Driver-less taxi trial kicks off in Singapore

Self-driving cars and taxis are the buzz of the industry. Everyone seems to be doing it, trying grab headlines with every step forward or new trial phase. (BBC- Read full article)

But the real deal always seemed to be still years in the future. Now, here in Singapore, you can in fact hop into a driverless taxi and go for a ride. And it’s even free. But hold your horses, it’s still only a trial. It does, though, take things a wee bit further than what we’ve seen from the big car makers, Google or ride-hailing giant Uber. It is not any of the big names of the car industry who we know are all pushing the technology in their research and development departments.

It’s a company called nuTonomy, a US-based start-up developer of software for self-driving cars. The company was founded in 2013 by two MIT researchers specializing in robotics and driverless technology. The firm has offices both in the US and in Singapore. arlier this year, nuTonomy was the first company to get permission from the Singapore government to test self-driving cars in a small area of the town. It’s now begun tests with passengers.

Given that nuTonomy is not a car manufacturer, these are not flashy futuristic vehicles designed for a driverless future. Rather, they are small Renault and Mitsubishi electric vehicles that have been equipped with the company’s software and cameras, said the spokesperson. The micro cars are still, however, a step up from some of nuTonomy’s previous trials with driverless vehicles in 2014 – back then, the flashy ride was in fact an electric golf cart. The new taxi trial currently consists of a fleet of six cars – each of them has a complex system of lasers that operate like a radar to monitor the car’s surrounding. In addition there are cameras that work with the software.

Singapore is already a bit of a taxi heaven. Owning a car is mind-bogglingly expensive and many people take taxis on a regular basis. Cab rides are cheap and there’s a very high demand. “Also, the city’s overall traffic situation is rather disciplined and organised. More often than not when Singaporeans talks about a traffic jam, all they mean are a few cars more than usual at a traffic light. So the goal is not just to complete a little trial but to expand it to a fully self-driving taxi fleet in Singapore by 2018” – according to nuTonomy.