This Article is about the Singapore Bus Operator. For the former London Operator, See Tower Transit.
Parent | Kelsian Group |
---|---|
Commenced operation | 29 May 2016 |
Headquarters | Bulim Bus Depot 21 Bulim Drive Singapore 648170 |
Locale | Singapore |
Service area | Northern and South-Western Singapore |
Service type | Bus operator |
Routes | 64 |
Hubs | 7 Bukit Batok Jurong East Jurong Town Hall Lorong 1 Geylang Sembawang Tengah Yishun |
Stations | 16 Ang Mo Kio Bedok Boon Lay Bukit Merah Changi Airport Clementi HarbourFront Marina Centre Sengkang Shenton Way Tampines Toa Payoh Upper East Coast Woodlands (ITH + Temporary) Yio Chu Kang |
Depots | 2 Bulim Mandai |
Fleet | 720 |
Annual ridership | 12m (2023) |
Fuel type | Diesel, diesel hybrid, electric |
Chief executive | Winston Toh |
Website | https://www.towertransit.sg/ |
Tower Transit Singapore is a contracted bus operator operating in Singapore. It commenced operations on 29 May 2016 and it is a subsidiary of Kelsian Group.
In October 2014, the Land Transport Authority called for bus operators to bid for a contract to operate 26 routes out of Bulim Bus Depot in Jurong West based from Bukit Batok, Clementi and Jurong East bus interchanges as part of its new Bus Contracting Model. [1]
In May 2015, the Land Transport Authority awarded Tower Transit Singapore the contract with operations to commence in May 2016, with services based at the Bulim Bus Depot. [2] [3] On 31 July 2015, the Land Transport Authority handed over Bulim Bus Depot to Tower Transit Singapore, allowing preparations such as fitting works on the depot and training of its staff to be carried out earlier. [4]
On 6 December 2015, the Bulim Bus Depot was officially opened by MP for Hong Kah North, Amy Khor and then-CEO of Tower Transit, Adam Leishman. A Bulim Carnival Day was also held on the same day to allow the public to tour the depot and learn more about Tower Transit. [5]
Tower Transit Singapore commenced operations on 29 May 2016, [6] [7] [8] introducing new technologies and practices to public buses in Singapore. It became the first bus operator to use driver telematics [9] to give Bus Captains feedback on their driving standards and to incentivise safe and smooth driving. It was also the first to install wheel nut covers.
On 10 December 2016, Tower Transit Singapore became the first bus operator in Singapore to award an employee with a leisure trip. Mr Kumaran joined Tower Transit Singapore in May after 16 years with Singapore's second public bus operator SMRT Buses, and received a pair of return tickets to London and five nights’ accommodation worth S$4,500 from TTS for excellent service. [10]
On 13 February 2017, Tower Transit Singapore became the first bus operator in Singapore to celebrate Valentine's Day. Tower Transit buses all had Happy Valentines Day programmed onto their buses' Electronic Destination Signages (EDS) and ran an article in The New Paper regarding the couples working in Tower Transit. [11]
On 1 March 2017, Tower Transit Singapore rolled out its signature scent on 100 buses operating on routes 66, 97 and 106. Tower Transit is the first bus operator in Singapore to have such an initiative. [12]
On 8 March 2017, Tower Transit Singapore became the first bus operator to celebrate International Women's Day. [13]
On 13 March 2017, Tower Transit Singapore started operating Singapore's first 3-door double-decker bus (SG5999Z) for a six-month trial period. [14] [15]
On 30 September 2020, the Land Transport Authority awarded the Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package to Tower Transit Singapore, along with the second 5-year term of the Bulim Bus Package. [16]
Operations for the Bulim and Sembawang-Yishun packages commenced in May and September 2021 respectively, [17] [18] with Mandai Bus Depot handed over to Tower Transit Singapore for the Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package. [19]
Tower Transit Singapore is currently the only public bus operator in Singapore to operate minibuses (BYD C6), which only serves Feeder Route 825 (Yio Chu Kang Bus Interchange --> Lentor Private Housing Estate). Previously, SMRT Buses operated the minibuses until the bus package takeover.
Tower Transit Singapore currently operates 60 bus services under the Bulim and Sembawang-Yishun Bus Packages, consisting of 31 Bulim bus services and 29 Sembawang-Yishun bus services. They are mostly operated from Bukit Batok, Jurong East, Jurong Town Hall, Sembawang, Tengah Bus Interchanges & Yishun Integrated Transport Hub with some handful of routes operating from Clementi Bus Interchange and Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub.
Tower Transit is operating the Bulim bus package for another term on 29 May 2021 as continuous to commemorate its 5th anniversary of operations in Singapore, with bus services 653, 657 and 944 handed over to Tower Transit from SMRT Buses. [18] It also handed over services 665 and 974 to SMRT Buses and SBS Transit respectively as they were not part of the new contract.
Between September and October 2021, bus services were handed over from SMRT Buses in three tranches as part of the Sembawang-Yishun Package. City Direct service 663, which was under the bus package, was already operated by Tower Transit. The bus package was based at Mandai Bus Depot. [17] [18] [20] New bus services were also introduced by Tower Transit Singapore, beginning with Service 974 on 8 April 2018 (now operated by SMRT Buses under the Jurong West Bus Package).
SBS Transit Ltd is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. With a majority of its shares owned by Singaporean multinational transport conglomerate ComfortDelGro Corporation at 75%, it was formerly known as Singapore Bus Services before rebranding to SBS Transit on 1 November 2001.
