PUBLIC transport operator SBS Transit : S61 0% has been awarded the Bukit Merah Bus Package – a five-year contract comprising 17 bus services – for a second consecutive term.

This marks the third bus tender award that SBS Transit has won under the new bus contracting model, the mainboard-listed company announced on Friday (Aug 18). The contract can be extended by between two and five years.

The bus services under the contract are supported by the Ulu Pandan Bus Depot and originate from two bus interchanges – Bukit Merah and HarbourFront – and four bus terminals – Kampong Bahru, Marina Centre, Queen Street and Shenton Way. It includes two cross-border services to Johor Bahru.

SBS Transit was previously awarded a five-year contract to operate the Bukit Merah Bus Package in 2018. The new contract will commence immediately upon the expiry of the current one in April 2024, following a six-month extension.

In its tender proposal, SBS Transit committed to establishing a new training and certification centre for bus captains. The company also has plans to build on previous sustainability programmes and pledged to achieve net zero energy building status.

“To be awarded the contract for a second consecutive term underscores the vote of confidence and trust that the Land Transport Authority has placed on us,” said SBS Transit group chief executive Jeffrey Sim.

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With the latest contract win, SBS Transit remains the biggest public bus operator holding a 55 per cent market share. It operates 192 bus routes in Singapore under eight bus packages, of which two are tendered and six are negotiated.

SBS Transit shares closed at S$2.57 on Friday, down 1.2 per cent.