New bus service between Jurong West & CBD to launch
in 2013
SINGAPORE: Commuters travelling between Jurong West
and the Central Business District (CBD) during peak periods will be
served by a new City Direct bus service, to be rolled out under the
Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP) in the third quarter of
2013.
City Direct will provide a direct alternative for
Jurong West train commuters travelling to the
CBD.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said with limited
stops and the use of the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), the journey
time by City Direct is expected to be comparable to taking a feeder
service and transferring to a MRT train to the city.
The new service will operate on weekday mornings, excluding public
holidays, during peak hours from Jurong West to the city.
In the evening peak hours, the service will operate the return trip
from the city to Jurong West.
Details of the new route are being worked out and are expected to
be finalised in December 2012.
The LTA will call a tender in December, when the route is
finalised, to invite private bus operators to submit their cost
proposals for the new bus service.
The tendering process will allow the most cost-efficient operator
to win operation rights for the service.
The move follows the government's announcement at the Committee of
Supply 2012 to explore the feasibility of engaging private bus
operators to run selected aspects of the BSEP on a limited scale
during peak hours to complement BSEP capacity improvements to
existing bus services.
To support City Direct, LTA is calling a tender on Wednesday, for
the provision of a private bus operator payment system to support
fare collection for the new service.
- CNA/xq
