ComfortDelGro to invest over $200m in driving education; new CCK driving centre to use AI in tests
(Photo credit: ComfortDelGro)
Source: The Straits Times
ComfortDelGro (CDG) will be investing more than $200 million over 30 years to develop driving education in Singapore, which includes using technology instead of human instructors at a new driving centre to be built in Choa Chu Kang.
CDG said on March 11 that it intends to invest in new training facilities, technologies and operations in a bid to meet the demand for school-based training and address the declining number of private driving instructors.
About a fifth of its investment, or $38 million, was put up in a bid for a plot of land in Lorong Bistari, near Kranji Camp III, which will replace Bukit Batok Driving Centre (BBDC) by 2030.
Spanning 24,890 sq m, the Choa Chu Kang site was launched for public tender on Oct 8, 2025, receiving two bids when it closed on Feb 26.
The other bidder was BBDC, which offered slightly over $25 million.
Spanning multiple storeys, with a gross floor area measuring 72,500 sq m, the driving school will make use of various technological tools to educate would-be drivers.
The plan is for it to be opened in phases.
It will be equipped with sensors and cameras, and employ real-time monitoring and artificial intelligence during assessments, which CDG said would allow for “more objective and independent training”.
It added that the technology would lessen the need to rely on human instructors while improving productivity.
Mr Vincent Tan, chief executive of ComfortDelGro Driving Centre, said the use of technology would benefit learners “through more efficient and objective assessments, while contributing to safer roads in Singapore”.
The second multi-storey driving school in Singapore after the Singapore Safety Driving Centre (SSDC) – which opened in 2010 – will also cater to those applying for Class 4 and 5 heavy vehicle licences, something that can be done only at SSDC in Woodlands currently.
When completed, the new driving centre will have at least two nursery circuits that span at least 18,000 sq m each. These circuits are meant to impart basic skills to those learning to drive cars and motorcycles.
There will also be at least two intelligent driving circuits, as well as space set aside for supplementary purposes, including classrooms and simulator training facilities.
CDG’s managing director and group chief executive, Mr Cheng Siak Kian, said: “This is an important, long-term investment that will increase the number of drivers in our transportation ecosystem, and reflects our strong confidence in Singapore and our commitment to continually reinvest, innovate and build capabilities here.”