On 1 September 2024, SBS Transit officially handed over operations at Soon Lee Bus Depot to SMRT Buses, closing a chapter in Singapore’s public transport history.
Since its opening in 2002, the depot, also known as Soon Lee Bus Park, served as Singapore’s first multi-storey bus park. It provided essential maintenance, refuelling, and garaging facilities for SBS Transit buses in the Jurong West region.
The handover to SMRT Buses marks a new phase for the depot, as it continues to support Singapore’s bus network under new management.
Brief History
Soon Lee Depot was constructed by SBS Transit for $57 million, replacing the former Jurong Depot at 4 Penjuru Road, while also being designed to accommodate future expansions of the bus fleet. It was officially opened on 8 August 2002.
The facility spans three floors, with the ground floor dedicated to refuelling, washing, and maintenance activities, while the upper floors provide bus parking space. The depot also includes administrative offices and the Bus Operations Control Center (BOCC) for SBS Transit’s West District, which oversaw buses from Bukit Batok Depot, Ayer Rajah Bus Park, and Hougang Depot.
The depot is also a route terminus for Bus Services 185, 502 and 502A, a legacy of the SBS Transit era route planning that included bus depots as terminating points for bus routes.
Service 185, running between Soon Lee Depot and Buona Vista, was introduced in December 2006, while Express Services 502 and 502A were extended from Pioneer Road North to Soon Lee Depot in February 2009.
Sale & Transfer to LTA
In June 2022, SBS Transit signed an agreement with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to sell and transfer Soon Lee Bus Depot in 2024. This move aligns with the Bus Contracting Model, under which LTA owns all operating assets, including bus depots.
This transaction marked the first time an existing operator-owned bus depot was sold to LTA as part of the BCM rollout. Previously, route packages were based out of newly constructed depots built by LTA.
On 18 August 2023, LTA announced that SMRT Buses had been awarded the Jurong West Bus Package, and would therefore assume operations of the depot in September 2024.
Despite the transfer of the anchor operator, SBS Transit maintains a small presence at Soon Lee as a tenant operator. Bus services such as 30, 99, 174, and 198 continue to be housed at Soon Lee.
Unique Fleet
Soon Lee Bus Depot garaged 12 Volvo B10BLE CNG buses for most of their lifespan, commonly deploying them on Services 66, 105, 143, 157, 183, and 243G/W. These buses were refuelled at commercial CNG stations located at Jurong Island and Toh Tuck. In late February 2017, all the buses were transferred to Bukit Batok Bus Depot, where they remained until their retirement in 2019.
Soon Lee was also formerly home to Volvo B10M Mark IV (PSV Soon Chow) buses from 2004 to 2011. Ten of these buses were transferred from SBS Leisure, where they had previously operated on Sentosa bus routes. While two of the buses were converted into training vehicles for Hougang Depot, the remaining eight were garaged at Soon Lee Depot and deployed on Service 78 until they reached the end of their lifespan.
Another unique bus model associated with Soon Lee was the Volvo Olympian 2-Axle. In the mid-2000s, as non-air-conditioned (NAC) buses were being phased out across Singapore, the last remaining NAC buses—Volvo Olympian 2-Axles—were all transferred to Soon Lee Depot. Close to 100 of these buses were deployed on Jurong Industrial Services until they reached the end of their lifespan in 2011. Some of these buses were granted a two-year lifespan extension and were retired in 2013.
Soon Lee Depot also garaged several notable demonstrator buses, such as the Volvo B7RLE (SBS8030L) between 2007 and 2016, and Scania K230UB (SBS8033D) between 2007 and 2016, before both buses were converted to SBS Transit’s training fleet.
Short-lived trials of the Sunlong SLK6121UF14H hybrid buses (SBS8000Z & SBS8001X) between 2010 and 2012, and the Volvo B5RLE Hybrid (SBS8002T) in 2015, were also based out of Soon Lee.
SBS Transit/SMRT appreciation post
SBS Transit reflected on its past two decades in a Facebook post on 31 August 2024, celebrating its success as Singapore’s first multi-storey bus park and the contributions of staff members.
SMRT highlighted its preparation efforts for the transition, including safety training for Bus Captains, and the introduction of new tech features like bus telematics and AI-enabled CCTV cameras for bus interchanges. SMRT, LTA and NTWU senior figures were also present at Soon Lee Depot.
As we bid farewell to SBS Transit’s operations at Soon Lee Bus Depot, we also celebrate the countless memories and milestones achieved over the past two decades. More than just a place of operations; it has been vital to supporting the daily journeys of thousands of commuters in Singapore’s west.
With SMRT Buses stepping in to continue this legacy, we welcome the new chapter with optimism, confident that the depot will remain a cornerstone of efficient and reliable public transport in the Jurong West region, now and in the years to come.
What i heard,Heard only 30 Updep Bndep,99 full Bbdep,174 full Updep & 198 full Updep.
Before smrt took over boon lay they had 172, 178, 180 & 187 there will those services use the ex-sbs buses?
To be fair, Tower Transit and Go Ahead are using buses formerly belonging to SMRT and SBS Transit that were on the same bus routes as last time. This is a new normal. Next time, if SBS Transit take over Choa Chu Kang-Bukit Panjang bus routes, or Woodlands bus routes, it would also be the same: use buses formerly belonging to SMRT on the same bus routes as currently. (Nonetheless, this is just a fictitious scenario.)
