Singapore, Aug 26 (Agencies) : The first driverless taxi began work on Thursday in a limited public trial on the streets of Singapore.
Developer nuTonomy invited a select group of people to download their app and ride for free in its "robo-taxi" in a western Singapore hi-tech business district, hoping to get feedback ahead of a planned full launch of the service in 2018.
"This is really a moment in history that's going to change how cities are built, how we really look at our surroundings," nuTonomy executive Doug Parker told Reuters.
The trial rides took place in a Mitsubishi i-MiEv electric vehicle, with an engineer sitting behind the steering wheel to monitor the system and take control if necessary.
The trial is on an on-going basis, nuTonomy said, and follows private testing that began in April.
Parker, whose company has partnered with the Singapore government on the project, said he hoped to have 100 taxis working commercially in the Southeast Asian citystate by 2018.
Nutonomy is one of several companies racing to launch self-driving vehicles, with automakers and technology firms striking new alliances.
Swedish automaker Volvo AB said last week it had agreed to a $300 million alliance with ride-hailing service Uber [UBER.UL] to develop a driverless vehicle.
How does it work?
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.
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.
Why Singapore?
The city is already a bit of a taxi heaven. Owning your own 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.