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SINGAPORE: Tower Transit Singapore has been awarded contracts for the Bulim and Sembawang-Yishun bus packages for a period of five years, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a press release on Wednesday (September 30).
The contracts are worth around S $ 1.03 billion, LTA said, adding that they will start progressively from the second quarter of 2021.
The Sembawang-Yishun package, currently operated by SMRT Buses, consists of 27 bus services. They will operate out of the new Mandai Depot, which will be delivered to Tower Transit in October.
Tower Transit will also manage the Sembawang and Yishun bus interchanges.
The Bulim package, consisting of 29 bus services, is already being operated by Tower Transit. It will continue to manage the Bukit Batok and Jurong East bus interchanges.
Bulim and Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package Details. (Photo: Land Transportation Authority)
TRANSITION OF AFFECTED WORKERS
LTA said SMRT employees affected by the changes should be given jobs by the incoming operator, adding that their terms of employment should be no worse than the terms they had before the transition.
“SMRT employees affected by the Sembawang-Yishun bus package will be protected by the Guidelines on Good Employment Practices in the Public Bus Industry,” LTA said.
“The incoming operator must offer a job to all employees affected by a new tender or a change in bus service contracts.”
In a Facebook post, National Transport Workers Union (NTWU) executive secretary Melvin Yong said the union will work closely with SMRT and Tower Transit to ensure a “smooth transition” for affected workers.
“The union is committed to working with the different public transport operators to take care of our bus workers and create a safe working environment for them,” Yong said.
The tender for the Bulim and Sembawang-Yishun bus packages was called in November last year, and the bus operators had the option to bid on the bus package or both.
Tower Transit was awarded the contract for the combined package, because it received the highest overall score considering price and quality factors in its proposal, LTA said.
“If TTS (Tower Transit Singapore) performs well over the five-year term, LTA has the option to extend the contract term for another two years at the end of the five-year contract,” the authority added.
