SINGAPORE - Imagine a Singapore where cars and buses zip on the roads without drivers. Commuters can hop from one town to the next on board shared vehicles steered by autopilot. This was the bold vision outlined by a new government committee set up to oversee research into driverless technology.

"(This) technology has the potential to transform our lives... For example, instead of driving to work in the morning and being stuck in peak hour traffic, you could get a head-start on your emails," said Senior Minister of State for Transport and Finance Josephine Teo, speaking at the committee's launch on Wednesday.

To do this, the committee has roped in international experts, academics, industry members and government agencies such as the Land Transport Authority and Agency for Science, Technology and Research.

Some areas that they are looking at include driverless buses to operate on fixed routes and timings and deploying shared vehicles for intra-town travel to reduce dependence on cars. Trials on driverless vehicles, which are already ongoing in local universities, will also start on public roads in the one-North area next January.