SINGAPORE - The Land Transport Authority will be building a new bus depot off Yio Chu Kang Road to accommodate an expanding fleet.

The Sungei Seletar depot will be beside the Seletar Expressway and Sungei Seletar Simpang Kiri river.

The LTA called a tender on Friday for the project, which is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2017. It is designed to accommodate about 500 buses.

Singapore's public bus fleet is growing, on the back of the billion-dollar state-funded Bus Service Enhancement Programme and the new government contracting model.

The new depot will be equipped with facilities for repair and maintenance as well as a rest area for drivers. It will also have a canteen.

An access road will also be built to serve the depot.

Besides bus depots, the government has built bus parks to support the additional buses. The public bus fleet is expected to grow from around 4,600 today to 5,400 by 2017.