Over 600 public buses to be refurbished by LTA, first such exercise since contracting model

AROUND 630 public buses are set to undergo a midlife refurbishment as the vehicles approach their 10th year of operation.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Thursday (Jun 22) called a tender to appoint a contractor to carry out the refurbishment works.

They include replacing the bus seats, floor covers, sealant for the bus windows and windshields, and components for the bus door system.

In response to queries, LTA said that the refurbishment of the 630 buses, which include both single- and double-deckers, will take place between 2023 and 2025.

Depending on the appointed contractor’s resources, it will typically take a week for one bus to be refurbished.

LTA said that it will work with the contractor and public bus operators to manage the schedule for the refurbishment works and ensure bus operations proceed as usual.

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It added that the midlife refurbishment of public buses is meant to rectify any issues related to wear and tear, as well as to maintain the condition of the buses.

All 630 buses being refurbished are diesel vehicles, and they are expected to continue operating until the end of their lifespans.

Public buses in Singapore have a statutory lifespan of 17 years, after which they are decommissioned.

LTA has set a target to have all public buses here run on cleaner energy by 2040, with half of the public bus fleet to be electric by 2030.

As at May 2022, Singapore has about 5,800 public buses with an average fleet age of eight years.

For this refurbishment exercise, LTA earlier carried out a physical condition inspection of more than 400 public buses to determine the scope of work.

This is the first time LTA is carrying out such refurbishment works since the public bus sector transitioned to a contracting model in 2016.

Under this model, which was introduced to raise service standards and inject competition into the sector, LTA has ownership of all the operating assets and infrastructure, including buses.

Public transport operators have to bid for contracts to run bus services here, and they are paid fees to do so at standards set by LTA.

Before the introduction of the contracting model, public transport operators owned the buses and carried out their own refurbishment works. THE STRAITS TIMES