The tested-and-proven autonomous technology from WeRide is also expected to help in the greening of the country’s sanitation and taxi operations

Touted as the world’s first purpose-built Level 4 autonomous-driving mini-bus designed for “micro-transits”, the WeRide Robobus has been deployed and operated in nearly 30 cities worldwide in key cities, major passenger airports, luxury resorts, and popular tourist attractions.

Recently, the Robobus was also launched in Singapore’s Sentosa island — plying a 1.2km route from Equarius Hotel and Resorts World Sentosa. This marked the official opening of Singapore’s first publicly accessible, L4-level autonomous vehicle route for passenger operations. It is also Singapore’s first service integrating manual shuttle passenger transport with autonomous micro-circulation shuttle minibuses.

The journey lasts approximately 12 minutes through four stops, and is a case study of how integrating autonomous vehicle technology can allow Singapore to boost productivity and sustainability in the use of limited manpower resources and transport solutions.

On the day of the launch of the firm’s Robobus, it was also announced that WeRide’s Robosweeper S6 have arrived in Singapore, and after safety testing, they are expected to be in use by the end of 2024. The Robosweepers are equipped with proprietary autonomous driving software and hardware architecture, running on multiple high-precision sensors and AI algorithms to perform various urban sanitation tasks such as road sweeping, water spraying, and disinfection.

For now, the Robobus is a tourist attraction in itself, although driverless trains have already become a mainstay in the country’s mass rapid transport system.

The vehicles can automatically detect road conditions, avoid pedestrians and obstacles, ensuring safe and reliable operation while enhancing cleaning efficiency. Additionally, they are powered by an all-electric drive system, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 10,000 kilograms per month on average. This ensures their low-carbon footprint can contributing to the green transformation of Singapore’s sanitation sector.

Going forward, the firm expects to launch its robo taxi design in Singapore and the region as well. The firm has already received the license to conduct pilot operations between the Beijing Daxing International Airport and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area.