ComfortDelGro self-driving vehicle collides with road divider during road test

[SINGAPORE] An autonomous vehicle operated by ComfortDelGro (CDG) collided with a road divider while undergoing a road test in Punggol on Saturday (Jan 17).

In response to queries from The Straits Times, CDG said that at around 3.10pm on Jan 17, one of its autonomous vehicles, which was undergoing routine mapping and familiarisation, was involved in an incident at Edgedale Plains.

The vehicle detected a small object on the road and responded accordingly, the transport operator said, adding that the safety operator on board then took over the steering manually.

“Unfortunately, the vehicle collided with the road divider during the manual takeover,” CDG said. There were no passengers on board at the time and no one was hurt.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it was informed by CDG about the incident. It added that road testing of the vehicle had begun on Dec 15, 2025, with a safety operator and no passengers on board, to calibrate its sensors to local operating conditions.

“Nonetheless, as a safety precaution, CDG will take a safety timeout,” LTA said, adding that it would work with CDG to thoroughly review the incident.

CDG also said its vehicles would take a safety timeout while it reviews the matter as part of its standard protocols and in coordination with the relevant authorities.

CDG operates one of the three autonomous vehicle routes planned in Punggol in partnership with Chinese autonomous driving firm Pony.ai.

The other two routes are run by Grab in partnership with Chinese autonomous vehicle company WeRide.

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Since Jan 12, some residents in Punggol have been invited to try out one of the routes operated by Grab ahead of a public roll-out expected in the next two to three months. The free, weekday service runs along a 10km route linking the western and eastern parts of the estate. THE STRAITS TIMES