The North–South Line (NSL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore, operated by SMRT Corporation. Coloured red on the Singapore rail map, the line is 45 kilometres (28 mi) long and serves 27 stations, 11 of which, between the Braddell and Marina South Pier stations, are underground. It runs from Jurong East station, located in Western Singapore, to Marina South Pier station in the Central Area, via Woodlands station in northern Singapore. The line operates for almost 20 hours a day, with headways of 1 to 2 minutes during peak hours and 5 to 6 minutes during off-peak hours. All the trains on the North–South Line run with a six-car formation.
Public buses form a significant part of public transport in Singapore, with over 3.6 million rides taken per day on average as of December 2021. There are 300+ scheduled bus services & 100+ short-trip variants, operated by SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore and Go-Ahead Singapore. The newest bus operator, Go-Ahead Singapore started operations on 4 September 2016. There are also around 5,800 buses currently in operation as of 2024.
Woodlands Bus Interchange is a bus interchange in Singapore. Located in Woodlands, the interchange is linked to Woodlands MRT station and adjacent to Causeway Point shopping mall. It is the largest and among the busiest bus interchange in Singapore. The interchange is also known as Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub.
SMRT Buses is the second largest bus operator in Singapore. A subsidiary of SMRT Corporation, it traded as Trans Island Bus Services until 10 May 2004.
Sembawang MRT station is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North–South line (NSL). Located in Sembawang, Singapore along Sembawang Road, the station is close to the Sun Plaza shopping centre and Sembawang Bus Interchange. The station is operated by SMRT Trains.
Tampines Bus Interchange is a bus station in Tampines, Singapore. It serves as the primary bus interchange for Tampines New Town, with feeder and trunk services operating at high frequencies. It is owned by the Land Transport Authority and operated by SBS Transit Ltd.
Sembawang Bus Interchange is a bus interchange located in Sembawang, Singapore. Opened on 20 November 2005, it provides hassle-free transfer to the nearby Sembawang MRT station.
Boon Lay Bus Interchange is an air-conditioned bus interchange located in Jurong West Central, in the West Region of Singapore. It is situated within Jurong Point and integrated with the nearby Boon Lay MRT station on the East–West line. 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.
Yishun Bus Interchange is a bus interchange primarily serving residents at Yishun in northern Singapore, integrated with the Northpoint City shopping mall. The interchange, also referred to as “Yishun Integrated Transport Hub (ITH)” opened on 8 September 2019.
Clementi Bus Interchange is an air-conditioned bus interchange located in Clementi New Town, Singapore. It is located at the junction of Clementi Avenue 3 and Commonwealth Avenue West, situated inside of 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.
Bukit Batok Bus Interchange is an interchange bus station located at Block 631 Bukit Batok Central, Singapore, near West Mall Shopping Centre and Bukit Batok MRT station. The sheltered concourse is built underneath a multi-storey carpark similar in design to Bishan Bus Interchange.
Soon Lee Bus Depot is an SMRT Buses bus depot located in Jurong West, Singapore. It is the only multi-storey bus depot owned by Land Transport Authority and the depot itself consists of 3 decks for bus parking. This bus depot is also the starting point for Service 185 and Express 502, which go to Buona Vista and the Central Business District respectively. It replaced the former Jurong Bus Depot and Penjuru Bus Depot in 2002.
The MAN Lion's City is a range of low-floor and low-entry public buses built by German truck and bus manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus since 1996 primarily for the European market, but is also available in chassis-only variants worldwide. The name Lion's City has been used since 2006, when MAN's public bus models which had been marketed separately were gathered into one range, when also most models received a facelift. The first models to be introduced were the 12-metre low-floor intercity bus NÜ xx3 (A20) in 1996, the 12-metre city bus NL xx3 (A21) in 1997 and the articulated NG xx3 (A23) in 1998. As with former MAN bus models the power-rating made up part of the model name, giving the NÜ-series buses with power-ratings of 260 and 310 hp model names NÜ 263 and NÜ 313 respectively. The main production sites are in Starachowice and Sady in Poland, but the models have also been built in Germany, Turkey and Malaysia. Initially most of the midibus variants were manufactured by Göppel Bus in Augsburg, later Nobitz.
Mandai Depot is an integrated train and bus depot located in Mandai, Singapore. The train depot serves as the maintenance and control centre of the Thomson-East Coast line while the bus depot is used for the Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package.
Transit Systems Group is an Australian-based public transport company, which also operates overseas through its subsidiary Tower Transit Group. Transit Systems Group is a subsidiary of the Kelsian Group, formerly SeaLink Travel Group.
Bulim Bus Depot is the first bus depot to be built by the Land Transport Authority in Singapore. It houses the buses of 30 bus services under the Bulim Bus Package. It is located along Bulim Avenue in Jurong West. Since 31 July 2015, the Bulim Bus Depot is being operated by Tower Transit Singapore. The depot was officially opened by Hong Kah MP Amy Khor on 6 December 2015.
Go-Ahead Singapore is a contracted bus operator operating in Singapore. It commenced operations on 4 September 2016 and it is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.
Seletar Bus Depot, formerly named Sungei Seletar Bus Depot, is the third bus depot to be built by the Land Transport Authority in Singapore. It is located off Yio Chu Kang Road and houses 29 routes under the Seletar Bus Package.
The Bus Contracting Model (BCM), formerly known as the Government Contracting Model, is a contracting model introduced by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) 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.