On 3 March 2023, at the Ministry of Transport’s (MOT) Committee of Supply (COS) Debate 2023, Minister for Transport S Iswaran announced that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will launch a tender in March 2023 for about 400 electric buses to replace diesel buses reaching the end of life from December 2024.
The tender, titled Procurement of single deck electric buses (Reference no.: PT601), was published on 27 March 2023. The LTA lists a full-low-floor layout with three doors and two wheelchair bays as necessary features for buses being provided under this tender.
Background on Electric Buses in Singapore: Electric Buses in Singapore | Land Transport Guru
Background – First eBus Tender
In December 2017, the first small-scale electric bus tender was launched by LTA under Contract PT323, titled Procurement of Electric Buses (E-Buses). A total of 60 electric buses and supporting charging infrastructure were procured through this tender.
| Bus Model / Qty | Tenderer | Bus type | Charging Mode |
| BYD K9 (20 units) | BYD (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. | Single-deck | Depot charging |
| Linkker LM312 (20 units) | ST Engineering Land Systems | Single-deck | Opportunity charging |
| Yutong E12 (10 units) | Yutong-NARI Consortium | Single-deck | Depot charging |
| Yutong E12DD (10 units) | Double-deck |
Charging infrastructure for these electric buses was also provided by the various electric bus tenderers.
| Bus Model / Qty | Charging Mode | Charging Manufacturer | Installed Locations |
| BYD K9 (20 units) | Depot charging (150kW CCS2) | ABB | Seletar Bus Depot |
| Linkker LM312 (20 units) | Opportunity charging (450kW OppCharge / Pantograph) |
ABB | Bedok ITH Bukit Panjang ITH |
| Yutong E12 (10 units) | Depot charging (90kW CCS2) | NARI | Bulim Bus Depot Loyang Bus Depot |
| Yutong E12DD (10 units) |
The operational and technical insights from this initial rollout would support the rollout of more electric buses from the new tender.
Further Reading – 60 Electric Buses Procured by LTA
Background – SG Green Plan 2030 & LTMP 2040
This tender would contribute to Singapore’s public transport electrification goals, including:
- 100% cleaner energy public bus fleet by 2040 (Land Transport Master Plan 2040; announced in 2019)
- Half of all public buses to be electric by 2030 (Singapore Green Plan 2030; announced in 2022)
Tender Details
The tender, titled Procurement of single deck electric buses (Reference no.: PT601), was called on 27 March 2023. The tender closes on 19 Jun 2023, at 4:00 pm.
According to contract specifications published on the government procurement portal GeBIZ, the LTA requires that bus suppliers have relevant expertise and experience in the manufacture and supply of electric buses. The following requirements were also listed:
- Compliance with Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Construction and Use) Rules;
- Right-hand drive electric buses;
- One entrance and two exits;
- Low-floor bus interior; and
- Provision of two (2) wheelchair bays.
The exact quantity of buses procured is not known.
LTA intends to award this tender by the 2nd half of 2023, with buses to be delivered and deployed for passenger service from December 2024 onwards.
Commentary – Replacement Buses
LTA mentioned that these new electric buses procured would replace diesel buses reaching their 17-year statutory lifespan. These diesel buses are very likely to be Scania K230UB (Euro IV) buses, whose statutory lifespan would end between October 2024 – January 2026.
A total of 500 Scania K230UB (Euro IV) buses were procured by SBS Transit in 2006 (100 units; Batch 1) & 2007 (400 units; Batch 2), excluding a single demonstrator unit.
97 Scania K230UB (Euro IV) buses were retired early in January 2022 as part of a new Framework Agreement announced by SBS Transit and LTA in November 2021, in tandem with the transition of the Downtown Line to the New Rail Financing Framework Version 2. This leaves about 400 more Scania K230UB (Euro IV) buses on the roads as of March 2023, which matches LTA’s plans to procure 400 additional electric buses.
Concurrently, the Mercedes-Benz OC500LE buses would reach their 17-year statutory lifespan starting from June 2025. A total of 134 buses were registered between June 2008 and October 2009.
Commentary – Trial Buses
In recent months, many bus manufacturers have offered electric buses to LTA for trial purposes. This signifies strong interest from bus manufacturers worldwide in offering their products to the rapidly-emerging Singapore electric bus market. As a result, it is expected that this tender will see many bids from interested parties.
The following list includes 3-door buses designed for the Singapore market but yet to be offered to LTA for trial, or commenced revenue service.
As of 10 Mar 2023:
| eBus Model | Registration | Units acquired | Type | Bus Operator | Years in Operation |
| Ankai G912 |
TBC | TBC | 3-Door SD | TBC | |
| BYD K9RC |
SG4005Z | 1 | 2-Door DD | SBST | 2022– |
| CRRC TEG6125BEV03 |
SG4006X | 1 | 3-Door SD | GAS | 2021–2023 |
| FTBCI E-Bus |
TBC | TBC | 3-Door SD | TBC | – |
| MAN e-Bus |
TBC | TBC | 3-Door SD | TBC | – |
| LexSWITCH E12 SD | TBC | TBC | 3-Door SD | TBC | – |
| Scania e-Bus | TBC | TBC | 2-Door SD | TBC | |
| Volvo BZL – SC Neustar City | SG4007T | 1 | 3-Door SD | TTS | 2023– |
| Zhongtong LCK6126EVG | SG4010H | 1 | 3-Door SD | GAS | 2023– |
| Â |
As of the time of this article’s publication (4 Mar 2023), the BYD K9RC (SG4005Z) was still undergoing trials with SBS Transit, while the CRRC TEG6125BEV03 (SG4006X)’s trial with Go-Ahead Singapore had concluded. The Volvo BZL – SC Neustar City (SG4007T) was registered with Tower Transit but had yet to enter passenger service.
Charging Infrastructure at new Bus Depots
The LTA has also announced that new bus depots would be equipped to support the expanded fleet of electric buses by 2030.
These bus depots include:
- Sengkang West Bus Depot
- Gali Batu Bus Depot
- East Coast Bus Depot
- Kim Chuan Bus Depot
- Tengah Bus Depot
Related Articles
References
- Factsheet: Sustaining the Momentum of Vehicle Electrification – Land Transport Authority
- Speech by Minister For Transport S Iswaran at the Ministry of Transport Committee of Supply Debate on Building a Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive Transport System – Ministry of Transport
I hope LTA orders the scania e bus in to replace the retiring buses. The scania bus looks style and more of a proper bus.
LTA should order more Yutong electric buses – both single and double deckers
As well as BYD artics.
I think MAN E Bendy for Airport supplement.BYD front part is like the old O405G very hard to manoeuvre the tight turns unlike the A24 which has shorter front part.