Pony.ai rolls out driverless robotaxis with ComfortDelGro in Singapore

The Guangzhou-based company, one of mainland China’s top three robotaxi operators, said on Saturday that it would team up with Singapore’s taxi fleet operator ComfortDelGro to introduce autonomous mobility services to the city state “in the coming months”.

“By delivering safe, comfortable and efficient autonomous mobility services, we are committed to enhancing local residents’ daily commutes and advancing [Singapore’s] smart mobility vision,” Pony.ai’s founder and CEO James Peng said in a statement. “We see great potential in the local market as well as the broader Southeast Asian markets.”

The first robotaxis will be deployed on fixed routes in the Punggol residential district, a newly developed area in the northeastern corner of Singapore, Pony.ai said, without elaborating on the scale of its fleet.

The Singapore service is the second overseas foray in two weeks by Pony.ai, after the Chinese company’s partnership with the Qatari transport company Mowasalat (Karwa) to bring autonomous vehicles to the Middle Eastern nation’s roads. Pony.ai is also testing its vehicles in Dubai, South Korea and Luxembourg.

Next on the company’s plans is Hong Kong, where Pony.ai plans to launch a robotaxi service after clearing regulatory hurdles, the company’s chief financial officer, Leo Wang, said during a media event last month.