On 16 July 2026, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced the awarding of the Serangoon–Eunos Bus Package to SMRT Buses.
The 5-year contract represents the first tendered package term for the Serangoon-Eunos Bus Package. It will commence on 13 June 2027, with an option for extension of 2 to 5 years.
With this, SMRT Buses will succeed SBS Transit as the operator of 26 bus services in the Serangoon & Eunos region. It will also operate buses from the new Kim Chuan Bus Depot.
In addition, it will also manage Serangoon Bus Interchange, Eunos Bus Interchange, Woodleigh Bus Interchange, and Sims Place Bus Terminal.
Contract BC802: Serangoon–Eunos Bus Package
Serangoon–Eunos Bus Package has been operated by SBS Transit under a negotiated contract since the start of the Bus Contracting Model in September 2016.
SMRT Buses will succeed SBS Transit as the new operator of this package. Buses will also be based at the new Kim Chuan Bus Depot, instead of the existing Hougang Bus Depot.
| Incumbent | SBS Transit Ltd |
| Present Contract Term |
Negotiated Contract (Contract PT209): Sep 2016 – Jun 2027 (10 years 9 months term) |
| Upcoming Contract Term |
Tendered Package 1st Term (Contract BC802): June 2027 – 2032 |
| Awarded Operator |
SMRT Buses Ltd |
| Bus Services |
11, 22, 53/53M, 55, 58, 59, 60, 63/63M, 64, 90, 94, 101, 103, 105, 109, 134, 137, 140, 141, 146, 148, 150, 154, 158, 315 & 317 (26 bus routes) |
| Handover Date | From 13 June 2027 |
| Bus Depot | Kim Chuan Bus Depot |
| Bus Interchanges | Serangoon Bus Interchange, Eunos Bus Interchange, Woodleigh Bus Interchange |
| Bus Terminals | Sims Place Bus Terminal |
Reasons for the award to SMRT Buses were provided by LTA:
- Highest total score for its proposal
- Offered cost savings for LTA compared to the current contract
- Proposal demonstrated strong capabilities in electric bus operations and maintenance, alongside comprehensive plans to strengthen workforce development. Initiatives include:
— Implement attractive workforce recruitment initiatives to grow and diversify its local pool of bus captains, including offering a high sign-on bonus, Class 3/3A licence sponsorship, and C-U-Back at work (“CUB”) programme developed in partnership with NTUC Women and Family Division to attract more women to enter the bus sector.
— Enhance bus safety and systems maintenance through the deployment of fleet-wide AI-enabled fatigue detection and fault navigator systems to reduce fault resolution time and improve maintenance turnaround.
— Enhance commuter experience through community-focused programmes tailored to the local profile at each interchange. These include a placemaking initiative featuring the heritage of Kampung Eunos, and extending the community piano and busking sessions initiatives at Woodleigh to support local arts and community engagement.
Transition of impacted workers
Current SBS Transit employees from the Serangoon-Eunos Bus Package will be protected by the Public Transport Tripartite Committee’s Guidelines on Good Employment Practices in the Public Bus Industry and must be offered a job by SMRT Buses, the incoming operator, at employment terms that are no worse off than their current employment terms.
Affected employees can also choose to join SMRT Buses or be redeployed by their current employer (SBS Transit), where feasible.
Bid Prices
The tender for the Serangoon-Eunos Bus Package was called on 19 December 2025. The awarded tenderer and its corresponding contract sum are highlighted in red.
| No. | Company | Base | Alternative |
| 1 | SBS Transit Ltd | $635,243,284.11 | $630,345,868.51 |
| 2 | SMRT Buses Ltd | $599,528,428.00 | — |
| 3 | Tower Transit Singapore Pte. Ltd. | $644,630,098.50 | $639,290,213.50 |
The tender submissions were evaluated based on a two-envelope process, which looked at both quality and price factors. The price submissions were only opened after the quality evaluation was completed. This two-envelope process ensures that LTA gets the best value-for-money proposal without compromising on quality.
LTA also retains the option to extend the contract by between two and five years, beyond the end of the initial five-year term.
Observations
The tendered package term for the Serangoon-Eunos Bus Package will commence operations on 13 June 2027, which is 2 weeks ahead of the 27 June 2027 date initially expected, as was released by SBS Transit in a Q1 2026 business update.
For this contract, the anchor interchanges / terminals that the winning operator would manage also notably excludes Changi Village Bus Terminal. The terminal is currently managed by SBS Transit under the negotiated contract of the Serangoon-Eunos Bus Package. Of the three bus services that currently terminate at Changi Village, two of these are from the Serangoon-Eunos Bus Package (59 & 109), with the other being from the Loyang Bus Package.
