The island's fourth bus operator, Go-Ahead Singapore, hit the roads yesterday, with the launch of 13 bus services in Punggol. It is the second foreign player to enter the market, following Anglo-Australian Tower Transit, which started operations in May. 

Last November, Go-Ahead - the biggest bus operator in London with a 25 percent market share in the English capital - clinched a Government tender to run 25 bus routes in Pasir Ris and Punggol, called the Loyang package. It put in a bid of $497.7 million for five years, meaning Go-Ahead will run the services for five years for that amount of money from the Government.

Under the government contracting regime, which the whole industry transited to last Thursday, the State owns all assets and infrastructure. Operators, which are paid a fee to run routes, have to meet service standards, such as ensuring buses arrive regularly. Along with service 82, Go-Ahead took over 12 other routes yesterday.

In two weeks' time, it will launch 11 more services. An additional service, with route details to be announced later, will be launched next year. Go-Ahead Singapore has deployed 180 buses, driven by 290 bus captains, for its first phase of services. This will be boosted to a fleet of about 400 buses, with more than 700 bus captains, as it expands operations.