ComfortDelGro unit wins S$20m contract to operate electric bus shuttle service in NTU

TRANSPORT operator ComfortDelGro C52 , through its wholly-owned private bus company ComfortDelGro Bus, has clinched a close to S$20 million contract to operate its electric bus shuttle services in Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Its fleet of 20 electric buses will serve 4 routes on the NTU campus, starting from 7.30 am - 11 pm daily including public holidays, from September 2022 (see amendment note).

This is the second electric bus contract the company has won, after it secured a S$30 million contract to operate its electric bus fleet in National University of Singapore in November 2021.

ComfortDelGro Bus will set up a command centre on the NTU campus to oversee operations and deploy its own transport management system to improve commuting experience and operational effectiveness, the company said.

This includes a ridership counter to monitor passenger occupancy rate, a built-in GPS system to track the bus system and closed circuit televisions on each bus.

Through the operator's Commuter app, commuters will be able to get real-time updates on bus locations, arrival times and passenger occupancy.

Stephen Chow, chief executive of ComfortDelGro Bus, said with the new contract, the company will be operating the shuttle services of the 2 largest tertiary institutions in Singapore.

"We intend to roll out state-of-the-art fleet management and user-friendly interfaces for the comfort and convenience of students and teachers at both campuses," he added.

ComfortDelGro Bus intends to electrify 20 per cent of its private bus fleet by 2025 and its entire fleet of buses to electric buses by 2030. Its parent company also pledged in January 2022 to roll out up to 1,000 full electric taxis in Singapore by 2023.

Shares of ComfortDelGro ended Monday at S$1.43, down 2.1 per cent or S$0.03.

Amendment note: The article has been edited to correctly reflect the commencement month of the shuttle service.

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