Acting Minister for Transport, Mr Chee Hong Tat, has announced that contracts to deliver 360 new electric buses, as well as the necessary electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, have been awarded to four companies across Singapore.
Announced at the Singapore BusTech/RailTech Grand Challenge, 240 electric three-door single-deck buses are set to be delivered by BYD (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., with the remaining 120 to be provided by Cycle & Carriage Automotive Pte. Limited.
The required EV charging systems, which will be located in bus depots in Sengkang West, East Coast and Gali Batu will be developed and deployed by Busways Pte Ltd/ Shell Singapore Pte Ltd Consortium and Presico Engineering Pte Ltd respectively.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) evaluated tender submissions based on a two-envelope process, which involved looking at both the quality and price factors of each prospective bidder, with prices only revealed after the quality assessment was fully completed.
For the electric bus tenders, the criteria included the tenderer’s experience and track record, with technical specifications of the proposed bus, as well as compliance with local regulation, factored into the quality evaluation.
The contracts include an option to procure an additional 60 buses if desired.
Quality evaluation for the charging system tender focused on the prospective contractor’s project management plans and track record, alongside the technical aspects of the design and deployment of charging infrastructure, which adhere to Singapore’s technical standards. The new charging systems will be equipped with smart charging functions, and encompass features such as real-time monitoring, diagnostics, control and reporting.
The new electric bus fleet is set to be incrementally deployed from the start of December 2024, replacing existing diesel buses reaching obsolescence. They will be equipped with a passenger information display system, integrated CCTV-collision warning system, driver anti-fatigue measures and a tyre pressure monitoring system.
By 2030, LTA intends to convert half of its public bus fleet to EVs, with a 100% zero-emission fleet target of 2040 hoped to be achieved through additional large-scale tenders for electric buses in the years to come.
