Singapore will not impose a cap on autonomous vehicles (AVs) as transport demand continues to grow and the country faces an ageing workforce, according to Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow.

In a parliamentary reply to MP Yeo Wan Ling, Siow also cited the expected retirement of more taxi drivers in the coming years.

"When ride-hailing apps and private hire car drivers first came into the market and were seen as a competition to taxi drivers, we similarly did not cap the number of private hire car drivers," he added.

By the end of 2028, Singapore could have several hundred autonomous passenger vehicles operating across different use cases.

Currently, 15 AVs are deployed in Punggol, while Grab plans to expand its fleet to 50 vehicles within the next six months. Waymo is also preparing to enter the market, with testing and deployment preparations scheduled to begin in western Singapore in 2027, ahead of a targeted commercial launch in 2028.

However, Siow said deployment would remain limited to specific applications as operators continue safety validation and assess market demand and public acceptance.

"Beyond the next two years, the pace of AV deployment depends on multiple factors, such as technology readiness, safety validation, operator growth, the level of public confidence and acceptance, and the impact on existing drivers," he further added.

Singapore currently has approximately 72,000 active taxi and private-hire car drivers. Siow said the initial AV fleet would account for a small proportion of the sector, with no immediate impact expected on drivers' jobs and livelihoods.

Meanwhile, the government has introduced two Career Conversion Programme (CCP) pathways to support drivers seeking alternative employment. These include the CCP for Autonomous Vehicle Specialists and a new point-to-point driver-to-bus-captain pathway under the CCP for Public Transport Professionals.