Qiming Venture Partners' portfolio company WeRide launches fully driverless robobus operations in Singapore, a first in Southeast Asia
The launch of fully unmanned autonomous minibus operations in Singapore marks a milestone for WeRide and the broader development of smart mobility across Southeast Asia, demonstrating the maturity of WeRide's autonomous driving technology in terms of safety, reliability, and large-scale commercial deployment.
Recently, Qiming Venture Partners portfolio company WeRide (NASDAQ: WRD) announced that its autonomous shuttle Robobus has begun fully driverless operations at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) in Singapore — becoming the first autonomous vehicle in Southeast Asia to operate with no safety staff on board.
This breakthrough marks a new phase for WeRide's technology validation and commercial deployment in Singapore. From June 2024 to date, WeRide's autonomous shuttle (hereinafter referred to as "WeRide Robobus") has safely transported tens of thousands of passengers at RWS Sentosa, efficiently completing thousands of autonomous shuttle trips. Building on this track record, WeRide passed rigorous remote operations testing, on-road trials, and safety assessments, ultimately securing approval from Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) to formally launch fully driverless shuttle services to the public.
Li Xuan, WeRide's CFO and Head of International Operations, said: "Launching fully driverless operations for our autonomous shuttle in Singapore is a milestone for WeRide and for the development of smart mobility across Southeast Asia. It fully demonstrates the maturity of WeRide's autonomous driving technology in terms of safety, reliability, and scalable deployment." The strong support from Singapore's regulators and close collaboration with local partners were critical enablers of this milestone, he added. "This also reflects WeRide's consistent philosophy — partnering with forward-looking governments and collaborators to bring autonomous driving technology into real-world service."
The WeRide Robobus requires no safety staff on board
The WeRide Robobus efficiently connects multiple core stops at RWS Sentosa, including Equarius Hotel, Hotel Michael, and Hotel Ora, following a fixed loop route of approximately 12 minutes. Before obtaining its fully driverless operating permit, the WeRide Robobus had already become Singapore's first autonomous vehicle model to operate on public roads with no steering wheel, brake, or accelerator pedals. Equipped with a perception system integrating LiDAR, cameras, and multi-modal sensors, the Robobus achieves 360-degree coverage with detection capabilities up to 200 meters. Since commencing operations in Singapore, it has established and maintained a perfect safety record with zero accidents.
In June 2025, Singapore's Acting Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat announced plans to integrate autonomous vehicles into the national public transport system by year-end. Fully driverless solutions like the WeRide Robobus are expected to play a significant role, particularly in improving first-and-last-mile connectivity efficiency.
To support Singapore's national vision, WeRide has established an R&D center in Singapore and, with the support of the Economic Development Board (EDB), continues to drive innovation and application of autonomous driving technology.
WeRide's presence in Singapore spans multiple verticals with several industry records. On November 14, 2024, WeRide's autonomous sanitation vehicle S6 and unmanned sweeper S1 obtained Singapore's T1 and M1 autonomous driving licenses; just one week later, both products were deployed on Marina Coastal Drive and at the Esplanade respectively, launching Singapore's first commercially operated autonomous sanitation project. In March 2025, WeRide's unmanned sweeper S1 began trial operations at Jurong Lake Gardens, marking the company's first autonomous product entry into a core residential area of Singapore.
Going forward, WeRide will continue close collaboration with Singapore's LTA and various partners to bring more market-validated, mature products and replicable business models to Singapore and the broader Southeast Asian region.
Past Coverage
Founded in 2006, Qiming Venture Partners currently manages 11 USD funds and 7 RMB funds, with total assets under management reaching $9.5 billion. Since its inception, the firm has focused on investing in outstanding early- and growth-stage companies in the Technology and Healthcare sectors.
To date, Qiming Venture Partners has invested in over 580 high-growth innovative enterprises, of which more than 210 have gone public on the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Shanghai Stock Exchange, and Shenzhen Stock Exchange, or exited through M&A and other means. Over 80 portfolio companies have become recognized unicorns or super-unicorns.
Many Qiming Venture Partners portfolio companies have grown into the most influential players in their respective fields, including Xiaomi (01810.HK), Meituan (03690.HK), Bilibili (NASDAQ: BILI, 09626.HK), Zhihu (NYSE: ZH, 02390.HK), Roborock (688169.SH), UBTECH (09880.HK), WeRide (NASDAQ: WRD), Insta360 (688775.SH), Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals (603087.SH), Tigermed (300347.SZ, 03347.HK), Zai Lab (NASDAQ: ZLAB, 09688.HK), CanSino Biologics (688185.SH, 06185.HK), Schrödinger (NASDAQ: SDGR), MicroPort EP MedTech (688617.SH), Sanyou Medical (688085.SH), Amoy Diagnostics (300685.SZ), Berry Genomics (000710.SZ), SinoCellTech (688520.SH), Yuanxin Technology, Insilico Medicine, MediLink Therapeutics, LaNova Medicines, Zhipu AI, StepFun, Biren Technology, and others.