SINGAPORE — Singapore’s push toward autonomous vehicles is no longer just about testing driverless shuttles on the road. The country’s polytechnics are now preparing students for a transport industry where artificial intelligence, sensors, robotics and software could become as important as traditional mechanical engineering.
Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) and Republic Polytechnic (RP) are expanding hands-on training in autonomous mobility as Singapore accelerates efforts to introduce autonomous vehicles into its transport network.
The move comes as the Government commits S$800 million over the next five years to transport research and innovation, with about two-thirds of the investment focused on cross-cutting capabilities such as autonomy and digital twins. The funding is intended to build Singapore’s capabilities in AI, robotics and autonomous transport while addressing manpower constraints.
Students are already working with autonomous vehicles
At Ngee Ann Polytechnic, students are getting exposure to autonomous vehicles through industry internships.
One example is third-year Electronic and Computer Engineering student Shawn Lee, who is undertaking a 22-week internship with autonomous vehicle operator MooVita.
His work includes mapping routes and testing how autonomous shuttles respond to different situations on the road.
NP is also exploring the possibility of extending internships in some courses to as long as a year, while considering collaboration with the Land Transport Authority’s Centre for Autonomous Mobility.
The aim is to give students experience beyond the classroom — and expose them to the complicated interaction between software, hardware, sensors, communications and data that makes autonomous transport possible.
Republic Polytechnic is taking students from robots to real vehicles
Republic Polytechnic is also building autonomous-vehicle skills progressively.
Students first learn how to code and control vehicle movements before using small autonomous robots to understand how sensors detect surroundings and navigate obstacles.
They then apply those concepts to actual vehicles, including learning how environmental conditions such as rain, bright sunlight and heat can affect sensors and navigation.
For first-year engineering students, an unmanned-systems module introduces technologies including autonomous vehicles and drones. Selected diploma programmes go deeper into autonomous systems.
From October, RP plans to train up to 80 engineering students a year in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) following feedback from industry partners about demand for the skills.
ADAS technologies include functions such as adaptive cruise control, lane-change warnings and automatic emergency braking. Unlike fully autonomous vehicles, these systems still require a human driver to remain responsible and intervene when necessary.
Why this matters: Singapore’s roads are changing
The expansion of autonomous-vehicle training comes as Singapore moves from experimentation towards wider deployment.
The Ministry of Transport says autonomous vehicles will be trialled in public transport from 2026, including fixed-route services in selected Housing Board estates.
Singapore also plans to pilot self-driving public buses in Marina Bay and one-north in the second half of 2026, with further expansion possible if the trials are successful.
Passenger-facing autonomous shuttle services have already begun moving closer to reality. CNA reported that Grab and ComfortDelGro deployed autonomous shuttles in Punggol, while public access to Grab’s autonomous rides began in April 2026.
That means the skills needed to operate, maintain, test and supervise these systems could become increasingly important — even if completely driverless transport is still some distance away.
Singapore is not simply putting driverless vehicles on the roads
Despite the rapid development, Singapore’s approach remains heavily focused on testing and safety.
The Land Transport Authority has been testing autonomous vehicles in Singapore since 2014, with one-north becoming an on-road AV testbed in 2016.
Before autonomous vehicles can be deployed more widely, they must go through a structured assessment process. Testing can involve closed-circuit safety assessments, public-road trials, remote-operation checks and deployment-readiness evaluations.
LTA has also established performance and public-acceptance requirements, including whether vehicles can cover sufficient distances on authorised routes without intervention from safety operators and whether they can handle different traffic scenarios.
The rules are changing too
Singapore is also preparing its legal framework for a future where vehicles may make driving decisions themselves.
In May, the Ministry of Transport launched a public consultation on proposed legislation covering autonomous vehicles.
The proposed framework addresses issues including safety regulations, liability, insurance, cybersecurity, data management and the responsibilities of technology providers, fleet operators, onboard safety operators and remote operators.
This is significant because Singapore’s existing road-traffic rules were largely designed around human drivers. The new framework is intended to provide greater clarity over who is responsible when an autonomous system is involved in an accident or fails to perform as expected.
The bigger shift is about people, not just machines
The autonomous-vehicle transition could also reshape transport jobs.
The Government has said Singapore intends to adopt AVs gradually, while helping existing transport workers adapt to changing requirements. A manpower transition package announced in July includes career-conversion programmes and training support for taxi and private-hire car drivers.
At the same time, the S$800 million transport research programme is open to Institutes of Higher Learning and research institutes, with industry participation encouraged through collaborations.
For polytechnic students, that could mean the future of transport is not necessarily about replacing people with machines.
Instead, the workforce may increasingly be expected to build, test, supervise, maintain and improve the machines.
That is why NP is looking at multidisciplinary training and RP is incorporating autonomous systems and ADAS into engineering education.
The next challenge: making autonomy work in the real world
One of the most interesting developments is RP’s interest in digital twins and simulated environments.
Instead of testing every dangerous or unusual scenario with a physical vehicle, students could use virtual environments to simulate situations an autonomous vehicle might encounter.
This could include unusual interactions between traffic signals, road users and traffic-control instructions — allowing students to test how an AI-driven vehicle should respond without putting people or vehicles at risk.
That approach reflects a broader national strategy.
Singapore’s S$800 million transport research investment places major emphasis on autonomy and digital twins, with the Government describing these technologies as tools for building more automated, manpower-light transport operations.
What happens next?
Singapore is clearly moving toward a more automated transport system — but the road to fully autonomous mobility will not happen overnight.
The country still has to prove that these systems can operate safely in unpredictable traffic, gain public confidence, establish clear legal responsibility and develop a workforce capable of managing increasingly sophisticated technology.
For students entering engineering today, however, the message is already clear:
The future transport worker may not be sitting behind the wheel. They may be the person teaching the vehicle how to drive.
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