Preparations for introducing autonomous vehicles into public transport services in Singapore

To achieve a smarter, greener, and more inclusive transport system, Singapore’s public transport infrastructure has undergone several changes in recent years to pave the way for a new paradigm of sustainable urban transport. The most anticipated move, however, is the eventual implementation of autonomous vehicles that will significantly change the way we travel in years to come. The focus of this project is on autonomous public bus services and the study would include an assessment of past and current research works, a discussion on applicable automation technology implications, and finally a recommendation package that would help prepare for the introduction of autonomous buses into Singapore’s public bus services. Research findings have shown that, despite its great potential, autonomous vehicles are still at its developing stages and it would take a couple more years before the technology could be implemented on a much larger scale. Coupled with the fact that Singapore’s existing transport infrastructure still lack the capability and capacity to handle such an extensive technology, there is a considerable need for more re-structuring and re-development works to be done on the road. From an intrinsic point of view, the Government would need to look at the various social and economic considerations that its people would be subjected to as a direct result of the implementation of autonomous vehicles on public transport services. Despite the wide-array of challenges that autonomous vehicles are facing, it still widely seen as the greatest alternative for future transportation. The amount of preparations done now would prove critical in determining its level of success in the future.Bachelor of Engineering (Civil