Bus transport forms a significant part of public transport in Singapore, with over 4.0 million rides taken per day on average as of 2018.[2] There are more than 370 scheduled bus services, operated by SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore and Go-Ahead Singapore. The newest bus operator, Go-Ahead Singapore started operation on 4 September 2016.[3] There are also around 5,800 buses currently in operation.
Buses were first introduced into Singapore when the Singapore Traction Company (STC) was established under the Singapore Traction Company Ordinance of 1925 to replace the ill-fated electric tramway with a trolleybus system. The first trolleybuses began operations on 14 August 1926 between Joo Chiat Road and Tanjong Pagar whereas trams were phased out by 1927, with 66 trolleybuses plying on six routes with a mileage of 15” by 30 September that year. The STC later phased in motorbuses in 1929 when seven Dennis G-type buses began plying between Geylang and Finlayson Green before being transferred to serve Seletar.[4]
However, the STC faced heavy competition from “mosquito-buses”, a form of informal paratransit operated using privately owned modified Ford Model T vehicles. Reckless driving of such “mosquito-buses” led to the government imposing heavy regulation on them, including having to stop at fixed stops (1923) and speed limits (1927).[5] By 1935, “mosquito-buses” were replaced with more formalised bus services with the former “mosquito-bus” owners establishing what came to be known as the Chinese bus companies; these Chinese-operated buses connected the rural parts of Singapore to the town as opposed to the inner town services of the STC.[4]
During the Japanese Occupation during the Second World War, all bus operations were briefly unified under the Syonan-si den (昭南市電), fuel shortages then led to some buses being charcoal-powered.
1950s-1960s: Post-war recovery and troubles
A Chinese-operated bus along Ayer Rajah Road in 1951
After the end of the war, the British Military Administration (BMA) was established to oversee the rebuilding of British institutions in its Malayan and Singapore colonies. Under the BMA, the STC slowly returned to normal operations with much of the dilapidated bus fleet replaced with newer motorbuses of the Albion make whereas the Chinese bus companies sought after numerous British makes such as Vulcan and Bedford. On the other hand, trolleybus operations were scaled down with only 50 new Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies-built trolleybuses procured as opposed the original 108 AEC-built trolleybuses from the pre-war period. Trolleybuses were eventually phased out by 1962 and were replaced by new Isuzu-built motorbuses.[4]
Unfortunately the 1950s boded bad times for both the STC and the Chinese bus companies. General discontent on the poor working conditions, coupled with a highly politicised environment in the 1950s, led to many of their workers joining labour unions such as the STC Employee's Union and the Singapore Bus Workers’ Union (SBWU). Labour unrest led to transport paralysis, with two notorious incidents being the Hock Lee bus riots in 1955 (that year alone saw 57 strikes) and a 146-day-long Great STC Strike in 1956, the latter which further accelerated the decline of the STC when Chinese bus companies established their presence in the inner city with replacement bus services. Illegal “pirate taxis” also flourished during this time, offering a form of relief for stranded commuters although they were also notorious for unsafe driving practices and cost the bus companies and legitimate taxi drivers much losses.[6]
The severity of the situation demanded immediate action from the government; in 1956 five Commissioners led by Mr L.C. Hawkins of the London Transport Executive published a report that recommended nationalisation of public transport[6] but little was followed up by the government then.
