Could this mean less jerky rides around Singapore, finally?
United Kingdom-based Tower Transit edged out 11 bidders that included SMRT and SBS Transit and will be operating the new Bulim Bus Depot in Jurong starting from the second quarter of 2016.
There were also bidders from France, China and Australia. This makes Tower Transit the first foreign company to operate public transport services in the Little Red Dot. It won the bid because it had the highest combined total score for quality and price, said the Land Transport Authority in a news release.
Tower Transit, which runs the iconic red buses in London, will get an estimated total fee of SGD556-million over the five-year contract period to run the services, reports Karamjit Kaur in The Straits Times. It was set up in 2013 by shareholders of Transit Systems, which has operated public bus networks in Australia since 1996.
It will operate, manage and maintain the buses and their onboard equipment provided by LTA. The 26 bus services under its purview are 41, 49, 66, 77, 78, 79, 96, 97, 97e, 98, 106, 143, 173, 177, 183, 189, 282, 284, 285, 333, 334, 335, 941, 945, 947 and 990.
The current fleet of 290 buses serving the zone is expected to grow to about 380. More than 400 bus captains who will be affected will be offered employment at current or better terms. The UK firm says it will recognize the National Transport Workers' Union, according to a Channel NewsAsia report.
Photo: Transport News Brief
Could this mean less jerky rides around Singapore, finally?
United Kingdom-based Tower Transit edged out 11 bidders that included SMRT and SBS Transit and will be operating the new Bulim Bus Depot in Jurong starting from the second quarter of 2016.
There were also bidders from France, China and Australia. This makes Tower Transit the first foreign company to operate public transport services in the Little Red Dot. It won the bid because it had the highest combined total score for quality and price, said the Land Transport Authority in a news release.
Tower Transit, which runs the iconic red buses in London, will get an estimated total fee of SGD556-million over the five-year contract period to run the services, reports Karamjit Kaur in The Straits Times. It was set up in 2013 by shareholders of Transit Systems, which has operated public bus networks in Australia since 1996.
It will operate, manage and maintain the buses and their onboard equipment provided by LTA. The 26 bus services under its purview are 41, 49, 66, 77, 78, 79, 96, 97, 97e, 98, 106, 143, 173, 177, 183, 189, 282, 284, 285, 333, 334, 335, 941, 945, 947 and 990.
The current fleet of 290 buses serving the zone is expected to grow to about 380. More than 400 bus captains who will be affected will be offered employment at current or better terms. The UK firm says it will recognize the National Transport Workers' Union, according to a Channel NewsAsia report.
Photo: Transport News Brief