Those bus routes that are tendered out, are essentially just change of management only. The assets are largely remain the same. The competition in the BCM, is about the management ability, about who can operate the most efficiently. The resources all government owned and leased out to the operators to manage.
When will Sengkang-Hougang Bus Package be up for tender? The contract expired today but there isn’t any news regarding it.
That being said, I hope GAS doesn’t win SKHG.
The thing is, Sengkang west depot recently just completed, with an closed opening being held inside the depot from a Facebook post I saw.
But no official announcement yet.
Okay, thanks for the update.
Looking at the pictures, this year the new depots at Sengkang West and East Coast are ready. East Coast Depot is quite near to the existing Bedok North Depot.
The next bus packages to put up for tender are definitely SK-HG, and either BD or TP. My guess is TP.
BD, may just continue to use Bedok North Depot until a new depot is available. The other upcoming new depots at Kim Chuan (more likely for Eunos-Serangoon) and Lorong Halus (more likely for Hougang) are quite far away from Bedok region.
Quite likely,
Oct/Nov this year – SKHG and TP packages put up for tender.
Around Aug next year – award tender.
June or September 2026 – begin tender.
From what i heard,BDK & TAM get extended with an average of 3 years….SKG-HGN most probably will open tender by year end.East Coast Depot is likely for Bedok with a bit of reshuffle of bus service especially 47 absorb into Bedok.Lorong Halus is for Loyang as the land is reserved for industrial…High chance svc 2 & 36 will go into Bedok package instead.SKG-HGN most probably will use Sengkang West Depot.Tampines for the time being use Bedok North until LTA find a suitable location for the new depot.
My reason for guessing Bedok bus package put on hold is because of Paya Lebar Air Base. Notice still got one more new depot required in the east region. I guess that one more new depot will be in Paya Lebar Air Base area.
One new bus depot costs so much money to build. Unlikely will just use for 10+ years then throw away. Soon Lee Depot tenure 30 years from 2000 to 2030. Last time SMRT Ang Mo Kio depot used from 1985 to 2021 (36 years) then throw away.
Can only be musical chair swap depot. Otherwise, same package throughout the lifespan of the depot.
Soon Lee Bus Depot land tenure 30 years, from 1st April 2000.
Supposedly the intended lifespan would be 30 years. (360 months)
Already 24 years 5 months in. (293 months)
Remaining intended lifespan = 5 years 7 months. (67 months)
(67/360) x $57 million = $10.6 million
That time Bulim Bus Depot constructed for S$87.5 million. In use since 2014. 10 years already, and it’s only intended to be temporary facility, to be replaced by Tengah Bus Depot next time in 2027. By then, Bulim Bus Depot would be in use for 13 years.
Based on Soon Lee Bus Depot, the intended lifespan of a bus depot is probably 30 years.
Bulim Bus Depot will still have a useful life of 17 years come 2027.
Meanwhile, Soon Lee Bus Depot useful life until 2030. Jurong West Bus Package 1st tender until 2029, Bulim Bus Package 2nd tender until 2026 (probably extend one year to 2027, so that 3rd tender can rename to Tengah Bus Package and relocate to Tengah Bus Depot).
Actually, got possibility that since Bulim Bus Depot will still have 17 years of useful life in 2027 when it will be replaced by Tengah Bus Depot, Bulim Bus Depot may be renamed to Jurong West Bus Depot and take in Jurong West Bus Package.
Although they say Bulim Bus Depot is only temporary, why spend $87.5 million to build a bus depot that only intend to use for 13 years, when Soon Lee Bus Depot was built for $57 million to use for 30 years (I know, inflation from 2000 SLBD to 2014 BLBD)?
Likewise for Ulu Pandan Bus Depot. I believe UPBD and BLBD, although meant to be temporary only, considering the hefty investment poured into these two depots, they will be reused for Clementi Bus Package and Jurong West Bus Package eventually, and really be used for 30 years, instead of just 11 to 13 years. (UPBD 2018, moving to PPBD in 2029)
The above are my honest opinion.
Clementi will have its own depot integrated with the Ulu Pandan MRT depot.Pasir Panjang will replaced Ulu Pandan bus depot.Soon Lee will be replaced by the new integrated Tuas CRL depot.LTA doesn’t give a hoot about spending unnecessary cash as they knew their investment will repay back.
The future CRL Tuas depot, the construction haven’t even break ground. Even if now announced, earliest also around 2035 onwards then will be completed.
That’s like, 3rd tender of JW package then will ready, if really got bus depot at Tuas CRL depot.
So, high chance, they will just move to Bulim depot eventually, and most probably no bus depot at Tuas CRL depot. (where do you all even get the information that there will be bus depot co-located at CRL Tuas depot?)
Hopefully this would help everyone to think clearly and realistically.
Planned bus depot in Tuas co-located with Cross Island Line rail depot, on the site of the former Raffles Country Club [Link]
So much for your realistic
Soon Lee is built by SBST and under BCM all bus depots will be built by LTA…So LTA is making all the decisions be it demolished for less than 10-15 years its their choice.