Singapore’s newest electric buses will soon undergo modifications, following passenger complaints about high steps and raised seating areas.
According to a Shin Min Daily News article (2 Oct 2025), the changes come after complaints from elderly commuters about high steps and raised seating areas. Modifications will be carried out from October 2025.
Passenger Complaints
Passengers interviewed by Shin Min agreed that priority seats on the new buses are hard to access. Many are installed on raised platforms, requiring a tall step that can be difficult for seniors or those carrying items. In one case, a commuter said they saw an elderly man nearly fall while stepping down. The same interviewee observed that some elderly riders simply choose to stand rather than climb onto the raised seats.
The buses in question
The models affected are the BYD BC12A04 and Zhongtong LCK6126EVG. A total of 420 units—300 from BYD and 120 from Zhongtong—were procured by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in 2023.
Inside, each bus has 12 priority seats in the front section. While four are on the flat floor level, the remaining eight sit above the front wheel wells, requiring passengers to climb a high step.
In the rear section, where another 4 priority seats are located after the middle door, steps can be as tall as 33 cm due to the sloping floor. For comparison, older low-entry buses such as the Scania K230UB and staircases on double-deckers, generally do not exceed 23 cm.
LTA media responses
In response to Shin Min Daily News on 2 October 2025, an LTA spokesperson explained that the raised steps are a result of the buses’ fully low-floor design. To keep the passenger cabin step-free, manufacturers place components such as wheel wells and batteries under the floor, which makes some seating platforms higher.
To address commuter concerns, LTA confirmed that modifications will start in October 2025. The goal is to ensure steps do not exceed 23 cm, in line with current bus designs. This will be done by raising the floorboard height, and in the long term, by improving battery density so smaller batteries can be used.
Further reporting by The Straits Times published on 30 October 2025 added that buses will be taken out of service for one to two weeks each during phased modifications to minimise service disruptions. The article also mentioned that LTA had dropped the mandatory Full Low-Floor Requirement for 660 New Electric Buses.
LTA also clarified that plans to address the step height were already in progress before the report was published in Shin Min on 2 October. It also did not provide the total cost of the modification works when asked.
These adjustments represent a significant redesign for buses already in mass production. Still, the move highlights a willingness to adapt to passenger feedback—especially from seniors who rely on public transport.
Where these buses are deployed
As of October 2025, these electric buses are currently deployed out of the following depots:
- Sengkang West Bus Depot – Deployed on Hougang and Sengkang area services, such as:
51, 80, 86, 102, 107, 112, 113, 115, 116, 151, 153, 159, 163, 324, 325, 329, 371, 372 & 374 - Bulim Bus Depot – Bus services 66 & 77
- Loyang Bus Depot – Bus service 15
- Gali Batu Bus Depot – Bus service 75, 300, 307
In response to press enquiries, the LTA said that about 170 of the 420 electric buses are already on the roads, with the rest expected to enter service by the end of the year.
Interior
External Links & References
- 年长乘客：新巴士座位太高 上下不便险摔倒 – 新明日报 [Accessed 2 Oct 2025]
- LTA to lower step heights on new electric buses | The Straits Times [Accessed 30 Oct 2025] (Photo of modified BYD appeared in print; photo of modified Zhongtong from online article)
And I like how they didnt state the total expected cost of the modification works. Would probably well exceeded the bid price of some other notable companies like mercedes or volvo.
E bus sounds cool, but running it is another nightmare. Wait till you see the whoke bunch of byd buses and cars depleted the useful life of their batteries. All these batteries will have to be scrapped. Call that green, huh !
All these new buses really bad 🥴🥶New so what, seat layout so terrible n dangerous. My area all these new buses. Once a few aunties tried to climb up the high seat end up all give up and stand instead. One uncle even offered to lift one aunty up 🤭so jialat😅🤣😂. I am also senior, everyday
I have trouble getting up and the worst part getting down.
To add on, they seem pretty unreliable too. Hougang interchange for instance, they always have a standby citaro that is parked near the berth of 51 151 and 324.
Constantly being deployed everywhere and then replace the standby taro with another citaro from depot.
Just today, in the morning SBS6088J. Evening became SBS6205M. Always getting pulled to do random service because the E-bus got issue. 6205M was pulled to 325.