LTA calls tender for first public bus route package

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has called tender for operators to run the first public bus route package for five years, starting from 2016. The tender is the first major step to overhaul the age-old public bus industry and break the duopoly by SBS Transit and SMRT, which has been held for the past three decades.

The first package will include twenty six bus services operating from Bukit Batok, Clementi and Jurong East interchanges. It will be called the Bulim package, named after a new depot to be built off Jurong West Avenue 2. It will also include two new routes that will serve Jurong East and nearby neighbourhoods.

The authority expects to receive about a dozen bids, which will come mostly from overseas firms. 

The move is aimed at levelling up the service standards of public buses, as operators will need to meet new requirements. For instance, at least half of all buses must arrive within 10 minutes, up from 30 percent today. And intervals between buses should not exceed 15 minutes on any route, down from 30 minutes now. 

In the meantime, the Public Transport Council will continue to be in charge of regulating bus fare revisions.