World's 1st Public Self-Driving Taxi Pilot Program Now Underway In Singapore, via nuTonomy

The world's first public, self-driving taxi pilot program is now underway in Singapore, according to recent reports -- with nuTonomy's ride-hailing app now being functional for those looking to travel within Singapore's one-north business district. This is the same district that the firm has been doing testing in since April. The pilot will reportedly be continuing indefinitely, rather than for a set period. The plan is apparently to use the data gathered during the pilot -- on software system performance, vehicle routing efficiency, the ride-booking process, etc. -- to improve the firm's software in anticipation of the launch of a full-scale commercial autonomous taxi service in 2018 in Singapore. The launch of the new pilot follows the selection of nuTonomy as a research and development partner by the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA), which occurred just in August.