Singapore’s Land Transportation Authority (LTA) will be contracting 100 double-deck three-door buses which are expected to hit the roads by next year.
LTA’s bus suppliers, Alexander Dennis Singapore and ST Engineering Land Systems will be providing the buses. The project amounts to a total of $64 million. According to LTA, the contractors were selected based on cost considerations, experience, technical expertise, as well as compliance with local regulations.
The buses are said to be compliant with the Euro 6 emission standard. This means that the buses will have a reduced amount of harmful emissions. This is highly important for public transport vehicles which travel the road practically the whole day.
Aside from the third door, two staircases were also built in the buses. Both of these will make boarding the buses smoother and easier.
The buses were contracted in response to a 2016 survey participated by 22,000 commuters, an overwhelming 90 percent of which support the addition of a third door in buses. This is also in line with positive responses that were received in a trial run back in 2017.
The prototype bus used in the trial featured not only additional staircases and doors, but also other passenger-friendly features such as a wheelchair space, USB ports, and a passenger information display system.
This improvement is highly welcomed. By enhancing the experience of using public transport vehicles, citizens are encouraged to commute instead of using their cars, further cutting down on the country’s emissions.
The buses will be delivered to Singapore in batches and will be deployed starting next year.
