Opening Remarks by SMS Sun Xueling, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of National Development at the 8th ITS Summit Singapore 2026

Mr Howie Sim, President of ITS Singapore

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

1.           Good morning, and a warm welcome to all our industry partners, overseas friends, and valued guests. It is my pleasure to join you at the 8th Intelligent Transport Systems Summit Singapore 2026.

2.           The ITS Summit Singapore is an important annual event that brings together industry leaders and experts across our entire land transport eco-system. It is a valuable platform to discuss the future of intelligent mobility, not just in Singapore, but across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

3.           At its heart, intelligent mobility is not about technology for its own sake, but about solving real world painpoints – to make every journey safer, more convenient and more inclusive for our commuters, motorists and pedestrians.

Importance of Safe and Secure Intelligent Mobility

4.           This year’s theme, “Safe and Secure Intelligent Mobility”, speaks to a non-negotiable priority: road safety. Road traffic fatalities in Singapore unfortunately hit a 10-year high in 2025, with 149 deaths.

5.           Under the Land Transport Master Plan 2040, the Land Transport Authority, or LTA, is committed to reducing land transport-related accidents and fatalities. Any death or injury on our roads is one too many.

6.           Achieving this requires more than infrastructure or enforcement alone. The Ministry of Transport and our colleagues in the Traffic Police and agencies are partnering the Singapore Road Safety Council, the Singapore Kindness Movement, industry partners, educators, researchers and the wider community, under a new Road Safety Framework in recognising that improving road safety is a shared responsibility.

7.           Built on the pillars of safer road users, safer vehicles, safer speed, safer road design and infrastructure, and underpinned by data, technology and research, the Framework provides a coordinated roadmap for achieving better road safety. Let me highlight some of the ways we are putting this Framework into action.

8.           To implement safer speed and road design, we have introduced traffic-calming measures and safer crossing points in a scheme known as Silver Zone,  which I think many Singaporeans in the audience will be familiar with. The Silver Road Scheme has resulted in the reduction of accidents involving elderly pedestrians by about 80 percent. I think this is quite phenomenal, and the results speak for itself. Over the next couple of years, you will see the progressive rolling out of more Silver Zones, which is included under our Friendly Street scheme all around Singapore for areas where we see young families or more senior pedestrians.

9.           On introducing safer vehicle technology, from 1 April 2027, all newly registered motorcycles will be required to be installed with an Anti-lock Braking System. This reducesthe risk of skidding during sudden braking and significantly enhancing rider safety. Singapore will be one of the first countries in the ASEAN to make this requirement mandatory

AI, Data, and Autonomous Systems for Mobility

10.        On Autonomous Vehicles, much have been said about it in Singapore. LTA officially commenced trialling AV shuttle services in Punggol from September last year to improve first-mile-last-mile connectivity for residents. These services are operated by Grab and ComfortDelGro. As of June this year, close to 10,000 unique riders have taken the shuttles, and 99% of them surveyed said they felt safe and would recommend the ride to others.

11.        This mirrors findings from multiple overseas AV deployments, where AVs have demonstrated an impressive safety record. Equipped with multiple safety systems and sensors, and programmed to follow traffic rules at all times, AVs eliminate many of the human behaviours that put lives at risk on our roads — behaviours such as speeding, running red lights, and drunk driving. As we work towards safer roads for all Singaporeans, AVs represent a meaningful step forward.

The MOT will explore progressively expanding the deployment of AVs to new use cases, where they can make a real difference to both connectivity and road safety. But as we embrace the promise of AVs, we must also deal with risks that come with greater connectivity.

Cybersecurity and Resilience in Connected Transport

12.        As vehicles, traffic signals, and operational systems become highly connected and more automated, they become potential targets for cyber threats – with consequences that extend beyond disrupted commutes. A breach can undermine public confidence, compromise sensitive data, and have cascading effects across our urban systems.

13.        Cybersecurity is not just a technical issue – it is a safety issue.

14.        We are working in Singapore towards a dedicated AV Act, a AV cybersecurity framework, to cover the full lifecycle of autonomous vehicles – from technical approval and remote operations to software controls, cybersecurity monitoring, and incident management. This will align with international standards, with phased implementation as the industry matures.

15.        More broadly, Singapore has taken concrete steps to strengthen the protection of our critical systems. The recent amendments to our Cybersecurity Act, which took effect in October 2025, extended protections to the virtual and cloud-based infrastructure that our transport networks increasingly depend on. As technologies evolve, our safeguards must evolve as well.

16.        But no single agency can do this alone. Securing connected infrastructure and scaling solutions that perform in the real world requires a whole-of-industry effort. Industry must step up and play its part, and as regulators we warmly welcome you to contribute to the standards and frameworks that will shape the future of transport. I encourage our industry partners to work with us not only to develop promising technologies, but to deliver these technologies in real operating conditions, build public trust, and scale them safely.

17.        I am very encouraged to know that ITS Singapore is working towards a competency programme to strengthen industry capabilities covering important themes of safety, AI, and cybersecurity. ITS Singapore is also reviewing the development of industry standards, to ensure our industry keeps pace with our rapidly evolving transport landscape. By aligning our efforts and sharing knowledge, we can build a land transport system that is not just smarter – but safer and more secure.

Conclusion

18.        The ITS Summit is an important platform for us to collectively exchange ideas, develop innovative solutions and forge strong partnerships to build a safer and more secure intelligent mobility system. I am pleased to share that ITS Singapore, together with LTA, has secured the hosting rights for ITS Asia Pacific Forum 2028 to be held in Singapore. We hope all our partners and industry friends will join us there  to convene, exchange ideas, showcase the latest solutions and product offerings, and forge the collaborations that will shape the next chapter of intelligent mobility.

19.        Thank you all for joining us today, and I look forward to having a successful forum.