THE STRAITS
TIMES 7 September 2010
SBS buys 300 step-free buses
BUS operator SBS Transit is adding 600 new buses to its fleet
from next year. Of these, 300 are elderly-friendly single-deck
buses which do not have steps.
The new Mercedes Citaro buses will have a
single-level aisle along the length of the vehicle so the elderly
can make their way more easily.
The other bus operator, SMRT, currently has one
Citaro bus on trial till next year. It is currently collecting
passenger feedback about the bus.
SBS said the 300 stepless buses cost $110 million.
It is also buying another 300 double-decker buses from Volvo for
$158 million.
The latest purchase brings its total investment in
new buses over the last five years to $854 million and is part of
the transport company's ongoing fleet renewal programme.
SBS Transit chief executive officer Gan Juay Kiat
said the addition of the 600 new buses will mean that two out of
every three buses in its fleet of close to 3,000 will be new.
The new buses, however, will not hit the road till
the middle of next year. The roll-out of the new buses will take
approximately two years.
All the new buses have wheelchair access.
The Transport Ministry wants 40 per cent of public
buses to be wheelchair-accessible by the end of this year, and all
buses to be so by 2020.
