Latest news with #LamWeeShann
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
China's WeRide launches Southeast Asia's first fully driverless bus service in Singapore
WeRide, a leading mainland Chinese self-driving technology developer, has launched Southeast Asia's first fully driverless bus service in Singapore – operating without a safety officer on board. The Robobus, equipped with 360-degree vision and capable of detecting obstacles more than 200 metres away, operates on a fixed 1.2km loop every 12 minutes, connecting three hotels and The Galleria shopping mall on Sentosa island, the company said in a statement on Thursday. The launch followed a year-long trial that began in June 2024, during which the autonomous vehicle transported tens of thousands of passengers with safety operators onboard – without a single accident, the company said. 'All companies intending to deploy autonomous vehicles must first pass relevant assessments related to their autonomous capabilities and demonstrate their ability to operate safely on public roads with safety operators onboard without any incident,' said Lam Wee Shann, deputy chief executive and chief technology officer at the Land Transport Authority, which plans, builds and maintains Singapore's land transport infrastructure and systems. The interior of WeRide's fully driverless Robobus in Singapore. Photo: Handout Once companies pass the assessments, they can remove the onboard safety operator requirement and replace it with constant remote monitoring instead, he added. Jennifer Li, the chief financial officer at WeRide, who also heads its international business operations, said that the launch of the driverless bus service proved its technology was 'ready to transform public transportation at scale'.
Business Times
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Times
China's WeRide secures LTA approval to run driverless bus without safety officer in Sentosa
[SINGAPORE] China-based WeRide has secured approval from Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) to operate a driverless bus in Sentosa without an on-board safety officer. This will be the first autonomous vehicle (AV) in South-east Asia to run without such personnel on board, the company said in a press release on Thursday (Jul 17). Called the Robobus, the AV had already been plying a route at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) since last June – but with a safety officer present. Under LTA's AV assessment framework, companies deploying AVs must first pass certain tests and demonstrate safe operations on public roads with safety operators on board. 'Once they pass the assessments, they may proceed to remove the on-board safety operator requirement and replace it with constant remote monitoring instead,' said Lam Wee Shann, LTA's chief technology officer. Jennifer Li, chief financial officer and head of international at WeRide, said that LTA's approval 'demonstrates that our vehicles are safe, reliable, and ready to transform public transportation at scale'. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The Robobus connects key points within RWS on a fixed 12-minute loop. It is equipped with lidar technology, cameras and sensors capable of detecting obstacles more than 200 m away. The bus has not had any safety incidents thus far, said WeRide. The company was given the green light as Singapore eyes greater deployment of AVs. In June, Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow said that he expects AVs to be on the Republic's roads in the next five years. WeRide runs a research and development (R&D) centre in Singapore, with support from the Economic Development Board (EDB). EDB executive vice-president Cindy Koh welcomed more companies to collaborate with the city-state on AV innovation. She said: 'WeRide is an example of how AV companies can partner with Singapore to undertake AV trials and R&D, and create new jobs such as software development engineers, machine learning engineers and data scientists.' LTA will continue to work closely with companies that seek to deploy AVs to 'alleviate manpower constraints, increase productivity and enhance transport connectivity', said Lam.
