AV Safety Drivers Debunk 'Do Nothing' Myth as Singapore Expands Autonomous Trials

Sarah Ahmad sits in the driver's seat of a vehicle that does not need her to drive it. Passengers climb in, look around, and ask the obvious question: what exactly does she do? The 45-year-old safety driver for Grab's autonomous vehicle trial in Punggol has heard the dismissal before. "Your job is so simple, you just sit there and do nothing," people tell her. "Even retirees could do it. You don't even need a driving licence."

She pushes back firmly. The work demands the opposite of passivity. "You have to be on higher alert as compared to when you are holding on to the steering wheel, because now you're supervising the vehicle," Ahmad explained. "It's as though you are a driving instructor, and the vehicle is the student." Sherman Seng, a 24-year-old safety driver for ComfortDelGro's competing trial, echoed the point: "We have to maintain concentration almost all the time. The concentration part is there so that we are able to prevent unforeseeable events."

The two companies—Grab partnered with Chinese firm WeRide, ComfortDelGro with Pony.ai—have been running autonomous shuttle services in Punggol since April and June respectively. Both rely on safety drivers who are far more than passengers with a steering wheel. Ahmad came to the role after three years driving private-hire vehicles for Grab. When the company asked her to join the AV initiative last year, she accepted despite knowing little about autonomous vehicles in Singapore. Training began in November and forced her to unlearn instinct. Learning to operate a left-hand drive vehicle—the AVs are manufactured in China—was straightforward. The harder part came when instructors told her to let go entirely. "Suddenly, they said that you cannot touch the steering wheel, you just leave it alone, put your hands on your lap, and then that's it," she recalled. "When the car moves, I want to hold onto it; it's just a natural reaction."

Seng's preparation was more intensive. After a month of training in Singapore—split between manual and autonomous driving—he spent three weeks in Guangzhou, China, where the AV industry is more developed. "During my training in China, they actually pushed me to my limits," he said. Instructors placed him in unfamiliar conditions with pedestrians crossing unexpectedly and motorcycles approaching at high speed, testing reflexes and judgment in ways Singapore's controlled environment could not replicate.

A typical workday begins with vehicle inspection—checking that sensors and cameras are unobstructed and functioning. The driver then manually operates the vehicle to leave the parking area before engaging autonomous mode. Beyond passenger rides, safety drivers conduct familiarization runs so the vehicles can learn the Punggol area's patterns. Ahmad provides continuous feedback. Earlier this year, she noticed the AV braked too harshly when approaching red lights. She reported it, and the system was adjusted to travel slightly slower near traffic signals, reducing the jolt passengers felt. When the vehicle encounters situations it cannot interpret—a traffic marshal waving it forward past roadworks, for instance—the safety driver takes manual control. The vehicles have also stopped for squirrels, monitor lizards, and chickens. Seng described a standoff when a chicken crossed in front of his AV: "It is not willing to take the risk, so my AV actually waited for the chicken to cross the road."

The question hanging over the role is whether it will exist long-term. Then-Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow acknowledged last year that safety drivers would be necessary in the short term, but their future role "depends on how the industry evolves." Both drivers see pathways forward. Seng believes the industry will create new positions—remote operators who control vehicles from company headquarters, team leaders, trainers. Ahmad argues that safety drivers will remain essential for years as the companies expand beyond Punggol to map new areas across Singapore. "We definitely need a lot of safety operators," she said. "It's very far into the future where it can be totally driverless all over the place."

The government has already begun preparing for transition. In July, the Ministry of Transport introduced a manpower transition package in partnership with the Manpower Ministry, the National Trades Union Congress, ComfortDelGro, and Grab. The program includes a career conversion course for AV specialists, training drivers for roles as safety operators, remote operators, and fleet managers. William Tan, 42, made that leap in October, moving from operations support to fleet manager at Zig Driverless. He monitors the AV fleet, communicates constantly with safety drivers, and manages incidents—he was present in January when an AV hit a road divider. He also feeds performance data back to Pony.ai, helping engineers refine the system. "The AV industry is growing very fast and very well," Tan said, "and there is a pipeline for safety operators to join my ranks." A bill tabled in parliament this month proposes extending the regulatory sandbox for AV deployments through December 31, 2028, ensuring the trials can continue uninterrupted until more comprehensive legislation takes effect. The work of people like Ahmad and Seng—alert, attentive, ready to intervene—will shape how that technology matures.