1970s: Bus reorganisation and mergers
SBS began operating double-decker buses in 1977; by 2004 its successor SBS Transit was operating more than 700 of such buses, one of which was this Volvo OlympianBus lanes was implemented in 1974 to speed up bus services
Five years after the independence of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965, the government published a White Paper to study into an overhaul on bus services; this was followed by the Wilson Report published by Australian transport consultant R.P. Wilson, who not only reaffirmed the need for rationalisation of bus transport but also provided detailed recommendations on bus routes, frequencies, fares, vehicle specifications, bus stop and terminal design and maintenance standards.[7]
In April 1971, the 10 Chinese bus companies were merged to form three larger regional bus companies, namely Amalgamated Bus Company in the west, Associated Bus Services in the east and United Bus Company in the north. The STC retained their presence in central Singapore but lost their privileges previously granted by the 1925 STC Ordinance. Unable to cope with existing financial difficulties and competition from the regional companies, the STC eventually discontinued bus operations in 1971, with its remaining bus fleet being split up between the three regional companies. Service quality did not make great improvement however, with breakdowns and complaints from passengers being very common. Eventually in 1973, the Singapore government persuaded the three regional companies to merge to form a single entity called Singapore Bus Services (SBS).[6]
SBS inherited many problems from its Chinese predecessors, including use of 14 non-standard bus models that frequently broke down, poor standards among the staff and inadequate infrastructure. Hence, the government seconded a Government Team of Officials to SBS in 1974 to overhaul the management and culture. Under the supervision of the GTO, SBS completely overhauled their bus fleet with new buses of usually the Albion Viking VK or Mercedes-Benz OF1413 makes and introduced a rigorous maintenance regime, improving the reliability of their buses greatly whereas a new disciplinary code was introduced, reducing complaints by half from 1979 to 1983. The government also helped to further alleviate the burden from SBS by introducing priority bus lanes to speed up bus services and introduced Scheme B bus services operated by private companies in 1974.[8]
In light of dissatisfaction over bus services in the Jurong area and requests for improved coverage, SBS started a reorganisation of bus services across the country, starting with Jurong. This consisted of a network of internal services serving a town, with external services terminating at a point in the town, along with bus interchanges to serve as such termini. Additional depots were also constructed, which SBS claimed gave them more control over bus operations.[10]
In 1975, one-man operation (OMO) that charged a flat fare (for the case of SBS; TIBS opted for a distance fare) was introduced to cut manpower costs; this was followed by a one-man operated ticketing operation (OTS) in 1982.[citation needed] By 1984, bus conductors were completely phased out.[8]
By 1978, SBS was in a healthy position to be publicly listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange as SBS (1978) Limited.
By the 1980s, SBS had managed to modernise its fleet with new buses such as the Volvo B57, Mercedes-Benz OF1417 and the Leyland Atlantean AN68. By 1982 however, there was concerns that SBS might turn complacent. To ensure that SBS remain competitive, the government gave Mr Ng Ser Miang of Singapore Shuttle Bus (SSB, one of the two operators of City Shuttle Service) the green light to set up a second operator. Named as Trans-Island Bus Service (TIBS), TIBS started operations the following year with a modest fleet of 90 Hino buses on routes 160 and 167. By 1988, the company had expanded its operations to encompass Woodlands and Yishun and operated 328 buses on 214 routes and had taken over SSB.[7]
In 1984, SBS trialled its first air-conditioned buses, the Mercedes-Benz OF1413/61, on route 168. Following various trials of different air-conditioned demonstrators, SBS made its first bulk order for air-conditioned buses in 1989, in this case the Scania N113CRB. When the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) opened in 1987, bus services were further rationalised such that buses complemented the MRT by “feeding” commuters into the MRT network. Fares for both buses and the MRT were also coordinated together from 1987 with the setting of the Public Transport Council that year whereas magnetic stored value cards were implemented across the entire bus network to streamline fare payment earlier in 1986.[8]
In 1993, SBS introduced into service its first air-conditioned 12m double decker bus, the Leyland Olympian 3-axle. With a capacity of 131, its size earned it the nickname the “Superbus”. Three years later, TIBS phased in Singapore's first articulated buses with a length of 17.5m and a capacity of 150.
By 1996, SBS had expanded far beyond public bus operations to include tourist transport (SBS Leisure), taxis (Citycab) and engineering works (SBS Engineering) to name a few. To better manage its business, SBS (1978) Limited was rebranded as DelGro Corporation while public bus services were now managed by a new subsidiary named SBS. This new company also won a tender in 1999 to operate the North East MRT Line and the LRT systems in Sengkang and Punggol and was rebranded as SBS Transit in 2001 to reflect its multimodal nature. By 2003, Delgro Corporation merged with Comfort Group to form ComfortDelGro, one of the largest land transport operators in the world whose operations include Metroline in London and ComfortDelGro Australia. In 2001, TIBS was merged into SMRT Corporation and by 2004, the TIBS name was dropped by SMRT, with TIBS now being known as SMRT Buses.
During this period, there were also numerous changes outside corporate shakeups; in 1995, some bus services in Sengkang and Punggol were transferred to TIBS from SBS but this was reversed in 1999 when SBS won the contract to operate the North East MRT Line. In return, bus services in Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Batok were transferred to TIBS that year.[11] In 2002, the contactless EZ-Link card was introduced to replace the magnetic farecard and the first air-conditioned bus interchange opened in Toa Payoh; by the end of 2019, there will be 11 air-conditioned integrated transport hubs (ITH).
In 2006, SBS Transit introduced into service its first wheelchair accessible bus, the Volvo B9TL, on route 21 between Pasir Ris and St. Michael's. SSB wound up in 2007 with the discontinuation of the City Shuttle Service and its fleet was inherited by SMRT Buses. By 2009, both SBS Transit and SMRT Buses were renewing their respective bus fleets with new low-entry Scania K230UB buses and Mercedes-Benz OC500LE buses respectively.
