Pasir Panjang Bus Depot

Pasir Panjang Bus Depot is a future multi-storey bus depot to be constructed in Pasir Panjang along Harbour Drive, slated to be ready by 2029.

The depot will be built on a site of approximately 4 hectares, presently occupied by the disused Pasir Panjang Distipark and near Pasir Panjang MRT Station. The final name of the depot remains to be confirmed.

Bus Depot & Location

Pasir Panjang Bus Depot is a multi-storey bus depot that can house about 550 buses to support bus operations in the southern region of Singapore. It comprises a seven-storey main building with chargers for electric buses, multi-storey quarters for transport workers and other ancillary buildings according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), in a response to The Straits Times.

The depot will be located along Harbour Drive, at the present site of the disused Pasir Panjang Distripark. In August 2022, the 4 ha site where Pasir Panjang Bus Depot and ancillary buildings would be located was rezoned to Transport Facilities under Amendment No. 37/02 to the Urban Redevelopment Authority Master Plan 2019.

Construction

On 10 August 2023, LTA launched a construction tender (Contract DE195 – Pasir Panjang Bus Depot), in which the project delivery timeline was scheduled for 2028. The tender closed on 27 Feb 2024. On 26 Sep 2024, the contract was awarded to Gammon Pte. Limited at a contract value of $385.7 million.

LTA also said that the completed depot will be handed over to the relevant public transport operator for outfitting and preparatory works in 2029.

Possible Route Package Assignment

Under Singapore’s Bus Contracting Model (BCM) which was implemented in 2016, ownership of all bus assets falls under the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which includes the construction of new bus depots. Each bus depot is tendered out as a route package.

Details on which Route Package the Pasir Panjang Bus Depot will be allocated under have yet to be announced by LTA. In a response to media queries from The Straits Times, LTA commented that the depot is “expected to support buses operating in the southern region of Singapore”.

This depot could be intended for the Bukit Merah Bus Package, which currently operates out of Ulu Pandan Bus Depot. Although Ulu Pandan Bus Depot only opened in 2018, it is sited on land zoned as a “Reserve site”, i.e. where a specific long-term future use has not been determined. The lease for the site which the current Ulu Pandan Bus Depot sits expires on 31 Dec 2025 and is likely to be extended. The LTA also did not comment on plans for Ulu Pandan Bus Depot after 2025 in response to ST’s queries.

The completion of the depot in 2029 aligns with the earliest contract expiry for Contract PT218 (2nd term for Bukit Merah Bus Package) in April 2029. This timeline provides sufficient time for the forthcoming operator of the Bukit Merah Bus Package to transition smoothly to the new bus depot should there not be any contract extension to its initial 5-year term.

Bukit Merah Bus Package contracts:

• 1st term / Contract PT203: November 2018 to April 2024
  Awarded to SBS Transit Ltd; 5-year contract + 5 months extension granted
• 2nd term / Contract PT218A: April 2024 onwards
  Awarded to SBS Transit Ltd; minimum 5-year contract period. The earliest expiry will be in April 2029.

When completed in 2029, Pasir Panjang Bus Depot will be the eleventh bus depot commissioned by the LTA under the BCM, after Bulim, Loyang, Seletar, Ulu Pandan, Mandai, Sengkang West, Gali Batu, East Coast, Kim Chuan and Tengah.

See Also:

• Bus Depots and Bus Parks
• Bukit Merah Bus Package
• Bus Contracting Model

References

• New bus depot in Pasir Panjang to be ready by 2029 – The Straits Times
• Amendments To Master Plan 2019 – Urban Redevelopment Authority