Standby for the British bus invasion — another UK-based bus operator has been awarded a tender by the Government to handle a new bus route here.
The Loyang bus package (which will be operated out of the new Loyang Bus Depot) has been awarded to The Go-Ahead Group Plc, who runs bus and rail services in the UK. From the third quarter of 2016, Go-Ahead will be running 25 bus services and will also manage two bus interchanges: Pasir Ris Bus Interchange and Punggol Bus Interchange.
On why the British company beat out nine other bids, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) noted that Go-Ahead scored the highest in both quality and price evaluation (aka they were the best value for money). LTA will hand over $497.7 million over a five-year contract period to the company.
With experience as the largest bus operator in London, Go-Ahead is expected to deliver higher bus service levels and stringent maintenance regime for bus assets and infrastructure.
They’re the second UK-based transport operator to wrestle deals away from local companies SMRT and SBS. Back in May, LTA awarded Tower Transit Group Limited with the contract to operate the new Bulim Bus Depot and 26 bus services from Jurong East, Bukit Batok and Clementi Bus Interchange.
What this means for us regular commuters is that SBS and SMRT are facing even more competition in the public transport landscape — so those two will have to improve the quality of their current services.
Photo: Go-Ahead Facebook page
