| BYD BC12A04 | |
 BYD B12 bus delivered to Singapore |
|
| Manufacturer | BYD Auto Industry |
| Bodywork | Zhuhai Guangtong |
| Years in operation | 2024– |
| Operators | SBS Transit |
| Technical Data | |
| Length | 12 m |
| Motor | BYD AC Synchronous Motor |
| Battery | BYD Blade LFP (Capacity TBC) |
| Accessibility | Low Floor |
| Emission Standard | Zero tailpipe emissions |
The BYD B12 is an electric single-deck city bus offered by Chinese bus manufacturer BYD Auto Industry (比亞迪). As of 2023, it is BYD’s flagship electric city bus, superseding the highly successful BYD K9.
BYD is supplying 240 units of BYD B12 buses (registered as BYD BC12A04 for this sub-type) to the Land Transport Authority under Contract PT601A, with service entry expected in December 2024.
Other BYD B12 buses in Singapore include:
LTA Production Batch
In November 2023, BYD (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. was awarded an LTA contract to supply 240 single-deck electric buses for S$108.1 million. This formed part of a larger order for 360 electric buses under Contract PT601, which was also awarded to Cycle & Carriage (partnered with Zhongtong Bus). BYD also confirmed in a Facebook post that it would supply BYD B12 buses for the LTA tender.
Electric bus chargers were also installed at Sengkang West, East Coast and Gali Batu Bus Depots to support the deployment of these buses.
Delivery
Buses were first sighted in Singapore sometime in late August 2024. Some buses were delivered without seats and handrails; these were only fitted after delivery to Singapore. Delivery documents identify the bus model as GTK6127BEVB1.
Registration & Rollout
Registration commenced in October 2024 under the bus model BYD BC12A04. The registration numbers for these buses start from SG3101K (bus to be registered). The first 10 units delivered are registered from SG3102H – SG3111G and leased to SBS Transit on 14 October 2024.
Registration of BYD BC12A04 (Click to expand)Buses registered to SBS Transit:
| Registration Date | Buses |
| 14 Oct 2024 | SG3102H – SG3111G |
Preliminary Specifications
| BYD BC12A04 – Specifications |
|
| Dimensions |
Length × Width × Height: 11995 mm × 2550 mm × 3250 mm |
| Bodywork |
Assembled by Zhuhai Guangtong Vehicle Manufacture Co., Ltd. (GTK6127BEVB1) |
| EDS | Luminator ULTIMA Electronic Display Sign (EDS) Orange LED Matrix design. Luminator Basic driver controller. |
| PIDS | Luminator SMART Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) Interior-facing LCD screen (29”) and exterior-facing LCD screen + LED Text Display |
| Driver Assistance | TNT Surveillance T-Guard – Forward collision warning system & lane departure warning (T-FA Front Alert Camera) – Side collision warning system (T-SA Side Alert Cameras) – Anti-Fatigue system (T-DA Driver Alert Camera) – Surround view camera system (T-A.I. 360°) |
| Passenger Capacity | 28 Seated + (TBC) Standing =(TBC) Passengers 2 Wheelchair Bays |
| Other Specifications | • Automatic wheelchair ramp • Camera mirror system • Rear emergency exit hatch |
Zhuhai Guangtong Promotional Video
The bus was showcased in a promotional video published by Zhuhai Guangtong Vehicle Manufacture Co., Ltd., a contract manufacturer of buses based in Zhuhai, China. The bus in the video carries Zhuhai Guangtong badges.
The bus could be an early production prototype, as later deliveries to Singapore would bear several modifications not present in these photos.
Other public buses in Singapore built by Guangtong Manufacture are the ADL Enviro500 and the ADL Enviro500 (3-door).
Video screengrabs of the interior reveal seats upholstered in blue and red, with red seats intended as priority seats. Two wheelchair bays are provided, with each wheelchair backrest fitted with a pivoting handlebar and a foldable seat.
Two wheelchair bays are provided, both located opposite the exit door. Each bay accommodates one passenger-in-wheelchair (PIW), and the wheelchair backrest contains both a foldable seat and a pivoting handlebar.
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and an anti-fatigue system are mounted on the dashboard.
The rear section of the bus is laid out similarly to other BYD B12 buses in Singapore, including the floor step provided for passengers accessing the last row of seats (as seen from the CCTV monitor), despite being positioned at the same height as the facing seats in front.
Weibo Post (May 2024)
In May 2024, photos of the bus were posted on Weibo by MT6735EVG.
There were several exterior modifications done to the bus compared to the previous video shoot done by Zhuhai Guangtong earlier.
- Guangtong exterior badging changed to BYD
- Camera side mirror systems were installed on bus
- Rear window of the bus was changed to incorporate an escape hatch
- Positioning of the exterior wheelchair push button lowered, with tape placed over its original position
Model name
The ‘BYD B12’ model designation refers to BYD’s B-series of electric buses built by BYD as integral buses, with a distinctive bodywork design developed by BYD’s design team led by Wolfgang Egger. However, the 240 buses procured by the Land Transport Authority are built by Zhuhai Guangtong on BYD chassis, and could receive a different model designation.
With registration commencing in October 2024, the bus model is registered as BYD BC12A04.
BYD B12 in Singapore
ComfortDelGro Bus purchased ten BYD B12A03 buses as campus shuttle buses for NUS and NTU, which commenced service in November 2022.
Another BYD B12A03 demonstrator bus (registered SG4013A) was offered to LTA for revenue service trials, commencing service in January 2024.
These BYD B12 units are built entirely by BYD as integral buses, in contrast to the buses delivered under Contract PT601A which are assembled in the Guangtong plant in Zhuhai, China.
Gallery (Pre-Delivery)
(Photos from LinkedIn by Mr Gregory Sloan, Executive Director at Challenger Bus And Coach. Guangtong Manufacture also builds buses for Challenger).
References:
- Guangtong New 12m Electric 35 Seats Passenger City Bus 40 Seater Automatic Low Floor Public Bus Customized – Buy City Bus electric City Bus new Bus Product on Alibaba.com
- BYD has embarked on a new journey after ten years of transformation and released a new generation of pure electric commercial vehicle series (baidu.com)
- Gregory Sloan – LinkedIn Post
- Newly designed model for 2024 -… – Guangtong Vehicle Manufacture | Facebook
- Weibo Post – MT6735EVG
The old design was better we are so cooked
The 240 BYD buses out of the total of 360 new 3-Door Electric SD Bus will probably entering service by the end of the year or early next year which depends on registration date.
Guangtong G12 Demonstrator (SG4008R)
No
I thought it was.