ComfortDelGro secures S$30m contract to operate electric bus fleet for NUS shuttle service

TRANSPORT operator ComfortDelGro Corporation, C52  : C52 0%through its wholly-owned private bus company ComfortDelGro Bus, is set to to operate Singapore's largest electrified private bus fleet after winning a S$30 million contract to operate the shuttle bus service at the National University of Singapore (NUS) campus.

In a press statement on Thursday (Nov 18), the transport operator said the multi-year contract is for the electrification of the university's entire fleet of shuttle service buses.

The NUS electric buses, which will begin operations from third quarter of 2022, will continue to serve the 8 existing shuttle bus routes within the campus covering NUS Kent Ridge campus, University Town as well as NUS Bukit Timah campus daily from 7 am to 11 pm, including public holidays.

They will be wheelchair accessible and equipped with smart features such as a telematics system, an anti-fatigue system as well as a forward collision and side collision warning system, ComfortDelGro noted.

Chief executive of ComfortDelGro Bus, Stephen Chow said the tender to operate the fleet is in line with the sustainability goals of both ComfortDelGro Bus and NUS.

"We are not new to providing the NUS shuttle service as we have been doing so for nearly 2 decades. But, to prepare us for the transition towards electrification, we had in July this year trialled an electric bus as part of the NUS shuttle service and that has given us insights as to how we can better manage when the entire fleet will be electrified next year," he added.

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Group chief sustainability officer and chief executive of ComfortDelGro's Private Mobility Group, Jackson Chia said the tender is significant on several fronts. "It pays testament to the confidence our customers have in us as we continue to strengthen our suite of sustainable offerings in private mobility."

This tender comes about 2 months after ComfortDelGro Engineering and Engie South East Asia had won a strongly contested tender to operate 479 of 632 electric vehicle chargers slated for introduction next year. The chargers will be installed in selected carparks in the central, east and west regions of Singapore.

ComfortDelGro also noted that its commitment to sustainability has been recognised by its third running year of inclusion into the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Asia Pacific.

The company has improved its performance this year to be at the 87th percentile among industry peers for all companies assessed this year, an improvement from its 80th percentile position in 2020.

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