Serangoon – Eunos Bus Package

The Serangoon – Eunos Bus Package is one of fourteen bus packages under the Bus Contracting Model (BCM).

Under the BCM, bus routes are bundled into bus packages, consisting of a single bus depot, several bus interchanges/terminals, 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.

The successful tenderer operates these bus routes and collects fares on behalf of LTA, while maintaining the associated bus infrastructure (buses & onboard equipment, depots, interchanges & terminals). In return, the operator is awarded an operating fee from LTA and potential bonuses via an incentive framework.

PT209 – Serangoon – Eunos Bus Package (Negotiated Contract Term: 2016 to 2025):

As part of the Bus Contracting Model which was fully implemented in September 2016, LTA entered into a Negotiated Contract with SBS Transit to operate bus services under the Serangoon – Eunos Bus Package until the awarded operator for the open tender of the Serangoon – Eunos Bus Package takes over operations. This was announced to be in Year 2025 by LTA in 2016.

Currently under construction, the Kim Chuan Bus Depot would likely take over as the bus depot for this package as part of the tendered package when completed.

Contract Extension:

In November 2021, as part of the Transition of Downtown Line to Version 2 of the New Rail Financing Framework from January 2022, SBS Transit has agreed to a revised service fee rate for five of its existing bus contracts, that is lower than the current service fee and is benchmarked against recent bus tenders after a review with LTA. The five contracts will be extended (by an average of three years) at these revised rates. [LTA Press Release]

As published in an article on The Straits Times, Serangoon-Eunos Bus Package is one of the bus contracts that would be extended at a revised rate. However, the exact number of years extended for this bus package has not been announced publicly by LTA.

Bus Services:

Serangoon–Eunos Bus Package contains 24 existing bus services, all of which are currently operated by SBS Transit.

Short Trip & Supplementary Bus Services

These services do not add to the overall service count.

Serangoon – Eunos Bus Package – Negotiated Contract (PT209) Timeline

• 2016 (11 Aug): Serangoon–Eunos Bus Package mentioned as one of 11 Negotiated Contract (NC) Packages, and operated by SBS Transit.
• 2017 (10 Apr): Short Trip Services 58A & 58B added
• 2017 (21 Oct): Bus Service 137 added
• 2019 (11 Feb): Short Trip Service 137A added
• 2021 (11 Apr): Short Trip Service 63A re-numbered from trips of Service 63 that terminate at Jln Rumah Tinggi (Opp Blk 36)
• 2021 (Nov): Announcement of extension of bus contract at a revised rate by SBS Transit / LTA as part of the Transition of Downtown Line to Version 2 of the New Rail Financing Framework from January 2022; exact duration of extension has not been announced publicly by LTA.
• 2021 (12 Dec): Bus Service 22 transferred from Tampines Bus Package; Bus Service 506 transferred from Bedok Bus Package
• 2024 (25 Feb): Bus Service 146 added

External Links & References:

• Bus Industry to complete transition to BCM on 1 Sep 2016 – LTA
• Transition of Downtown Line to New Rail Financing Framework Version Two – LTA
• Downtown Line to transition to new rail financing framework from January 2022 – The Straits Times

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