It was also in the 21st century when the public bus operators looked into alternative fuel sources. In 2002, SBS purchased 12 CNG-powered Volvo B10BLE buses whereas the first hybrid buses and hydrogen fuel cell buses were introduced in 2010.
2010s: Government leans in
Under the new Bus Contracting Model, all new public buses are to be painted in a unified lush green livery
Since the early years of independence, the government has maintained its stance that heavy car usage is not sustainable for Singapore in the long term with a mixed use of policies to both deter car usage and to push its people to take public transport. Public transport in Singapore has unfortunately felt the strain from an increasing population; in December 2011, the North South MRT Line suffered its first major breakdowns with 127,000 passengers affected in the worst of them.
Amid growing criticism of the existing operating model and growing strain on the bus system, the main public transport statutory board Land Transport Authority (LTA) launched the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), with 80 new bus routes and 1000 government-funded buses, involving Volvo B9TL, Mercedes-Benz Citaro, Alexander Dennis Enviro500 and MAN NL323F (A22)) buses. introduced over a period of five years. In 2013, the last non air-conditioned public bus, the Volvo Olympian 2-axle, was phased out of service whereas SMRT Buses introduced its first wheelchair accessible articulated bus, the MAN NG363F A24 and in the following year, its first ever double decker bus, the Alexander Dennis Enviro500.
In 2014, LTA announced that it would replace the existing operating model with the Bus Contracting Model (BCM) from 2016 onwards. Modelled after the Transperth model with elements of the competitive tendering model from London Buses, LTA would own all bus assets and lease them out in regional packages to different bus operators for five years. The first bus package, the Bulim Bus Package, was awarded to Anglo-Australian company Tower Transit[12][13] whereas Loyang was awarded to Go-Ahead.[14][15] Both companies began their operations in 2016. The entire public bus system was fully transitioned into the BCM by September 2016 with SBS Transit and SMRT signing agreements with LTA to operate the remaining packages up to 2021 to 2026 after which they would be gradually opened up to competitive tendering.[16][17]
Under the BCM, new buses with new features were also introduced; in 2016 the first fully electric bus since the withdrawal of trolleybuses, the BYD K9A, was operated by Go-Ahead Singapore whereas the first buses with USB charging ports commenced service with SMRT that year. In 2017, two three-door buses — a double deck MAN ND323F and a single deck MAN NL323F were trialled by Tower Transit and SMRT Buses respectively. New Volvo B5LH hybrid buses were also purchased from Volvo in 2018.
On 17 December 2018, LTA started a 6-month trial of on-demand public bus (ODPB) services. It allows commuters to request for on-demand bus services within the Marina-Downtown and Joo Koon areas during off-peak hours on weekdays, and those heading from the CBD to Bedok or Tampines in late-night hours. During the trial, regular bus services serving the areas specified will still be available, though at lower frequencies.[18][19][20] However, the trial wasn't successful and was eventually discontinued after 15 June 2019. As a result, Services 400 and 402, both plying within the Marina-Downtown areas were merged and NightRider Service NR7, plying between the CBD and Bedok/Tampines estates on Fridays, Saturdays & Eves of Public Holidays in late-night hours was also permanently discontinued.[21]
In April 2019, SimplyGo, a new payment scheme that allows direct fare payment from bank cards, was introduced. Stroller restraint systems were also retrofitted on all wheelchair-accessible buses from July 2019 onward. In addition, LTA also experimented with assistive technology for commuters with special needs on routes 139 and 141 from January to July 2019.[22]
2020s: In with electric buses, out with non-wheelchair-accessible buses
In March 2020, the Mercedes-Benz Citaro Hybrid debuted on SBS Transit route 272. On 3 April 2020, 10 units of the Yutong E12 electric buses debuted on SMRT services 944 and 983, on Tower Transit services 66 and 990, and on Go-Ahead service 15. LTA is expected to introduce new electric buses of the Yutong E12DD, ST Engineering-Linkker and BYD K9 makes as well as new 3-door double decker buses by 2020.
All the Volvo Super Olympian buses were retired from revenue services on 8 April 2020, but 2 buses have been preserved for heritage use (1 in Hong Kong and 1 in Singapore) with the exception of SBS9889U being in revenue service.
