Loyang Bus Depot

Loyang Bus Depot is a bus depot near the Loyang Industrial estate, bordered by Loyang Way, Pasir Ris Drive 3 and Loyang Avenue. Completed in June 2015, the depot is currently occupied by Go-Ahead Singapore under the Bus Contracting Model, as the successful tenderer of the Loyang Bus Package. Its facilities were shared with SMRT Buses, who was temporarily occupying part of the depot till 2018.

Located close to residential developments, the depot is built with a noise barrier wall along its perimeter. The featured image above was taken in September 2015, prior to full installation of noise barriers.

Introduction

Loyang Bus Depot is the second bus depot (after Bulim Depot) that LTA developed and funded, as part of the review of the enhanced structural assistance that the Government is providing the bus industry, as announced in Committee of Supply (COS) 2012. The depot is intended to accommodate additional buses that are being introduced over the years, as the overall bus capacity increases under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP).

Contract RD259 for the design and construction of Loyang Depot was awarded to Huationg Contractor Pte Ltd for S$61,180,195.15. Completed in December 2015, the bus depot spans 8.3 ha and was designed to accommodate about 500 buses and be equipped with facilities for daily bus operations, bus repair/ maintenance and amenities for bus captains such as crew rest areas, staff lounges and a canteen. Located close to residential developments, the depot is built with a noise barrier wall along its perimeter.

SBS Transit / SMRT use

In March 2015, prior to the completion of the bus depot building, the completed bus park at Loyang Depot was used for the parking of newly delivered and unregistered SBS Transit Mercedes-Benz Citaros for Bedok North Depot. The parking area has a portable toilet and a SBS Transit container office. The parking area is divided into various zones from Zone A to Zone J for various bus services. This arrangement lasted until end-2015, when Go-Ahead Group formally took over the depot.

Starting in early 2016, SMRT Buses occupied Loyang Bus Depot as a temporary operating base in the East for its bus services that serve Bedok, Tampines and Changi Airport, and to support additional bus parking for these services (plus additional buses using its Lorong 1 Geylang bus park). In preparation, two refuelling lanes and one bus wash was reserved for SMRT Buses, along with around 109 parking lots. This arrangement lasted till 2018.

Handover to Go-Ahead

Under the Bus Contracting Model, the bus depot was transferred to a new operator, the Go-Ahead Group, who won the tender for the Loyang Bus Package. The newly completed depot was handed over to Go-Ahead on 11 December 2015, allowing sufficient time for the operator to build up its resources, such as recruitment and training of bus captains and technicians, for a smooth transition.

The Go-Ahead Singapore (GAS) Bus Carnival was held on 19 June 2016 at Loyang Bus Depot, with the depot official opening ceremony held at the event.

Electric Bus Charging Infrastructure

Electric bus chargers were installed as part of the 60 Electric Buses procured by the Land Transport Authority in 2018.

Chinese bus manufacturer Yutong, which won the tender under a consortium with Chinese electric power equipment supplier NARI, uses chargers supplied by NARI to charge their buses in Loyang Bus Depot.

Operator History:

• Jun 2015 – Dec 2015: SBS Transit Ltd (Bus Park)
• 2016 – 2018: SMRT Buses (Bus Park)
• Dec 2015 – Present: Go Ahead Singapore Pte Ltd (formerly known as Go Ahead Loyang Pte Ltd)

Bus Contracting Model (BCM)

Under the BCM, Loyang Bus Depot is bundled together with 30 bus routes as part of the Loyang Bus Package.

Additional bus services were added later, bringing the total number to 30 bus routes as of March 2020.

These routes would operate mainly from Pasir Ris & Punggol Bus Interchanges, with the Depot handling the operations of all buses operating on these routes.

The Depot took in an initial number of around 400 buses (leased to Go-Ahead Singapore) in 2016, before growing to about 500 buses in 2021, in tandem with expected ridership growth and the development of Pasir Ris & Punggol New Town.

Bus Models

Go-Ahead Singapore currently houses the following models of buses in Loyang Bus Depot:

Single Deck Buses

• MAN A22
• Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro
• Yutong E12
• FTBCI FBC6120BRS7 (Trial Bus)

Double Decker Buses

• MAN A95
• MAN A95 (3-door)
• Volvo B9TL
• Yutong E12DD

Gallery:

Interior:

External Links & References:

• new loyang bus depot to support bus fleet expansion under bsep – LTA

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