Singapore-based Grab, best known for its ride-hailing and food-delivery 'super app' in Southeast Asia, has announced plans to expand its autonomous vehicle fleet in its home market to 50 units. By 2030, the company aims to deploy thousands of AVs across Southeast Asia.
Currently, Grab has ten AVs in its Singapore fleet, and by March 2027, it plans to add 40 more units. The company provides an Ai.R (Autonomously Intelligent Ride) shuttle service using the current fleet in the Punggol district, located in the northeastern part of the city-state. Following regulatory approvals, it plans to use the additional 40 AVs to expand the service to other locations in Singapore.
Grab has not released any details about the new AVs it plans to deploy over the next six months. The company made a strategic investment in Chinese robotaxi firm WeRide in August 2025 and deployed ten of its GXR, a model developed on Farizon’s SuperVAN platform, in April 2026. It may use WeRide’s GXR for the additional 40 AVs also under this partnership.
The existing AV fleet has collectively travelled more than 110,000 kilometres in autonomous mode and carried over 12,000 unique riders. Grab says that 99 per cent of those riders would recommend the service and more than 1,000 people are still on a waitlist. On the operations side, 30 of the company’s driver-partners have obtained the certification to become AV safety operators. Six of these driver-partners are remote operators, while some are training the next group.
Currently, Grab offers the Ai.R shuttle service on three routes. One runs from Matilda Court to Oasis Terrace, with two intermediate stops and a total journey time of 50 minutes. Another connects Punggol Coast Mall with Punggol Northshore, with three intermediate stops and the same journey time. A shorter version of this route includes a single stop at One Punggol and takes 20 minutes.
Commenting on the newly announced plans to expand the AV fleet, Grab President and Chief Operating Officer Alex Hungate said, “Thanks to the trust of Punggol residents, Grab has the most experience operating AVs in Southeast Asia. We continue to evolve and build our service by responding to direct feedback from the community, and by drawing on data and technology from our popular ride-hailing business.”
