A land transport company called ComfortDelGro has announced that it will test an autonomous shuttle bus service in real traffic conditions on the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Kent Ridge campus starting in March 2019.

The year-long autonomous bus shuttle operational trial will include ComfortDelGro and NUS, as well as Inchcape Singapore and EasyMile.

If the trial is successful, the service could be implemented commercially.

“We are excited to team up with three strong partners to undertake this latest AV trial which will be conducted in mixed traffic alongside regular vehicles on the road,” says ComfortDelGro Managing Director and Group CEO, Mr Yang Ban Seng.

“We believe the experiences gained from these trials will help us gain greater insight into how to become an AV fleet operator in the years to come.”

The EasyMile EZ10 autonomous shuttle will be used during the trial. Inchcape Singapore will provide funding for the shuttle, while ComfortDelGro’s wholly-owned subsidiary, ComfortDelGro Bus Pte Ltd., will operate the shuttle. Capable of carrying 15 passengers, the shuttle will operate along a 1.6 kilometer route in NUS between Heng Mui Keng Terrace and Business Link.

This trial will be the first of its kind in Singapore by a transport operator. It is considered significant for a number of reasons, including the fact that it will take place in real mixed traffic conditions, alongside regular buses, cars and motorcycles. The shuttle will also utilize its own internal array of software and hardware technologies for its navigation on the roads, as there will be no assistance of external infrastructure.

Additionally, to make sure that the vehicle operates safely, a safety engineer will be on board during the trial. That safety engineer will also provide their engineering expertise.

During the initial stage of the trial, the focus will be on collecting data for the shuttle’s mapping and navigation systems. During this stage, there will be no passenger service, but passengers will be able to start riding in the vehicle once the trial management team is satisfied that the shuttle is ready for commuter trials.

For ComfortDelGro, this will be its third trial involving autonomous vehicles. Through its subsidiary, SBS Transit Ltd, ComfortDelGro is currently participating in two ongoing trials in Sentosa and Jurong Island, both of which are located in Singapore. In these trials, ComfortDelGro is providing assistance in the collection of data, as well as in operations modeling and development.