Tower Transit was first established in London and Cambridge where it operates 650 buses, employs

2,000 people and carries over 115 million passengers a year. It was shortlisted for the title of Bus Operator of the Year in the 2015 London Transport Awards. It is a sister company of Australia’s leading Transit Systems Group which has over 19 years of operating experience with tendered government contracts in Australia. It now operates over 1,000 buses, employs more than 2,000 people and carries over 55 million passengers per year.

Tower Transit Singapore entered the Singapore bus scene when it was awarded the Bulim Bus Package, a tendered route package comprising 26 bus routes based out of the newly-built Bulim Bus Depot. This was the first contract awarded by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) as part of the Bus Contracting Model (BCM), which would introduce a competitive scene of bus operators bidding for various route packages and a share of the market.

In May-June 2016, Tower Transit took over the 26 bus routes in 3 tranches, as well as the managing of Jurong East and Bukit Batok Bus Interchanges. The company operated these routes for five years.

In September 2020, Tower Transit was awarded both the Bulim Bus Package & Sembawang-Yishun Bus Packages.

Timeline

2015 (08 May): Bulim Bus Package awarded to Tower Transit Singapore
2015 (06 Dec): Bulim Bus Depot open house cum official opening (Article)
2016 (29 May): Took over operations of 9 bus services originating from Bukit Batok Bus Interchange. (Article)
2016 (12 Jun): Took over operations of 6 bus services originating from Jurong East Bus Interchange. (Article)
2016 (26 Jun): Took over operations of 11 bus services originating from Jurong East and Clementi Bus Interchanges. (Article)
2016 (06 Dec): Bulim Depot workshop becomes first IRTE-accredited workshop in South East Asia
2017 (13 Mar): Starts trial of 3-door Double Deck bus (Article)
2017 (28 Sep): Took over operations for City Direct 663
2017 (12 Oct): Took over operations for City Direct 665
2017 (14 Nov): Launch of TowerCARE staff welfare and engagement programme. (Article)
2018 (28 Feb): Launch Engineering Centre of Excellence (Article)
2018 (08 Apr): Launch of Bus Service 974 under Tower Transit
2020 (13 Jan): Took over operations of City Direct 651
2020 (30 Sep): Bulim Bus Package & Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package awarded to Tower Transit Singapore
2020 (Oct): Took over the newly built Mandai Bus Depot for the Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package
2021 (29 May): Transfer of Service 974 to SBS Transit Ltd
2021 (30 May): Commencement of second awarded term for Bulim Bus Package
2021 (05 Sep): Took over operations of 8 bus services originating from Yishun Bus Interchange
2021 (19 Sep): Took over operations of 8 bus services originating from Woodlands Bus Interchange
2021 (03 Oct): Took over operations of 10 bus services originating from Sembawang & Yio Chu Kang Bus Interchanges

Company initiatives

With strong Public Relations efforts and constant initiatives to improve all aspects of the public bus industry, Tower Transit Singapore is often the subject of positive media coverage. Its first event, an open house cum official opening at Bulim Bus Depot (A Bulim Carnival Day), was attended by over 2,000 visitors.

In February 2017, the company rolled out its ‘signature scent’, a perfume mixture intended to improve the commuting experience. It is the first such initiative for bus operators in Singapore, and the scent was gradually rolled out to 100 buses operating on Bus Services 66, 97 and 106.

The company also celebrated Valentines Day and International Women’s Day with several initiatives rolled out for staff members. In December 2016, it also awarded a Bus Captain with a leisure trip to London as a reward for good service.

The company formerly operated Singapore’s first 3-door double-deck bus as part of a six-month trial initiated by the LTA, which ended in September 2017.

In November 2017, the company launched TowerCARE, a staff welfare and engagement programme designed to keep its 900 employees engaged, healthy and happy at work. TowerCARE brought together an extensive programme of staff events, activities, amenities and benefits, such as a new gym at Bulim Depot, wellness initiatives, engagement and cohesion activities, and discounts at over 20 partnering merchants.

In 2019, Tower Transit launched on-demand employee bus services using the Bridj platform, which is owned by parent company Transit Systems. Go-Ahead Singapore also provided a similar service (EB Ride) using a platform developed by Via Transportation.

Starting in 2020, Tower Transit provided study grants for graduates of the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), with special consideration for those from the public transport sector. The operator also sponsored Convocation Awards for the top graduands in each cohort of the SUSS’s Master of Management (Urban Transportation) programme.

Milestones

In December 2016, Tower Transit’s vehicle workshop at the Bulim Bus Depot became the first in Southeast Asia to receive Workshop Accreditation by the Institute of Road Transport Engineers (IRTE), a mark of excellence given to workshops that complied with industry best practices. An audit of the Bulim workshop found that both the facility and operation fully met, and in many areas, exceeded the requirements of the IRTE Accreditation standard. The workshop was given high scores in key areas such as premises, equipment, technical and clerical staff, management, documentation, quality and appearance.

In February 2018, it launched its Engineering Centre of Excellence to provide professional accreditation and international qualifications for vehicle technicians in the automotive industry. It is the first in Singapore to offer diplomas from the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), an international association promoting professional standards in the automotive sectors all over the world. The diplomas are in vehicle parts, and heavy vehicle maintenance and repair, and are open to all technicians in the automotive industry. The Centre of Excellence is also the only place outside the UK where vehicle technicians can be assessed for an irtec licence – widely-recognised throughout the UK as a benchmark of a vehicle technician’s competence.

Bus Services & Fleet

As of October 2021, Tower Transit Singapore operates 30 bus routes under the Bulim Bus Package & 27 bus routes under the Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package.

The company operates the following bus models leased from the LTA:

Bulim Bus Package

Single Deck Buses:

Double Decker Buses:

Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package

Single Deck Buses:

Double Decker Buses:

Articulated Buses:

MAN A24

In addition, Tower Transit Singapore previously operated a MAN Lion’s City DD L (SG5999Z) in 2017 as part of a six-month trial initiated by the LTA.