Go-Ahead to start Loyang bus services on Sept 4

SINGAPORE — The Loyang bus package, consisting of 25 bus services plying areas in Changi, Pasir Ris and Punggol, will start operations in two tranches to “ensure a smooth transition with minimal inconvenience to commuters”, said bus operator Go-Ahead Singapore and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Thursday (Aug 4). 

Thirteen routes will begin operations from the Loyang Bus Depot on Sept 4, while 11 will commence on Sept 18. The 25th service will be implemented next year, and the details of the route will be announced closer to the implementation date.

The services will operate at Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Sengkang, Tampines and Yishun bus interchanges, as well as Changi Airport, Changi Village, Changi Business Park, New Bridge Road and Upper East Coast bus terminals. 

Mr Chew Men Leong, the LTA’s chief executive, said: “As we roll out the second package under the bus contracting model, we would like to assure commuters that the LTA and the operators have been working hard to make this transition as seamless as possible, and to bring about a better commuter experience with more regular bus timings and smoother bus rides.”

Mr Nigel Wood, Go-Ahead Singapore’s managing director, said: “We are now in the final stages of preparations, and the company is well-placed to deliver our services for the Loyang bus package where every journey matters.”

Last November, Go-Ahead Singapore, a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group in the United Kingdom, won the second package under the new Government contracting model to operate the 25 services.

It is the second foreign bus operator after Tower Transit Singapore to operate bus routes under the new model, where the operators earn a fee for running bus services, while the Government retains fare revenues.

Tower Transit, which won the first contract to operate bus services in the western part of Singapore, started operations in May this year.

Mr Wood said on Thursday the company’s bus captains will play a key role in determining its success. “As a former bus captain myself, I know how rewarding, and occasionally challenging, the job can be. They (bus captains) are committed to providing a first-class service, and I am proud our market entry has made bus driving a more attractive employment option,” he added.

The company said last month it had raised the basic starting pay of its local bus captains by about 4.6 per cent, a move that came on the back of recent pay hikes announced by two of its rivals, Tower Transit and SBS Transit.

Go-Ahead Singapore’s bus captain Wong Chai Fong said: “I am ... looking forward to driving a number of different routes and getting to know my passengers as it makes the job more rewarding.”

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Altogether, 24 routes will be implemented on the following dates:

Sept 4: Service Nos 3, 34, 43/43M, 62, 82, 83, 84, 85, 118, 119, 136, 382, 386

Sept 18: 2, 6, 12, 15, 17, 36, 354, 358, 359, 403, 518

A 25th service will be implemented in 2017, and details of that route will be announced closer to the implementation date, said the LTA.