Sunday 10 January 2016

Public invited to vote for colour of new bus fleet

By Adrian Lim, The Straits Times, 9 Jan 2016

Bright red or lush green. Commuters will get to vote for the colour of the new buses used under the Government contracting model.

The chosen colour will make its debut on buses to be used by Anglo-Australian company Tower Transit, which will start operations in the western part of the island from the second quarter of this year.

The two colour choices were unveiled yesterday by Senior Minister of State for Transport Ng Chee Meng during a visit to the Joo Koon Integrated Transport Hub.

Mr Ng said: "The design team thought these were representative colours - red symbolising our country; green, the lush greenery. Let's see how Singapore votes."

Colour Your Buses
What an exciting year for our public bus industry as we transit to a new bus contracting model! As all buses gradually come under Government ownership, we invite all of you to play a part in creating a unified and distinctive identity for our Singapore buses :)What colour would you like the new livery to be? Select between bright red or lush green! Cast your votes at www.colouryourbuses.sg and stand to win prizes.
Posted by Land Transport Authority – We Keep Your World Moving on Friday, January 8, 2016


As the entire industry moves towards a contracting model, all buses will be eventually owned by the Government and the common livery will create a "distinctive identity", the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said.

To date, two packages of bus routes have been tendered out and awarded: One to Tower Transit and the other to British firm Go-Ahead. The tender for a third package is expected to be called later this year.

The plan is to progressively carve up all bus services in Singapore into 12 packages, to be run by three to five operators after 2022.

All public buses will also bear a logo with the words "SG Bus" and the slogan "Moving Ahead Together".

The LTA said it will provide Tower Transit with about 50 new buses that will feature the new colour, and another 300 buses bought earlier under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme.

The 300 buses are currently painted in the colours of incumbents SBS Transit and SMRT, and the LTA said it is reviewing the possibility of repainting them, but only if it is cost-effective to do so.

While public buses will all have the same colour, operators will be able to paint their logos on the vehicles. Bus captains will wear their respective company uniforms.

Civil servant Priya Sree, 22, has already made up her mind on the choice of colour: "Red is representative of the Singapore flag. The green looks a bit odd and is not so natural."

But Madam Julia Lee, 63, a part- time cleaner, said: "The green is more visually striking. For the elderly, it will be easier to spot at night."

The public can cast their votes at http://colouryourbuses.sg, or at selected MRT stations and bus interchanges. Voting for the new bus livery started yesterday and will end on Feb 5.

To help commuters visualise the new colour schemes, 10 red and 10 green buses will be deployed on the roads during the voting phase.

The results will be announced in the first quarter of this year.

Fifty participants who take part in the poll will each win a $50 shopping voucher in a lucky draw.



Hey folks, did you know that Singapore’s public bus industry will be transiting to the Bus Contracting Model (#BCM) in...
Posted by Land Transport Authority – We Keep Your World Moving on Thursday, January 7, 2016





* It's a Lush Green makeover for new bus fleet
Change in colour begins in late May with 50 buses under government bus-contracting system; vehicles to also have more doors and stairways
By Christopher Tan, Senior Transport Correspondent and Benjamin Tan, The Straits Times, 12 Mar 2016

Lush Green is the colour of choice as buses here get their biggest makeover since Singapore Bus Service was formed in 1973.

The new colour was picked by nearly 29,000 commuters in a poll. The "greenies" beat those who wanted Bright Red by just 144 votes.

Lush Green will be rolled out progressively as government bus contracts take effect.

The makeover will start with 50 buses from late May, when Australian firm Tower Transit starts operating from the Bulim Depot in Jurong.

The Government's bus contracting is as significant as the colour shift as it overhauls a public bus regime that has been largely unchanged for about four decades.

Under the new system, the state owns all fixed and operating assets and bus operators focus on meeting service standards.

After Bulim, British firm Go-Ahead will run routes from Loyang from September.

The Straits Times understands that the next package of routes to be put up for bidding is likely to be in Woodlands.

Besides the new colour, passengers, as well as drivers, can also look forward to a new generation of buses that will have three doors (from two now), and two stairwells instead of one (for double-deckers).

These will make boarding and alighting faster, and contribute to shorter journeys.


There could also be a gamut of cabin amenities such as USB

charging ports and warning systems for driver fatigue, speed and blind spots.

The three-door buses, slightly taller and longer than today's buses, will start streaming in by about end-2018, while the new internal features will be introduced from the year end.

The Land Transport Authority said yesterday that it has not decided on the exact configuration.

"We are at the stage of gathering public feedback," said group director for public transport Yeo Teck Guan. He was speaking at the Bus Carnival at Ngee Ann City, where visitors can give their feedback. The event started yesterday, and continues this weekend.

Touchscreen pads are set up next to two concept buses - one by Britain's Alexander Dennis (Bus A) and the other by Germany's Man (Bus B).

Bus A's third door is near its tail, while the one on Bus B is right next to its second door, with a partition.

Ms Carol Lim, 55, a special needs educator who was at the carnival yesterday, said she prefers Bus A, in which the second and third doors are farther apart. "I think that's better for the flow of people," she said.

Meanwhile, 42-year-old Patrick Ang, who is self-employed and a wheelchair user, felt Bus B is more accessible. "There is also more space for me inside," he said.

Bus A also got the vote of police national serviceman Cleon Bong, 21. "I like the separated doors. At the upper deck, everyone can exit from the back," he said.

Resort receptionist Ying Kit, 36, said: "If the door is behind, passengers have to walk all the way to the back. With Bus B, it's more centralised.

"This new bus reminds me of luxury coaches - that's a good thing."

Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport member and Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan said: "I like both."

He was among a VIP entourage led by Senior Minister of State for Transport Ng Chee Meng that witnessed the unveiling of the new bus colour as well as the two bus concepts yesterday.

Other visitors interviewed said the USB ports were "good to have", but unnecessary.

The Bus Carnival will continue from March 25 to 27 at VivoCity, and from April 1 to 3 at the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh.




Woohoo! The #BusCarnival has officially started for the weekend! And guess what’s the new colour of our public buses...
Posted by Land Transport Authority – We Keep Your World Moving on Thursday, March 10, 2016






Red or green? The answer is green! Happy to be at Land Transport Authority – We Keep Your World Moving’s Bus Carnival...
Posted by Ng Chee Meng 黄志明 on Friday, March 11, 2016





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