52 Tower Transit buses to be equipped with AEDs
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AEDs will be installed on 52 buses covering service routes 78, 79 and 98, which serve Jurong East, Clementi and Boon Lay.
PHOTOS: SCDF
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- About two years ago, a Tower Transit bus captain tried in vain to resuscitate a passenger who had a cardiac arrest on bus service 143.
- On Oct 28, SCDF and Tower Transit launched "AED-on-Buses", equipping 52 buses with AEDs, which may improve a cardiac arrest victim's chances of survival by up to 60 per cent.
- The bus company hopes to collaborate with their partners to explore the potential of installing AEDs across their fleet.
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SINGAPORE – While driving bus service 143 along Teban Gardens on Sept 5, 2023, Tower Transit bus captain Shanmugam Ramasamy noticed something was amiss when a regular passenger did not press the bell before his usual stop.
Mr Shanmugam checked his mirror and saw that the elderly man was unconscious, with his head tilted backwards.
Realising that the man had had a cardiac arrest, Mr Shanmugam asked another regular passenger who works as a nurse for help. They pulled the elderly man out of the bus and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him for about 15 minutes.
Despite their best efforts, they were unable to save the man.
Recalling being shaken by the man’s death, Mr Shanmugam said: “I would see him three times a week, and he was a very jovial man who always wore a batik shirt. I often spoke to him whenever I helped him board the bus. We also shared the same birthday.”
Mr Shanmugam Ramasamy was shaken by the death of a regular passenger in his bus.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
To prevent such incidents from happening in the future, the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Tower Transit launched the AED-on-Buses programme at Bulim Bus Depot in Jurong West on Oct 28.
An AED (automated external defibrillator) is a portable medical device that analyses a person’s heart rhythm and delivers an electrical shock to restart a normal heartbeat during a sudden cardiac arrest.
Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming, who attended the launch as the guest of honour, noted the crucial roles of AEDs in saving the lives of cardiac arrest victims.
He said: “Every minute of delay and a victim’s chance of survival drops by 7 per cent to 10 per cent. This is why making AEDs readily accessible, and ensuring our community is confident to use them, is vital.
“Today’s launch will further enhance the community’s capability and capacity to respond to cardiac arrest incidents and to save lives.”
According to the Singapore Heart Foundation, more than 3,000 people suffer from sudden cardiac arrest every year.
Mr Goh said that AEDs will be installed on 52 buses covering service routes 78, 79 and 98, which serve Jurong East, Clementi and Boon Lay.
The bus company hopes to collaborate with their partners to explore the potential of installing AEDs across their fleet.
Mr Goh Pei Ming, Minister of State for Ministry of Home Affairs, noted the crucial roles of AEDs in saving the lives of cardiac arrest victims.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
Tower Transit managing director Winston Toh said: “By equipping our buses with AEDs, particularly on routes that serve industrial estates, we’re extending access to life-saving equipment where they may not be easily accessible.
“Our bus captains on these routes are also being trained as first responders, enhancing their ability to assist in emergencies.”
Tower Transit bus captain Muhammad Suhawi Selamat (right) performing CPR during a scenario exercise conducted by SCDF and Tower Transit.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
The AEDs can be used by Tower Transit bus captains or passengers to resuscitate cardiac arrest victims before SCDF paramedics arrive.
AED-on-Buses also enables members of the public who are community first responders to be activated via the myResponder app, which also highlights the location of AEDs nearby.
Tower Transit bus captains involved in the AED-on-Buses programme have attended SCDF’s Responders Plus Programme, which trains them to perform first aid, CPR and fire fighting.
A Tower Transit spokesperson said 44 bus captains have been trained as first responders under the AED-on-Buses programme. There are plans to train more than 200 of them.
Tower Transit is the second bus company to join the AED-on-Buses programme after SBS Transit, which joined in November 2024. It was reported then that 53 SBS buses have AEDs.
The AED-on-Buses programme is part of SCDF’s AED-on-Wheels programme introduced in November 2015.
It started by equipping vehicles from ComfortDelGro, Ninja Van and Grab with AEDs, and training drivers to perform CPR and basic first aid. They are also taught how to use AEDs.
The addition of the 52 Tower Transit buses brings the total number of vehicles in the AED-on-Wheels programme to 543.
As at Oct 1, 2025, drivers under the AED-on-Wheels programme have attended to 1,119 myResponder cases, which include incidents of cardiac arrest and minor fires.
Under the SCDF’s Save-A-Life initiative, there are more than 5,400 AEDs at HDB blocks and condominiums in Singapore.
Correction note: An earlier version of the story said that Tower Transit plans to install AEDs on their entire fleet of buses. The company has since clarified that it hopes to explore the potential of doing so with their partners.
