The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded tenders worth $50 million in total to three firms for 60 electric buses in its latest move to introduce more green vehicles for public transport.
The buses will arrive in Singapore from next year, with the final batch delivered in 2020, LTA said in a statement yesterday. Details concerning the deployment of the buses will be announced closer to the implementation date, it added.
BYD (Singapore) and ST Engineering Land Systems were each awarded contracts for 20 single-deck electric buses worth $17 million and $15 million, respectively.
Yutong-NARI Consortium was awarded an $18 million contract for 10 single-deck and 10 double-deck electric buses.
LTA said it awarded the tender to multiple suppliers to test out the different charging technologies available in the market.
It considered various aspects when evaluating bids, including relevant experience, track record, technical capabilities, flexibility of solutions, adherence to requirements and compliance with local regulations.
The procurement of the electric buses is part of the authority's efforts to build a more environmentally friendly public bus fleet, LTA added.
"These buses will also be equipped with new passenger information display systems, which provide commuters with audio and visual information about their journey," it said.
The announcement yesterday is a further step in the Government's plans to make public buses more environmentally friendly.
LTA first tested an electric bus on a public route two years ago.
The Straits Times reported in August 2016 that LTA was working with Shenzhen-based BYD and bus operator Go-Ahead Singapore on a six-month trial for such buses.
It was announced in Parliament in March last year that LTA would be expanding its trial of green buses by calling tenders to buy 50 hybrid buses and 60 electric buses.
Then Second Minister for Transport Ng Chee Meng said: "A problem with pure-electric technology is that it is not fully proven yet for tropical climates, in part because vehicles operating here consume a lot of energy for air-conditioning."
In October the same year, the authority said it was planning to buy 50 Volvo diesel-electric hybrid buses for $30 million.
