The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has put up a call for a tender for the Bulim and Sembawang-Yishun Bus Packages on 29 November 2019.
The Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package marks the fifth tendered contract for the bus contracting model, while the Bulim Bus Package is currently up for its second term under the bus contracting model.
Under the Bus Contracting Model, bus routes were bundled into bus packages, consisting of a single bus depot, several bus interchanges, the bus routes and the buses themselves. With all bus infrastructure belonging to the Government, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) would contract out the bus package, select a bus operator (through a competitive tendering process), and lease these assets to the new operator.
As part of the transition, all existing bus services in Singapore (previously operated by long-standing duopoly between SBS Transit and SMRT Buses) were divided up into 14 route packages, operating under a negotiated contract with the incumbent operator until the Bus Package is tendered out competitively.
The Bulim Bus Package was first awarded to Tower Transit in May 2015, while the Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package has been operated by SMRT Buses under a negotiated contract since September 2016.
In a response by LTA to The Straits Times, this contract includes 29 routes in the Bulim Bus Package and 27 routes in the Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package. However, the bus service numbers of these routes were not mentioned back then.
Contract PT217: Bus Contracting – Bulim and Sembawang-Yishun Bus Packages involves three components, where tenderers are required to submit bids for.
- Bulim Bus Package
- Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package
- Combined bid for Bulim Bus Package & Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package
The tender closed on 30 March 2020, at 4:00pm sharp.
Bidding Procedure
According to tender details as published on government procurement portal GeBIZ, bids were submitted by 5 hopeful operators. namely:
| S/No | Country | Tenderer |
| 1. | China | Guangzhou Public Transportation Group No.3 Bus Co., Ltd |
| 2. | Local | SBS Transit Ltd |
| 3. | Local | SMRT Buses Ltd |
| 4. | Local | The Go-Ahead Group Plc |
| 5. | Local | Tower Transit Singapore Pte. Ltd. |
This is the first time that Guangzhou Public Transportation Group No.3 Bus Co., Ltd is participating in a local bus package tender. Chinese companies have participated in all previous rounds of bus package tenders, either tendered as standalone companies or in joint venture with local companies.
All four other tenderers (SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Go-Ahead and Tower Transit) are incumbent operators.
See Also:
Tender Award
On 30 September 2020, the tender was awarded to Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd.
Main Article: Tower Transit awarded Bulim and Sembawang-Yishun Bus Packages
I really hope SMRT Buses wins this tender. Or atleast SBS Transit.
Tbh SBST has a higher chance of winning this tender than SMRT or even TTS.
If LTA want cost effective then let foreign operators suchs as Keolis,RATP,Firstgroup or BVG bag both SBW-YIS & BLM packages for under $1b…For SKG-HGN also let foreign operators win too and extend the 5 years to 7 with 3 years extension based on good performance.
SEL & BTM can retain SBST.
BDK,CCK-BPJ & WDL give to SMRT.
TAM & JUW to SBST.
SGN-EUN to SMRT or SBST
CLE to existing foreign operators
BSH-TPY to SBST
SBST win both packages i think many BCs will resign,Already a number of Seletar ex-SMRT BCs resign because of disagreement and the way they operate and manage Seletar package.
Just because Thomson-East Coast is operated by SMRT doesn’t give guarantee they will get it.
IMHO,Better new players like RATP Asia & Firstgroup replace TTS & GAS.I hope in future rail will be also tender out to create more competitive rather than duopoly.
If your jobs FTs can compete why not BCM?Anyway assets all belong to Government LTA what.
I don’t heck care if you like it or not but my prediction will be this.
Sembawang-Yishun>RATP or SMRT.
Bulim>SMRT or Firstgroup or RATP.
Sengkang-Hougang>SBST or SMRT.
Loyang>Firstgroup or RATP or SMRT.
Seletar>SMRT or RATP or SBST or Firstgroup.
Bedok>SBST.
Choa Chu Kang-Bukit Panjang>Firstgroup or RATP or SBST.
Woodlands>SMRT.
Bukit Merah>SBST.
Jurong West>SBST or SMRT or RATP.
Tampines>SBST.
Serangoon-Eunos>SMRT or SBST or RATP.
Clementi>SBST.
Bishan-Toa Payoh>SBST.
Those drivers suing SBST for wage theft all SEDEP guys?
Anyway, if SBST wins either package, they should be forced to sit out of Hougang once the contract expires and gets put out for tender. We need a similar rule as Transperth whereby no single operator controls >50% of total service miles.
SBS Transit will win both packages.
I think TTS will lose. SMRT will get both Sembawang-Yishun and Bulim package.
There is NO WAY SMRT will lose Sembawang-Yishun, because Thomson East Coast line is run by SMRT, and Mandai Bus Depot is co-located at the Mandai Trains Depot itself.
TTS is in Singapore due to an attempt to create fair competition. After bulim is up, they will be sent packing.