References
- LTA Awards Serangoon-Eunos Bus Package to SMRT Buses | Land Transport Authority [Accessed 16 Jul 2026]
Back to Serangoon–Eunos Bus Package
SMRT will go from having zero presence in Bishan to straightaway having 4 eastern Bishan Services:
53 – Bishan to Changi AIrport
55 – Bishan to Upper East Coast
58 – Bishan to Pasir Ris
59 – Bishan to Changi Village
From having little presence in East to having a significant presence in East. First time also crossing over into Pasir Ris, Changi Village, covering more areas of Tampines, Hougang, Bedok…. The best part of it all is 103. I mean, it’s not exactly a super high demand or popular service but the fact that it brings SMRT back into Yishun after a 6 year absence. Let’s not forget SBS Transit took over about 13 Yishun services under Seletar package which included all the feeders, 851,852,860 and 850E at that time. SBS Transit lost 85 to GAS in 2016 and recently 39 to GAS also. Upcoming in June 2027, they will relinquish control of 103 to SMRT. It’s like a soft comeback for SMRT in Yishun, Ang Mo Kio with 22 and Bedok with 60.
Even Toa Payoh SMRT will have presence with 2 services. SMRT will also have majority of services from Lorong 1 Geylang with 11,140,141,961 and 985. SBS will be left with 175 and TTS with 853 which does not operate there on Sundays and PHs and 980.
NR7/NR15: Am I a joke to you? (For PSR/Changi V)
This will also be the first time where SMRT:
– will have services terminating at Bishan (53, 55, 58, 59), Jurong East (105), Serangoon (most services) and Sims Place (all services) for the first time in history.
– will have services terminating at Ang Mo Kio (22) and Yishun (103) since ceding territory to Tower Transit.
– will have services terminating at Upper East Coast (55, 137) full-time, with 853M terminating on selected days before handing over to Tower Transit.
– Serve Bedok Interchange for the first time in six years, although service 60 only loops there.
In addition:
– Ang Mo Kio and Yishun will now be served by all four bus operators.
– Bedok and Upper East Coast will technically be served by all four bus operators, even though 60 loops at Bedok and 853M serves Upper East Coast only on selected days.
– SMRT have as many pre-BCM original routes as inherited routes from SBS Transit, with 52 each.
Eh, wait a minute, with this, 154 also come SMRT. Meaning the only SBS routes left at Boon Lay Interchange are 30, 174, 198, 157.
All the remaining SBST bus routes at Boon Lay Interchange, including 154, all belong to different bus packages. Maybe it is deliberate, so that will still have SBST presence at Boon Lay Interchange.
Anyway, 154 come SMRT would mean 154 drivers can once again use Soon Lee Depot from 13 June 2027.
First time
SMRT at National Std/Rhu for svc 11
At Pasir Ris for svc 58
At Changi Village for svc 59/109
At Rumah Tinggi for svc 63
At Mei Long for svc 64
At Toa Payoh for svc 90
At Woodleigh for svc 146/148
Toa Payoh got 2 services for SMRT: 90 and 141 (Passing through Toa Payoh will be 59 and 105).
Jurong East: 105.
Passing through Hougang: 55,101….
SMRT also gets another service in Boon Lay: 154.
SBS Transit will no longer operate any 6X series services after it hands over 60,63 and 64 to SMRT.
These are just some of the ones I know and aware. I apologize if I missed out on anything.
Regardless, this Serangoon-Eunos package is a game changer. SMRT Buses will be stepping into many new territories. Unlike the Jurong West package which concentrate more on Boon Lay, Joo Koon and Tuas, this Serangoon-Eunos package will expand SMRT’s footprint into even more places. Also not forgetting, they are literally kicking SBS Transit out of Changi Village and Sims Place as they are taking over the last 2 SBS Transit services in Changi Village (59 and 109) and taking over Sims Place terminal with the 3 services (64, 134 and 137).
Last time, Tibs served Punggol, Sengkang and Jalan Kayu from 1995 to 1999 (roughly about 4 years I think). Sengkang was still in early development and Punggol not even fully developed as it is now. Now, SMRT is coming into Serangoon, Woodleigh, Hougang, Kovan, Changi Village, Toa Payoh, Jurong East, Pasir Ris…. Ironic if you think. Tower Transit took over 858 from SMRT under Sembawang-Yishun package and now SMRT is taking over 53 from SBS Transit under Serangoon-Eunos package.
Praise to the Almighty God SBST isn’t the majority anymore.
Northeast no more majority SBST which is good…