If you have any interest in robotaxis, or just self driving cars in general, then you’ll know the name Waymo. The Alphabet company, and sister to the internet search giant Google, has been plugging away in the US, but reports indicate that it has been looking for an overseas expansion for a while. One such potential overseas market turns out to be our neighbour down south, Singapore.
The Verge reports that Waymo vehicles will be landing on the island nation “in the coming months”. Then, in 2027, the company will be conducting autonomous testing with human safety drivers, as the company works towards “offering fully autonomous ride-hailing to the public” by 2028.
Beyond Singapore, the report mentions other cities that Waymo is looking to launch its robotaxis in. One of them is London, with the company looking to launch its service there by 2026. Then there’s Tokyo, with plans for the city pegged for 2027. Finally, there’s Munich, with the company looking to bring its robotaxis over in late 2027. It doesn’t look like Malaysia is involved in such plans for now.
Waymo is also not the only robotaxi company looking to expand into Singapore. Last year, we saw reports claiming that Chinese company Baidu was looking at Singapore, as well as Malaysia, as possible markets to launch its Apollo Go robotaxi service in. Over in Europe, the company was in talks with Switzerland’s Swiss Post-operated PostAuto too. Unfortunately, that was the last we’ve heard of such plans, and nothing much has been heard on the subject since.
(Source: The Verge)
