New dawn for bus sector as Tower Transit starts rolling

SINGAPORE — The Republic’s third public transport operator, Tower Transit, took over nine bus services on Sunday (May 29), marking the start of operations of the new bus contracting model aimed at injecting more competition into the industry.

The first bus, Service No 945, rolled out of Bukit Batok interchange at about 5.30am to excitement among bus enthusiasts, some of whom began their vigil from 3pm on Saturday.

Tower Transit will implement the next two batches of its Bulim bus package over the next month, with six more routes on June 12 and another 11 on June 26.

The first services it took over were operated by SMRT; the remainder will be taken over from SBS Transit. Tower Transit had beaten seven other shortlisted firms, including the two incumbents, last May to clinch the first government bus contract.

Calling it a “very, very exciting” and “extraordinary” day for the company, Tower Transit Singapore managing director Andrew Bujtor said on Sunday was the first day of revenue service for some drivers and asked the public to support them.

Some newer drivers will have “buddy drivers” accompanying them for about two days, he added. Some drivers from SMRT officially joined his company on Sunday, although they have been training for “a couple of days the past month” with Tower Transit.

Before revenue operations on Sunday, Tower Transit’s engineers had been working for 36 hours to check about 90 buses handed over from SMRT, said Mr Bujtor, who boarded Service No 106 at 5.40am with Tower Transit Group chief executive Adam Leishman, National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) executive secretary Melvin Yong, journalists and other passengers.

There will be 94 Tower Transit buses on the road on Monday, up from 62 buses on Sunday. The company has additional bus captains and buses available for contingencies, Mr Bujtor told the media after alighting at Clementi.

When it fully rolls out the 26 services under the Bulim bus package, Tower Transit, which has 812 bus captains and a total staff strength of just over 900, will have a fleet of about 360 buses.

Mr Bujtor said he was confident of meeting service reliability standards. Tower Transit is using the common fleet management system initiated by the Land Transport Authority to track the location of every bus and know the exact distance between buses. This allows staff at its operations control centre to regulate the gaps between buses, to ensure “there’s a consistent ride for all our passengers”, he said.

Tower Transit’s telematics system will monitor the smoothness and comfort of its rides, he added. Currently installed on some of its buses, the system will feature across its entire fleet over time.

Under the bus contracting model, LTA, the regulator, determines the bus services to be provided and the service standards, and operators will bid for the right to operate these services, for which they will be paid fees. Fare revenue is retained by the Government, which will own the depots, buses and fleet management system.

NTWU’s Mr Yong, who was at Bulim depot before services began, said the union and company have been working closely regarding the interests of workers who joined Tower Transit on Sunday, as well as those already employed by the company.

Tower Transit drivers TODAY interviewed were excited but unruffled by the first day of revenue operations. Mr M Agilan, 29, said he could not sleep much the night before, as he was raring to get behind the wheel.

The former SMRT driver became a tow head driver at PSA’s port in 2012, but joined Tower Transit last December for the better salary and benefits. He praised his “good” mentors and “friendly” bosses.

Commuters at Bukit Batok interchange largely went about their travel without fuss. 

Alighting from Service No 990, student Rohith Nedunchezian, 14, said: “It felt like the same bus, only the driver was in a different uniform. But it just felt better because ... change sometimes is better.”

Mr Satya Dwi Putra, 29, who was taking Service No 945 to his brother’s place to play tennis, hoped for better frequency of service and said the departure times displayed on electronic screens at interchanges were not always accurate. “(Tower Transit) is just starting out, so I don’t think we can see any effects immediately, but we’ll see,” he said.

Staff in neon LTA vests were on Sunday seen comparing actual departure times with those on the passenger displays. The screens at Bukit Batok are the first managed by the LTA, which said the information will continue to be drawn from bus operators.