The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded the tender to
procure 50 diesel hybrid buses at about S$30 million to Volvo East
Asia (Pte) Ltd.
2.
This is part of LTA’s efforts to build a more environmentally
friendly public bus fleet. Not only can commuters expect quieter
and smoother rides, bus captains can also enjoy a more comfortable
working environment. To prepare our bus workforce for this change,
LTA will work with industry partners to help upgrade and upskill
our bus professionals through the Singapore Bus
Academy.
Diesel
Hybrid Buses
3.
Building on LTA’s single-unit diesel hybrid bus trials, 50
diesel hybrid buses will be rolled out gradually for service by the
second half of 2018. These low-emission buses will help us better
understand the operational challenges that come with the wider
deployment of such buses under our tropical climate and traffic
conditions, which will enable us to calibrate our approach in
adopting diesel hybrid buses in the future. This will also help bus
technicians and engineers better understand the technical
challenges in maintaining such buses. Details of the services which
the 50 diesel hybrid buses will be deployed to will be announced
closer to the implementation date.
4. In
response to LTA’s tender, Volvo East Asia (Pte) Ltd. had earlier
submitted a high quality proposal with the best value for money and
hence was awarded the contract. The company has a strong track
record, with their buses forming about a third of the entire public
bus fleet currently in Singapore. In determining the award of the
tender, besides the price, LTA also considered many quality aspects
of the participating bidders, such as their relevant experience,
track records, technical capabilities and compliance to local
regulations.
Electric
Buses
5. To
help LTA gather more up-to-date information on the latest electric
bus and charging technologies, a Request for Information for
electric buses was put up by LTA on 2 October 2017. The tender to
procure 60 electric buses will also be called soon. Commuters can
expect to see electric buses deployed for service by
2019.
goo.gl/AkyAAf
I feel sorry for Scania. Did they even bid though?