why no korean buses

sexy girls SG

hope SBS and SMRT can purchase korean buses like hyundai and kia. sbs have too much volvos while SMRT have mercedes benz…

CAIX SG

Well, maybe SBS Transit trusted Volvo bus company and SMRT trusted Mercedes…

Airbus330Captain SG

One of the reasons why SBST sticks to Volvo and SMRT sticks to mercedes is because they get special prices for the buses. As you can see they have been operating the type for quite a number of years and they are experience in maintaining the buses. The less bus types , the easier and cheaper maintainance is . Unless the prices of the new Korean buses are cheaper , I can’t see them buying any of their products . SBST and SMRT , I am pretty sure they are trying to min the bus type .

iveco SG

I believe Japanese and Korean buses may be slightly cheaper. However, SBS and Tibs have exclusive deals with Volvo and Merc respectively, so these 2 makes will remain predominant.

A side note, there are some KIA minibuses in private service in Singapore. Daewoos have also been deployed as tour coaches, but those are MY-registered.

The_Bus_Guide SG

Malaysia used to have quite a number of Daewoo buses. The citybus model is the BH115, mostly from the now defunct NAEILA of which few remained today. The coaches are the Daewoo Royale and they were the first bus type used for the Transnasional Executive Coach. Outside of Malaysia, Bangkok has a fair number of Daewoo BH115 as well on services provided by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority. I guess the demise of Daewoo ended all that.

iveco SG

Was Daewoo Motors subsequently taken over by GM during the 1998 Asian financial crisis?

hseochin SG

What for ?
What's so good or superior about Korean buses over these European makes ?

I know the Korean makes tend to be cheaper, as usual, but in a place like Singapore which is desperately trying to improve its quality of public transport, i really see NO room for these cheaper but more backward & lousier grade of junks to exist here !
The land here is too expensive to house them & the commutors here do deserve much better !! Even in Malaysia they buy new M-B, Scania hardly Daewoos etc. nowadays ! They know what's it like the Korean makes from their existing fleets.

Just look @ those Kia 'mini-buses' used by some private transport operators here, very obvious to me like they took a truck chasis with truck cab & cut out the backside & there you have a so-call 'bus' ! What sort of ride comfort can one expect from such suspensions ?!? Also listen to their (ancient) diesel engines & note how noisy, rough & harsh it still is ?!!? Even the newer Japanese diesels are better than those Korean makes which don't use the M-B diesels !
Having tried the M-B Sprinter mini-buses with their state-of-the-art cDi diesels, immediately notice the 'great divide' between that & the Kia's e.g. ! Performance, silence, comfort, safety etc. don't expect the Korean lot to match or exceed almost any of the German, French even Italian makes around here !!!!

So frankly, these Korean makes are more @ home in 3rd world markets. Cannot afford to have them in Singapore.

grandvoyager86 SG

ahhh.. i thnk hor, Korean buses may not be up-to-standard for Singapore. As u know hor, Singapore transportation restrictions are very very tight one.