LTA hands over Bulim Bus Depot to Tower Transit Singapore

THE Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Friday handed over the Bulim Bus Depot to Tower Transit Singapore which will operate 26 bus services out of the depot from mid-2016. The depot is located off Jurong West Avenue 2 and spans almost 10 hectares.

Tower Transit, a spin-off of Australia's Transit Systems Group, was awarded the Bulim Bus Package that was tendered out under the new bus contracting model.

LTA said the handover of the depot allows Tower Transit to prepare for its operations early, including fitting it out and training bus captains and technicians.

Under the first bus contracting package, Tower Transit will operate its bus services which will serve Bukit Batok, Clementi and Jurong East bus interchanges.

To ensure a smooth transition with minimal inconvenience to commuters, the transition of these bus services to Tower Transit will be carried out in three stages from mid-2016.

The Bulim Bus Depot can accommodate about 500 buses and is equipped with refuelling and bus repair and maintenance facilities, as well as amenities for bus drivers such as crew rest rooms, staff lounges and a canteen.

In the coming months, Tower Transit will focus on manpower recruitment and training.

Closer to the implementation date, LTA said it will hand over to Tower Transit the buses for deployment.