On 19 September 2025, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced the awarding of the Tampines Bus Package to Go-Ahead Singapore.
The 5-year contract, estimated at a total fee of $646 million, represents the first tendered package term for the Tampines Bus Package. It will commence on 5 July 2026, with an option for extension of 2 to 5 years.
With this, Go-Ahead Singapore will succeed SBS Transit as the operator of 27 bus services in the Tampines region. It will also operate around 400 buses from the new East Coast Bus Depot, including over 250 electric buses.
In addition, it will also manage Tampines Bus Interchange, Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange, Tampines North Bus Interchange & Changi Business Park Bus Terminal.
Contract PT220: Tampines Bus Package
Tampines Bus Package has been operated by SBS Transit under a negotiated contract since the start of the Bus Contracting Model in September 2016.
Go-Ahead Singapore will succeed SBS Transit as the new operator of this package. Buses will also be based at the new East Coast Bus Depot, instead of the existing Bedok North Bus Depot.
| Incumbent | SBS Transit Ltd |
| Present Contract Term |
Negotiated Contract (Contract PT207): Sep 2016 – July 2026 (9 years & 10 months term) |
| Upcoming Contract Term |
Tendered Package 1st Term (Contract PT220): July 2026 – 2031 |
| Awarded Operator |
Go-Ahead Singapore Pte Ltd (subsidiary of tenderer: The Go-Ahead Group Limited) |
| Bus Services |
4, 10, 10e, 18, 19, 20, 23, 28, 29, 31, 37, 38, 39, 47, 65, 69, 72, 81, 127, 129, 291, 292, 293, 296, 298/298X, 299 & 513 (27 bus routes) |
| Handover Date | From 5 July 2026 |
| Bus Depot | East Coast Bus Depot |
| Bus Interchanges | Tampines Bus Interchange, Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange, Tampines North Bus Interchange |
| Bus Terminals | Changi Business Park Bus Terminal |
Reasons for the award to Go-Ahead Singapore were provided by LTA:
- Highest total score for the Tampines Bus Package proposal, taking into account both price and quality factors
- Offered cost savings for LTA compared to the current contract
- Initiatives that would help to raise the industry’s capabilities for large-scale electric bus deployment, building on its UK Group’s experience and expertise in operating the largest fleet of electric buses in London:
— Work with the Singapore Bus Academy to establish a Satellite Centre of Excellence in Singapore to facilitate knowledge transfer and build expertise in electric bus operations for the industry. The centre will develop a team of skilled local electric bus specialists to support Singapore’s transition to a cleaner energy public bus fleet.
— Utilise AI-driven tools to aid Service Controllers in regulating intervals between buses and controlling bus deployment, helping to reduce bus bunching and improve service reliability - Commuter-friendly initiatives, such as ‘Caring Corners’ at bus interchanges and ‘Baby on board’ badges for pregnant commuters
- Programmes to enhance staff welfare through comprehensive programmes focusing on health, safety, and professional development
The Go-Ahead Group Limited (Go-Ahead Singapore) submitted both a base proposal and an alternative proposal for the Tampines Bus Package, both of which were compliant. LTA awarded the tender to the alternative proposal by The Go-Ahead Group Limited.
With the award of the Tampines contract, Go-Ahead Singapore will expand to over 2,000 staff members and operate a total fleet of more than 800 buses, including over 270 zero-emission vehicles, with scope to introduce further electric buses during the contract period.
Transition of impacted workers
Current SBS Transit employees from the Tampines Bus Package will be protected by the Public Transport Tripartite Committee’s Guidelines on Good Employment Practices in the Public Bus Industry and must be offered a job by Go-Ahead Singapore, the incoming operator, at employment terms that are no worse off than their current employment terms.
In addition, Go-Ahead Singapore has also committed to ensuring that the remuneration for the current workforce remains competitive.
Affected employees can also choose to join Go-Ahead Singapore or be redeployed by their current employer (SBS Transit), where feasible.
Bid Prices
The tender for the Tampines Bus Package was called on 19 December 2024. The awarded tenderer and its corresponding contract sum are highlighted in red.
| No. | Company | Base | Alternative |
Alternative 2 |
| 1 | Bravo Transport Holdings Limited | ^ | — | — |
| 2 | SBS Transit Ltd | $596,016,898.92 | $586,029,129.17^ | — |
| 3 | SMRT Buses Ltd | $613,495,283.00 | — | — |
| 4 | The Go-Ahead Group Limited | $651,343,327.61 | $646,244,809.73 | — |
| 5 | Tower Transit Singapore Pte. Ltd. | $617,021,481.00 | $610,453,915.00 | $615,455,246.00 |
^ = Bravo Transport Holdings Limited’s base bid and SBS Transit Ltd’s alternative bid were not considered in the price evaluation.
The tender submissions were evaluated based on a two-envelope process, which looked at both quality and price factors. The price submissions were only opened after the quality evaluation was completed. This two-envelope process ensures that LTA gets the best value-for-money proposal without compromising on quality.
According to the LTA, it placed greater emphasis on the proposal’s quality, particularly in electric bus operations and maintenance capabilities, given the large-scale electric bus deployment in this package.
LTA also retains the option to extend the contract by between two and five years, beyond the end of the initial five-year term.
References
- LTA Awards Tampines Bus Package to Go-Ahead Singapore – Land Transport Authority
- Go-Ahead expands in Singapore with major new contract – The Go-Ahead Group
Back to Tampines Bus Package
Good that SBST lost, they thoroughly bungled up the rollout of e-buses. SWDEP not ready in time and have to tap on HGDEP and AMDEP to host them for a while, then unable to roll them out fast enough and be forced to extend aging K230UB units that are in poor condition and not environmentally friendly. Tried to pawn them off to SMRT but they were in so bad condition they handed them back. Hope LTA doesn’t allow them to play the same game of chicken with GAS again.
SBST in the future would only keep these 3 packages:
– Ulu pandan (Will forever be SBST due to cross border 160 170, since that asset would need to be re-registered under the company for SPAD, too troublesome)
– Sengkang – Hougang (Like it or not, its SBST. Been dragged from 2021 to 2024, and then further dragged again despite SWDEP being ready. But with the closure of AMDEP, SBST staff shifted to SWDEP. If SBST loses this, they have no where to go basically, no admin bldg. UPDEP? Overcrowded)
– Serangoon – Eunos (I still believe it is going to use Lorong Halus and not Kim Chuan. Given both SK-HG and SRG-EU are north-east based, it would make sense for them to be under 1 operator, just like what they planned to do for Loyang and Tampines. Thats why GAS won. If not, LTA would had given to the lower bid).
Go_Ahead would need better fitters to better improve their current deployment process. Buses not scored too well and in the past relying too much on odometer with stone seats. 36. No more SG10xx buses for years. Invalid fuel consumption concerns. No A95s on 2. How would G-AS over maintain SBST assets, opposite of SMRT SLBP.
LTA should award bus packages to local operators like SMRT and SBST instead of TTS and GAS.
LTA thinks greatly about our former colonial rulers, there’s why this contract, despite of the highest bidder goes to Go ahead Singapore. Wonder how Go Ahead UK, with about 540 electric buses, can help us in the operations of the EV buses, given the different environment and climatic conditions? The best mentor should be these electric buses manufacturers, as they know the most optimal methods to operate, charge and maintain their buses in different countries.
Actually Changi Village and Airport should be under Tampines Package too
I got a feeling that 646m will include Changi Airport and Village Terminal in future… 2 and 36 might be into Tampines Package only Loyang move to Lor Halus.
sv36 fated to be cut someday…