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on bus services
With the COVID-19 pandemic emerging across the world in 2020, the Singapore government introduced circuit breaker (lockdown) measures to curb the spread of the virus responsible for COVID-19. Under these measures, selected public bus services were suspended in 2 tranches, with adjustments made later. The first tranche of suspended bus services took effect from Wednesday, 8 April 2020, while the second tranche of bus service suspensions started from Wednesday, 15 April 2020.[23] The suspensions lasted till Monday, 1 June 2020, when most bus services (excluding recreational-oriented bus services such as late night services and Chinatown Direct) were resumed at pre-circuit breaker levels.[24][25]
During the circuit breaker (partial lockdown) period, social distancing measures were also implemented on public transport through demarcating areas to stand and seats not to sit on with stickers. Since 14 April 2020, wearing of masks is made compulsory whenever outside home, with the exception of dining in and exercising. Currently, you are allowed to gather up to five persons in a group and social distancing of 1m is being done between groups. Social distancing stickers were removed to allow gatherings of up to 5 people.[26]
Singapore has many different bus services plying through the island. These bus routes are categorised accordingly:
Trunk: Routes that ply between towns. (e.g. 7, 21, 70M, 139, 851, 985)
Feeder: Services that operate within a neighbourhood. (e.g. 238, 240M, 243G, 293, 334, 903)
Short Trip: Routes that operate short haul trips of services which cover high demand sectors of the parent route. (e.g. 13A, 70B, 147A, 222A, 518A, 965A)
Jurong Industrial Service: Routes that service the Jurong and Tuas industrial areas. Operated exclusively by SBS Transit. All Jurong Industrial Services are under Jurong West Bus Package. (e.g. 246, 248, 249, 251, 254, 257)
Express: Routes that stop at selected stops and generally run on expressways or long stretches of express sector for faster travel between several towns. (e.g. 43e, 174e, 506, 518, 960e, 982E)
City Direct: Service connecting passengers directly to and from the Central Business District during peak hours. Previously operated exclusively by private operators. As of 2020, public operators have taken all City Direct Services with the exception of 668.[31] (e.g. 652, 655, 661, 663, 666, 670, 672)
NightRider (SMRT Buses) and Nite Owl (SBS Transit): Midnight services on Fridays, Saturdays and eves of Public Holidays. (e.g. 1N, 3N, NR5, NR8)
Chinatown Direct: Routes that run from towns to Chinatown via the expressway. Operated exclusively by SBS Transit. (i.e. CT8, CT18)
Cross Border Services: Services that cross the Causeway or the Second Link into Malaysia. (e.g. 160, 170, 170X, 950)
Resorts World Sentosa Bus services: Bus services that operate in and out of Resorts World Sentosa. Services run on weekends and Public Holidays. (i.e. 188R, 963R, RWS8)
Scheme B Bus services: Bus services that are operated by private operators at peak timings (Note that these services are not very well mentioned by LTA) (e.g. 640)
Transport within Singapore is mainly land-based. Many parts of Singapore, including islands such as Sentosa and Jurong Island are accessible by road. The other major form of transportation within Singapore is rail: the Mass Rapid Transit which runs the length and width of Singapore, and the Light Rail Transit which runs within a few neighbourhoods. The main island of Singapore is connected to the other islands by ferryboat services.
The Mass Rapid Transit, abbreviated and referred to in local parlance as the MRT, is a heavy rail rapid transit system that constitutes the bulk of the railway network in Singapore, spanning—with the exception of the forested core and the island's rural northwest—the length and width of the city-state's main island. The first section of the MRT opened on 7 November 1987, and the network has since grown rapidly in accordance with Singapore's aim of developing a comprehensive rail network as the backbone of the country's public transportation system, with an average daily ridership of 3.384 million in 2019, approximately 83% of the bus network's 4.099 million in the same period.
SBS Transit Ltd is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus, rail and taxi services. With a majority of its shares owned by ComfortDelGro Corporation at 75%, it was formerly known as Singapore Bus Services before rebranding to SBS Transit on 1 November 2001. It is the largest public bus operator in Singapore.
The Land Transport Authority is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of Government of Singapore. It is located at Hampshire Road near Little India MRT station.
SMRT Corporation is a multi modal transport operator in Singapore. A subsidiary of the Government of Singapore's Temasek Holdings, it was established on 6 August 1987 and listed on the Singapore Exchange from 26 July 2000 until 31 October 2016.
The Light Rapid Transit, or Light Rail Transit (LRT), is a series of localised automated guideway transit systems acting as feeder services to the heavy rail Mass Rapid Transit, which together forms the core of Singapore's rail transport services. The first LRT line was opened in 1999 and the system has since expanded to three lines, each serving a public housing estate, namely Bukit Panjang LRT line, Sengkang LRT line and Punggol LRT line. Trains on these lines have at least one station interchange link to the MRT.
