Waymo will launch a commercial robotaxi service in Singapore in 2028, marking the Alphabet-owned company's first market in Southeast Asia2,4,8. Fully electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles are due to arrive in the city-state in the coming months.
From 2027, trained autonomous specialists will manually drive the vehicles to map Singapore's roads and adapt the Waymo Driver system to local traffic patterns, road geometry, and monsoon conditions6. The service is expected to open to the public through the Waymo app in 2028, subject to regulatory approval11.
Regulatory path and initial geography
Waymo will need approval from Singapore's Land Transport Authority before accepting passengers. The city-state requires all autonomous vehicles to undergo a safety assessment conducted at the Centre of Excellence for Testing and Research before deployment on public roads. Waymo is working with Singapore's Ministry of Transport and the Land Transport Authority. Initial service will target western Singapore, beginning with the Labrador and Harbourfront areas.
Waymo plans to serve Singapore customers through its own consumer app rather than partnering with local ride-hailing platforms13. That contrasts with Chinese rivals WeRide and Pony.ai, which have launched small-scale services in Singapore by partnering with Grab Holdings and ComfortDelGro. Grab and WeRide already operate community autonomous-vehicle rides in Punggol.
"Singapore has built one of the safest, most efficient and most forward-thinking transportation ecosystems in the world," said Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana in a September 18 press release9. Singapore's transport minister Jeffrey Siow said Waymo brings "world-class technology and operational expertise" to Singapore, noting the country has around 20 autonomous vehicles on its roads against more than 70,000 taxi and private-hire car drivers.
Broader international push
Singapore is one node in a rapid overseas expansion. Waymo is preparing to enter Tokyo in 2027 in partnership with Japanese taxi app operator GO and taxi company Nihon Kotsu12. The company has said it plans to launch in London by the end of 2026 and confirmed on August 25 that Munich will be its first robotaxi city in the European Union, targeting a public launch by late 2027. Waymo has also registered operating entities in France, the Netherlands, and Spain.
Domestically, Waymo now offers paid rides in 15 U.S. cities, with Las Vegas joining this week and Denver, San Diego, and Tampa launching earlier in September[3]. The company operates roughly 4,000 vehicles across those markets. Waymo raised $16 billion at a $126 billion valuation in February. Hyundai Motor plans to begin mass-producing IONIQ 5 robotaxis for Waymo at its Georgia plant as early as October[1].
ANALYSIS By building its own app-based service in Singapore rather than riding an existing platform, Waymo is forgoing the instant user base that Grab offers its Chinese competitors in exchange for direct control over the customer relationship and pricing. The approach mirrors its U.S. model but carries distribution risk in a market where Grab is the dominant ride-hailing brand.