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
For Mandai i think SMRT might include a few OC500LEs & B9TLs beside the usual A22,Citaro,A95 & E500.
For Bulim,Even if TTS is to retain they have to intake a few Euro VI A22/A95 for service 944 & 991.
944 has Yutong E12 as well.
To be frank the bcm already got flaw from the start..And the nego contract shouldn’t happen in the first place and show how the authority protect the interest of the incumbents.A format of yearly contract until the end of 14 packages is more appropriate.
Examples
2016:Bulim & Loyang.
2017:Seletar & Bukit Merah.
2018:Sembawang-Yishun & Sengkang-Hougang.
2019:Bedok & Choa Chu Kang-Bukit Panjang.
2020:Woodlands & Tampines.
2021:Jurong West & Serangoon-Eunos and also the recontract of Bulim & Loyang.
2022:Clementi & Bishan-Toa Payoh as well as the recontract of Seletar & Bukit Merah and so on subsequently
As far as i know it will be like this and since we are in pandemic LTA should just award the Mandai to SMRT,Bulim to TTS,SKG-HGN to SBST and i am not suprised TTS gets Loyang too depending on GAS interest.
SBST got high chance to retain Seletar,Bukit Merah,Tampines,Jurong West & BSH-TPY.
Come 2023 probably a new operator will get Bedok & maybe win Clementi in 2025 if LTA interested in keeping that operator.TTS might just get one more package that’s SGN-EUN and SMRT definately will get Woodlands and CCK-BPJ.
Do you country bumpkins know why LTA want BCM?First competition,Then potential for local companies to venture Europe bus/rail biddings.Of course we must limit to 4 operators only.We do not have natural resources and please don’t tell me SBST is juggernaut in bus operations and SMRT is established in Rail.Over the years their performance has been mediocre.SBST & SMRT is lucky for LTA is giving them faces.Govt want overseas investments thus they have to open up business here too.
My kind of ideas is to let SBST operate the Sengkang-Hougang,Choa Chu Kang-Bukit Panjang,Bukit Merah,Tampines,Jurong West and Bishan-Toa Payoh until 2028.
SMRT to operate Bulim,Woodlands and Serangoon-Eunos till 2028.
GAS to operate the Sembawang-Yishun,Bedok & Clementi package till 2028.
TTS to operate the Bulim & Seletar package till 2028.
For rail
SMRT to operate the NorthSouth,Circle,Thomson-East Coast,Cross Island Line & Bukit Panjang LRT till 2035.
SBST to operate the EastWest,NorthEast Line & Sengkang/Punggol LRT till 2035.
Go-Ahead to operate the Downtown Line till 2035.
TTS to operate the Jurong Region Line till 2035.
I am very suprised if LTA award Sembawang-Yishun to TTS and Bulim to GAS while Sengkang-Hougang to SMRT & Loyang to SBST.