The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded the
contract for the third bus package â Seletar bus package, to SBS
Transit Ltd (SBST), at an estimated total fee of
$480,332,472[1] over
the five-year contract period.
2. From the first quarter of 2018, SBST will operate the 26
bus services[2] in
the Seletar bus package. These bus services will operate out of the
new Seletar Bus Depot which is scheduled to be handed over to SBST
in August 2017. Besides the Seletar Bus Depot, SBST will also
manage Ang Mo Kio and Yio Chu Kang Bus
Interchanges.
Evaluation
Process
3. The tender for the Seletar bus package was launched on 7
June 2016 and attracted nine bids when it was closed on 27 October
2016. All tender submissions were evaluated based on the same set
of criteria through a two-envelope process which looked at quality
and price factors. With greater weightage given to the quality
proposals submitted by tenderers, the price envelopes were only
opened after the quality evaluation was completed. This
two-envelope process allows LTA to raise the service levels of our
bus industry and at the same time get the best value for money.
Overall, all the bids for this package was closely matched in terms
of quality and they were also competitively
priced.
4. SBST was awarded the contract as it had the highest
combined total score for both quality and price evaluation. In its
tender submission, SBST demonstrated a comprehensive understanding
of ground conditions and strong competence in bus service
scheduling to enable the optimal deployment of buses and resources
to meet travel demand. Furthermore, SBST has emphasised in its
proposal a stringent maintenance regime for bus assets and
infrastructure and committed to a significant number of experienced
technicians to ensure high maintenance and reliability standards.
In terms of manpower development, SBST has presented a robust
career development program to up-skill its staff, and a
comprehensive transition plan to minimise impact to commuters and
affected bus workers.
Scope of
Contract
5. Under the contract, SBST will operate 26 two-way bus
services from Ang Mo Kio, Yio Chu Kang and Yishun Bus Interchanges,
to Bukit Batok, Bukit Merah, Eunos Bus Interchanges and Shenton Way
Bus Terminal.
6. Drawing from the experience with the first two packages,
SBST will take over services in the Seletar bus package in five
tranches starting from the first quarter of 2018. With a smaller
number of bus services and vehicles in each tranche, the bus
operator will be able to better address any teething issues during
the transition period.
7. In addition to operating and managing bus services to
specified performance standards, SBSTâs responsibilities include
the following:
a) Operate, manage and maintain the buses and their on-board
equipment provided by LTA;
b) Operate, manage, and maintain Ang Mo Kio and Yio Chu Kang
Bus Interchanges, and the new Seletar Bus Depot, including all
equipment and systems provided therein;
c) Charge and collect fares as approved by the Public
Transport Council, on behalf of the Government, for travel on the
bus services in the package;
d) Provide bus service information at all bus stops and bus
interchanges served by the bus services; and
e) Provide customer management services, such as lost and
found service, and a hotline for commuter feedback and
enquiries.
8. If SBST performs well, LTA can extend the contract term by
two years at the end of the contract.
Safeguarding
Welfare of Workers
9. The Guidelines on Good Employment Practices in the Public
Bus Industry issued by the Public Transport Tripartite Committee
(PTTC) in September 2014 will help safeguard the welfare of
affected employees of the Seletar bus package. These guidelines
detail the obligations and responsibilities of both incoming and
outgoing bus operators, including the timeline for the offer of
employment, recognition of the length of service, employment terms
to be safeguarded, treatment of affected bus employees including
those who choose to stay with the outgoing operator, as well as
training for those who choose to join the incoming
operator.
10. The three key assurances proposed by the PTTC have also
been included into the contract with SBST. These assurances
are:
a) All affected employees must be offered a job by the
incoming operator;
b) Affected employees must be offered employment terms which
are not worse-off than what they had been enjoying before
transition; and
c) Affected employees can choose to join the new operator or
be redeployed by their current employer, where feasible.
11. All four existing public bus operators, including SBST, are
members of the PTTC as part of the companiesâ commitments to the
manpower development of the local bus industry.
Annex A: Bid Prices for Seletar Bus Package
Annex B:
Details of Seletar Bus Package
SBS Transit wins
tender to operate the Seletar Bus Package
SBS Transit has been awarded the Seletar Bus Package, which is
the third set of public bus services that has been put up for
tender under the Bus Contracting Model. The award of the five-year
contract, which can be extended by another two years, is the first
bus tender award for SBS Transit under the new model.
Under the package, SBS Transit will progressively from 1Q 2018,
operate 26 bus services, of which two will be new. These services
will originate from the Ang Mo Kio, Yio Chu Kang and Yishun Bus
Interchanges and supported by the new Seletar Bus Depot. Currently,
SBS Transit operates 13 of the 24 existing bus services. With this
award, it will run 13 new routes.
SBS Transit Chief Executive Officer, Mr Gan Juay Kiat, said: âWe
are delighted that the LTA has given us this vote of confidence
based on the quality of our proposal and price competitiveness. We
will invest more in both hardware and software to deliver quality
bus services to our commuters and look forward to rolling out the
26 services under the BCM from 1Q 2018.â
Under the terms and agreement of the tender, commuters can look
forward to better services and facilities at the bus interchanges.
For instance, handphone charging stations will be made available at
the Ang Mo Kio and Yio Chu Kang Bus interchanges. At the
non-air-conditioned Yio Chu Kang Interchange, more fans and water
coolers will be installed while the canteen will be air-conditioned
for the comfort of our commuters, Bus Captains (BC) and staff.
A new commuter engagement initiative, âMeet the Managersâ, will
be rolled out, enabling commuters to share their feedback and
suggestions face-to-face with management at the bus interchanges.
Besides this, annual commuter satisfaction surveys will also be
conducted to identify areas where we can do better.
In commuter safety, all buses plying the 26 services will be
fitted with a smart anti-collision system known as Mobileye, which
detects, analyses and monitors road conditions while the buses are
on the move. It provides audio-visual warnings so that our BCs can
take defensive actions to avert a collision; delivering safer
journeys for our commuters.
Our ISO55001 Bus Asset Management framework and systems, which
we were recently certified in, will enable us to effectively manage
our operational and engineering assets under the Seletar Bus
Package. Leveraging on technology, our staff, including the
workshop technicians, are already actively using mobile
applications and tablets for higher productivity and efficiency to
provide better quality service to our commuters.
Bus Captains play a very critical role. With higher starting
salaries, new local BCs can earn up to $3,460 a month, including
allowances, incentives and overtime pay in their first year of
service with us. Free annual health screenings, free travel and
$500 worth of flexible benefit credits are among the slew of
benefits we offer.
At the Seletar Depot, our BCs will be encouraged to stay healthy
as facilities such as a gym, health check corner and other
recreational amenities will be provided. They can also look forward
to establishing careers in the bus industry as we adopt a
progressive wage model and offer alternative career pathways.
For the Seletar Bus Package, we plan to hire about 330 more Bus
Captains and staff.
For affected BCs, who are driving the existing routes operated
by SMRT, we will work closely with the National Transport Workersâ
Union for their transition if they opt to join us. With our
commitment to strong and harmonious labour-management relations,
and the staff engagement plans that we have mapped out, these
affected BCs can expect to cross over smoothly.
With the award of the Seletar Bus Package, SBS Transit will
operate a total of 223 bus routes, with 197 under the eight
Negotiated Contracts.
https://www.sbstransit.com.sg/press/2017-04-19-01.aspx