and remote operation systems, electric charging infrastructure, as well as the necessary hardware and software for AV operations, along with related maintenance and support services. LTA will evaluate submissions based on the technological maturity of the AV systems, the developer’s experience in both local and international deployments, and their ability to fulfill the operational requirements of public bus services. The RFP is scheduled to close by Q2 of 2025, with the contract anticipated to be awarded by the end of 2025.