SINGAPORE — Three new bus services will be introduced by June this year as part of the Government’s Bus Service Enhancement Scheme, which has rolled out 143 new buses thus far.

In a statement yesterday, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said 93 bus services have been improved, benefiting many commuters with the enhancements geographically spread islandwide.

Of the 93 service improvements, new buses were added to 41 routes with heavy ridership in the first three months of this year. This added 460 more weekly bus trips which meant that commuters on these services have more frequent and less crowded buses, the LTA said.

Under the S$1.1 billion programme, the Government will buy and fund the costs of 550 new buses. Operators SBS Transit and SMRT will add another 250 buses to increase the overall bus fleet size by 20 per cent. The bulk of the enhancements is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

LTA Deputy Chief Executive Chua Chong Kheng said the implementation of the programme is being accelerated. “By the end of this year, another 190 new buses will be on the road,” he added.

Three new bus services will be introduced to improve connectivity in areas such as Bukit Merah, Novena, Telok Blangah, Toa Payoh and Woodlands by June this year. The LTA said details of these new routes are being worked out and the two public transport operators, SBS Transit and SMRT, will provide more information closer to the implementation dates.

Both operators said they have stepped up bus drivers’ recruitment and training. SBS Transit, for example, said it has expanded its training facilities as well as increased the pool of driving instructors so that more drivers can be trained at any one time.

Further, the LTA will put up six more City Direct routes for tender. These parallel bus services are meant to provide city-bound commuters in Housing and Development Board (HDB) towns who travel along stretches of existing rail lines that experience persistent high ridership, with an alternative commute to the city.

The move will bring the total number of parallel bus services up from the eight previously announced to 14, with nine to be operated by private operators.

The LTA said tenders for these new City Direct services would be progressively called starting from the third quarter of this year, before they are launched from early next year. “Details of these routes, including the towns they will serve, are being worked out, and will be shared when ready,” the authority added.

Tenders for short shuttle services between housing estates and MRT stations to be operated by private bus operators will also be called in the latter half of this year, with services to be implemented progressively starting next year.

Towards the end of this year, the LTA also plans to put on trial a scheme aimed at improving the regularity of bus waiting times.

Under the framework, operators will need to enhance their en-route management of bus operations to earn incentives and avoid penalties.

Operators will be assessed on how they have fared in improving bus service regularity before any incentives and penalties are applied.

The LTA aims to trial this scheme on 25 services, or about 10 per cent of bus services, towards the end of the year.