SMRT Buses is a bus operator in Singapore. A subsidiary of SMRT Corporation, it traded as Trans Island Bus Services until 10 May 2004.
Pioneer MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East West Line in Jurong West, Singapore.
Rail transport in Singapore mainly consists of a passenger urban rail transit system spanning the entire city-state: a rapid transit system collectively known as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system operated by the two biggest public transport operators SMRT Trains and SBS Transit, as well as several Light Rail Transit (LRT) rubber-tyred automated guideway transit lines also operated by both companies. In addition, local specialised light rail lines are in operation in places such as the Singapore Changi Airport and Sentosa.
Jurong East Temporary Bus Interchange is a bus interchange located in Jurong East, Singapore. An open-air single-level bus terminal, it is directly connected to the adjacent Jurong East MRT station.
SMRT Trains Limited is a rail operator in Singapore and a wholly owned subsidiary of SMRT Corporation. After the privatisation of the MRT operations in 1995, it was originally named Singapore MRT Limited. On 31 December 2001, it was renamed to SMRT Trains Limited, so as not to confuse with another MRT line - North East MRT Line that is under Singapore Bus Services and the bus operations merged from Trans-Island Bus Services. At the same time, Singapore Bus Services was renamed to SBS Transit to be multi-modal. SMRT Trains currently manages most of the MRT services in Singapore except the North East Line and Downtown Line.
Boon Lay Bus Interchange is an air-conditioned bus interchange located in Jurong West Central, in the western part of Singapore. It is situated within Jurong Point Shopping Mall and integrated with the nearby Boon Lay MRT station. This interchange serves a variety of passengers, including those from Nanyang Technological University, Jurong Industrial Estate and Tuas Industrial Estate. The interchange has been among the largest and busiest bus interchanges in Singapore, handling 31 services in the past until a few services were amended to the newer Joo Koon Bus Interchange in 2015.
Sengkang Bus Interchange is a bus interchange located on the ground level of Compass Heights condominium in the town centre of Sengkang New Town, Singapore. Located next to Sengkang MRT/LRT station, it is the second bus interchange in Singapore to be air conditioned. It was opened on 18 January 2003.
Yishun Bus Interchange is located in northern Singapore, integrated with Northpoint City. The interchange is part of the Yishun Integrated Transport Hub (ITH), which opened on 8 September 2019. Before this interchange, the original bus interchange was in operation from 23 August 1987 to 13 March 2015. Operations were transferred to a temporary site on 14 March 2015 for the construction of Yishun Integrated Transport Hub (ITH), and eventually closed on 7 September 2019.
Clementi Bus Interchange is an air-conditioned bus interchange in Clementi New Town, beside Clementi MRT station. It is located at the junction of Clementi Avenue 3 and Commonwealth Avenue West, situated within the Clementi Mall and integrated with Clementi MRT station. This interchange serves mainly commuters travelling to the various housing estates, schools, recreational areas, healthcare centres and places of worship in Clementi and West Coast.
Tower Transit Singapore is a contracted bus operator operating in Singapore. It is a subsidiary of Transit Systems.
Go-Ahead Singapore is a provider of passenger transport and bus operator in Singapore. It had commenced operations on 4 September 2016 and it is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.
The Bus Contracting Model (BCM), formerly known as the Government Contracting Model, is a contracting model introduced by the Land Transport Authority in 2014 for public buses in Singapore, implemented in 2016. The BCM is based on the Transperth model in Perth, Western Australia with quality incentive elements from London Buses. Under the BCM, local and overseas bus operators bid for contracts to operate public bus services on behalf of LTA. The LTA has also adopted a new unified lush green livery and logo for all buses, and now procures and owns the bus fleet for all public bus services in Singapore.
Mandai Bus Depot is a future bus depot currently under construction along Mandai Road. The depot is integrated within Mandai Depot which supports the operations of the Thomson-East Coast Line. It was scheduled to be completed by 2019, together with the train depot. The depot is intended to accommodate the growing bus fleet over the next few years, under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme and Bus Contracting Model.
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Ilsa Sharp, (2005), SNP:Editions, The Journey: Singapore's Land Transport Story. ISBN981-248-101-X
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Davis, Mike (2012). Singapore Buses Volume 2 Singapore Shuttle Bus and Trans Island Bus Service now SMRT Buses. DTS Publishing. ISBN9781900515276.
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