SINGAPORE - Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew announced in Parliament on Tuesday that another 450 buses will be added between next year and 2017, with the bulk expected to be on the road by end-2016.
As announced by the Minister for Transport during the 2014 Committee of Supply debate, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will partner the public bus operators (PTOs) SBS Transit Ltd and SMRT Buses Ltd to expand the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP) and introduce another 450 buses from 2015 to 2017, with the bulk of the improvements to be completed by end 2016.
This will bring the total number of Government-funded buses to 1,000, from the original 550 announced in 2012. Together with the buses injected by the PTOs, as well as the City Direct Services (CDS) and Peak Period Short Services (PPSS) run by private bus operators, it will increase Singapore's total bus fleet available for public bus services by 35 per cent. The expanded BSEP will provide more resources to double the number of new routes from 40 announced previously to 80, and allow LTA to introduce more frequent feeder services as the next priority focus for the BSEP. Bus crowdedness and waiting times will also be progressively brought down, especially during peak periods.
As at end February 2014, about 320 of the 550 BSEP buses funded by the Government have entered service; with the remaining 230 buses to be on the road by end 2014, two years ahead of schedule.
Better connectivity with new bus services
With the additional buses, the number of new bus services will double from 40 to 80 under BSEP. Many of the new routes will be feeder routes or short trunks to serve new areas of developments in HDB towns, connecting residents to the key transport nodes like MRT stations and bus interchanges, as well as key community and commercial facilities in the neighbourhood.
The implementation of these new routes will be coordinated with the completion of new developments. Areas with new Built-to-Order (BTO) flats such as Sengkang, Punggol, Yishun and Choa Chu Kang, will typically see more new routes, while the remaining routes will be distributed across the island to improve local connectivity. Details of these routes will be provided when ready.
Of the 80 new bus routes, about 20 will be CDS operated by the private bus operators. Making use of the expressways, CDS offer commuters a direct connection from major HDB towns to the Central Business District (CBD). To date, seven CDS have been implemented and another three will be launched by third quarter 2014. The rest will be rolled out progressively from 2015.
The 80 new bus routes will boost the number of bus services by 30 per cent, from 278[1] before BSEP was implemented.
Better service levels for commuters
Commuters can also expect more frequent, more reliable and less crowded buses under the expanded BSEP. Priority will be given to improving the frequencies of existing feeder bus services during peak hours. By 2017, buses will be added to about 8 out of 10 feeder bus services.
With this additional capacity, PTOs will be required to deliver higher service standards. Prior to BSEP, operators were required to operate at least 90 per cent of feeder bus services at not more than 10-minute scheduled intervals during the one-hour peak periods in the morning and evening. Under the BSEP, 95 per cent of feeder services will be required to operate at 10-minute intervals during the two-hour morning and evening peak periods by end 2014, and this requirement will be further tightened to 100 per cent of feeder services operating at not more than 8-minute intervals by 2017 when the expanded BSEP is completed.
LTA will continue to engage various stakeholders and the community to improve commuter experiences, while balancing the transport needs from different parts of Singapore, given the available resources.
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