The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is putting more buses on the
road to help commuters get around. Under the Bus Service
Enhancement Programme (BSEP), LTA partners public bus operators to
significantly increase bus capacity and enhance bus service levels
to benefit commuters.
From the original 550 buses, the BSEP has expanded by another
450 buses, bringing the total to 1,000 new Government-funded buses.
The expanded BSEP will also provide more resources to double the
number of new routes from 40 announced previously to 80. Bus
crowdedness and waiting times will also be progressively improved,
especially during peak periods. Bus commuters will enjoy a shorter
waiting time and more space on board. Majority of the BSEP
improvements will be implemented by end 2016.
Doubling of
Government-funded BSEP buses from 550 to 1,000
As announced by the Minister for Transport during the 2014
Committee of Supply debate, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will
partner the public bus operators (PTOs) SBS Transit Ltd and SMRT
Buses Ltd to expand the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP)
and introduce another 450 buses from 2015 to 2017, with the bulk of
the improvements to be completed by end 2016.
This will bring the total number of Government-funded buses to
1,000, from the original 550 announced in 2012. Together with the
buses injected by the PTOs, as well as the City Direct Services
(CDS) and Peak Period Short Services (PPSS) run by private bus
operators, it will increase Singapore’s total bus fleet available
for public bus services by 35%. The expanded BSEP will provide more
resources to double the number of new routes from 40 announced
previously to 80, and allow LTA to introduce more frequent feeder
services as the next priority focus for the BSEP. Bus crowdedness
and waiting times will also be progressively brought down,
especially during peak periods.
As at end February 2014, about 320 of the 550 BSEP buses funded
by the Government have entered service; with the remaining 230
buses to be on the road by end 2014, two years ahead of
schedule.
Better
connectivity with new bus services
With the additional buses, the number of new bus services will
double from 40 to 80 under BSEP. Many of the new routes will be
feeder routes or short trunks to serve new areas of developments in
HDB towns, connecting residents to the key transport nodes like MRT
stations and bus interchanges, as well as key community and
commercial facilities in the neighbourhood.
The implementation of these new routes will be coordinated with
the completion of new developments. Areas with new Built-to-Order
(BTO) flats such as Sengkang, Punggol, Yishun and Choa Chu Kang,
will typically see more new routes, while the remaining routes will
be distributed across the island to improve local connectivity.
Details of these routes will be provided when ready.
Of the 80 new bus routes, about 20 will be CDS operated by the
private bus operators. Making use of the expressways, CDS offer
commuters a direct connection from major HDB towns to the Central
Business District (CBD). To date, seven CDS have been implemented
and another three will be launched by third quarter 2014. The rest
will be rolled out progressively from 2015.
The 80 new bus routes will boost the number of bus services by
30%, from 278 before BSEP was implemented.
Better service
levels for commuters
Commuters can also expect more frequent, more reliable and less
crowded buses under the expanded BSEP. Priority will be given to
improving the frequencies of existing feeder bus services during
peak hours. By 2017, buses will be added to about 8 out of 10
feeder bus services.
With this additional capacity, PTOs will be required to deliver
higher service standards. Prior to BSEP, operators were required to
operate at least 90% of feeder bus services at not more than
10-minute scheduled intervals during the one-hour peak periods in
the morning and evening. Under the BSEP, 95% of feeder services
will be required to operate at 10-minute intervals during the
two-hour morning and evening peak periods by end 2014, and this
requirement will be further tightened to 100% of feeder services
operating at not more than 8-minute intervals by 2017 when the
expanded BSEP is completed.
LTA will continue to engage various stakeholders and the
community to improve commuter experiences, while balancing the
transport needs from different parts of Singapore, given the
available resources.
Reference
Land Transport Authority of Singapore, 2015. Bus Service
Enhancement Programme [image]. Singapore: Land Transport
Authority of Singapore. Available from: http://www.mytransport.sg/ [Accessed 22 November
2015].
Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), 2015
[online]. Available from: http://www.mytransport.sg/ [Accessed 22 November
2015].
Land Transport Authority of Singapore, 2015. Expansion Of
The Bus Service Enhancement Programme [online]. Available
from: http://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=d404f5a4-a57d-45b1-b7cb-bd019638b10a
[Accessed 22 November 2015].