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Grab autonomous vehicle nearly hits schoolgirl at traffic crossing in Punggol
A Grab autonomous shuttle came close to hitting a schoolgirl as it turned left at a junction in Punggol, Singapore, at about 8.11am on Thursday, 5 November. The vehicle slowed after the near miss and then continued, prompting Grab to review the incident with transport authorities and its technology partner.
The 36-second video was posted to the SG Road Vigilante Facebook group. Grab operates two fixed shuttle routes in Punggol using vehicles developed by WeRide, while ComfortDelGro runs a separate route with Pony.ai vehicles. Grab has said it plans to increase its fleet from 10 to 50 over six months and is preparing an on-demand service in selected parts of Punggol.
In short
- Grab shuttle nearly hit a schoolgirl at a Punggol crossing.
- The incident happened during a left turn at about 8.11am.
- Grab is reviewing the footage with LTA and WeRide.
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The case for
Autonomous shuttles could make local transport more accessible and efficient, and expanding them may help test whether they can serve residents reliably. A near miss warrants a careful investigation, but one reported incident does not by itself establish that the service is unsafe; the review with transport authorities and the technology partner can inform improvements before further expansion.
The case against
A vehicle that comes close to hitting a schoolgirl at a crossing raises serious questions about whether its safety systems can handle everyday road situations. Because the planned fleet expansion would put more autonomous vehicles on public roads, critics could reasonably argue that growth should wait until the incident is fully investigated and safeguards are shown to be effective.
Explained simply
Grab operates autonomous shuttle services on fixed routes in Punggol, a neighbourhood in Singapore. The shuttles use technology developed by WeRide, while another operator, ComfortDelGro, runs a separate route using vehicles from Pony.ai.
Autonomous vehicles use sensors and computer systems to navigate, though operators and transport authorities remain involved in overseeing their use. Grab has plans to expand its Punggol fleet and introduce an on-demand service, so how these vehicles operate around pedestrians is relevant to the area’s transport plans.