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SINGAPORE – Singapore has taken a further step in its movement to reduce the carbon footprint of public transport with the deployment of the first 10 fully electric double-decker buses on Tuesday (October 27).
The buses will run on service roads 983 in Choa Chu Kang, 189 in Bukit Batok and Clementi, and 83 in Punggol and Sengkang, and may be redistributed to other bus routes later on.
The vehicles, supplied by the Chinese Yutong-Nari consortium, are said to be greener, quieter and easier to use than conventional diesel-powered buses.
However, the new buses cost up to twice as much as conventional diesel buses. The Land Transportation Authority (LTA) said it expects the cost to decline over time with changes in technology and wider adoption.
In a formal presentation of the buses on Tuesday, State Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat said Singapore remains open to new technologies and is “in no rush” to commit to a technology or model.
“We are doing it because it is better for the environment and this is an initial step towards a greener future. We will have more options to choose from as technology advances,” he said.
He added that there is no fixed sum that the government has allocated to replace conventional diesel buses. “What we have done instead is set a goal for 2040,” he said.
The plan is for Singapore’s 5,800 public buses to run on cleaner energy by 2040.
Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung also attended the event on Tuesday.
The 10 buses join the 15 electric single-deck buses that have already been deployed between April and July.
They are among a fleet of 60 fully electric buses purchased by LTA in 2018, with all expected to be operational by 2021.
The LTA had said at the time that electric buses would help it better understand the challenges of operating and maintaining electric buses in Singapore’s tropical climate and traffic conditions.
An alternative is buses with engines that run on both diesel and electricity, 50 of which have been deployed on the roads since March last year.
Both hybrid and fully electric buses cost more than conventional diesels, but are less damaging to the environment.
The 60 fully electric buses together are expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 8,000 tons per year, the equivalent of those generated by 1,700 cars.
The LTA has also touted more direct benefits for commuters, with electric buses offering smoother and quieter bus rides.
With an ambient noise level of around 75 decibels, an electric bus has a noise level 3 decibels lower than that of a typical diesel bus in today’s fleet.
Improvements in bus design, such as digital information display systems showing upcoming stops, and the removal of center posts so parents with open strollers can maneuver more easily, also make riding the new buses be less complicated.
However, the capacity of approximately 120 passengers for each electric double-decker bus is 10 percent less than that of conventional diesel buses, due to the charging panel and the battery pack. Buses will be charged each time they go out of service for about four hours.
Singapore’s electric dreams for its transportation system extend far beyond buses, and taxi operators, as well as private car owners, are encouraged to switch to electric vehicles.
In addition to the tax rebates and first-time electric car user incentives offered in the 2020 Budget, the Government is also working with commercial entities to build Singapore’s electric car charging infrastructure.
Of the current 1,700 charging points, the plan is to have 28,000 charging points for electric vehicles by 2030, which is also when the Government expects the last vehicle with an internal combustion engine to be sold.
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