More Electric Buses on Singaporean Roads: What You Need to Know

Singapore supports the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development. As a small country with limited land and no natural resources, Singapore understands the importance of sustainable development and is currently rolling out greener and more sustainable modes of transportation. As part of a whole-of-nation movement to advance Singapore’s national agenda on sustainable development, Singapore is deploying new fully electric buses for public transportation. The government is planning to make all 5,800 public buses run on cleaner energy by 2040.

Deployment of New Electric Buses - What You Need to Know

Who supplied them?
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will procure 60 electric buses under a tender awarded in October 2018 to various transportation technology companies. LTA is buying 20 single-deck electric buses each from BYD and ST Engineering Land Systems. 10 single-deck and 10 double-deck electric buses will be provided by the Yutong-NARI Consortium.

Who is running the new electric buses?

Twenty of the new single-deck buses have been deployed in August 2021 on routes served by services 38 and 40 run by SBS Transit from Bedok Interchange and routes served by services 176 and 976 operated by SMRT from Bukit Panjang Interchange.

In April 2020, the first 10 Yutong electric single-deck public buses entered passenger service, followed by five BYD electric single-deck public buses in July 2020. 10 more Yutong electric double-deck buses entered Singapore roadson 27 October 2020.

In line with LTA’s initiative to introduce greener public bus fleets with reduced carbon footprint, SMRT launched electric minibuses and 12-metre buses in 2020 for services 825, 944, and 983. These electric minibuses are equipped with a wheelchair-lifting mechanism to allow wheelchair users to take these buses.

Apart from electric buses, the public transport operator, SMRT is launching electric taxis. Commenting on the electric taxi fleet, SMRT CEO, Neo Kian Hong, said, “Sustainability is a key aspect of our growth strategy. In line with the Singapore Green Plan 2030, our Roads Group, through its Strides Mobility brand, is committed to providing best-in-class mobility solutions with the lowest carbon footprint. Our taxi fleet became fully hybrid last year, and we have plans to convert our entire taxi fleet to electric vehicles in five years, commencing with the recent purchase of 300 MG 5 electric cars.”

What is the benefit of these electric buses?

Electric bus fleets have 50% fewer emissions than diesel buses. They have 50% fuel cost savings per kilometre. The 60 fully electric buses together are expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 8,000 tonnes a year. This is equivalent to the annual CO2 tailpipe emissions of 1,700 passenger cars.

Electric buses also generate lower decibels of noise than typical Euro 6 diesel buses. This means quieter journeys for commuters.

Conclusion

The existing diesel buses have a certain lifespan. Removing them completely from the roads would be wasteful. While they continue to run on Singaporean roads, electric buses have started to make entries to support the country’s sustainable dream. Though the number of electric buses used for public transport is small now, it will increase in numbers in the years to come. The government, LTA, and public transport operators like SMRT, SBS Transit, and more will work together to make Singapore’s transport system a sustainable system by 2030.