Autonomous shuttles operated by Grab and WeRide, as well as ComfortDelGro and Pony.ai, have become an increasingly familiar sight on Punggol roads with free trial rides ongoing for some months now.

And while feedback has been "overwhelmingly positive", according to a July 12 update by the Land Transport Authority, an incident on Thursday (Nov 5) morning has sparked discussions on social media.

A video shared with SG Road Vigilante and posted on its social media shows a woman and child waiting at a pedestrian crossing at Punggol Field Walk.

About five seconds after the lights had turned green, the girl begins to cross the road alone, just as an autonomous shuttle was making a left turn.

The girl was startled as she was turning back to wave goodbye to the woman, who immediately comes forward to hold her. 

Footage shows the shuttle had its signal light on and the crossing was clear when it began its turn. 

 

Several social media users noted that the woman and child had been standing at the junction for a few seconds before moving off, arguing that even a human driver might have assumed they were not intending to do so.

But there were also some who called for the incident to be investigated, referring to the presence of a safety operator onboard the autonomous shuttles.

One user, Colin Lincoln, also reminded parents that children need to be taught to check that the road is clear before crossing. "Don't cross blindly even if the green man is on," he added.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, a Grab spokesperson stated that they are aware of the incident and that the incident is being closely reviewed together with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and WeRide.

AsiaOne has reached out to LTA for its interim findings on the incident based on the ongoing review.

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editor@asiaone.com 

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