SBS Transit

SBS Transit Ltd (abbreviation: SBS or SBST) is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. With a majority of its shares owned by Singaporean multinational transport conglomerate ComfortDelGro Corporation at 75%, it was formerly known as Singapore Bus Services before rebranding to SBS Transit on 1 November 2001.

It is the largest public bus operator in Singapore, as well as one of the two major operators of Singapore's rail services along with SMRT Corporation. It has a fleet of 3,656 buses and operates 261 routes, as of 2015.

History

Singapore Bus Services (19732001)

Singapore Bus Services Limited was established on 1 July 1973 when the regional bus companies Amalgamated Bus Company, Associated Bus Services and United Bus Company (which were in turn results of amalgamations of privately run Chinese bus companies of the 1960s in 1971) agreed to merge their operations with each taking shareholdings of 53%, 19% and 28% respectively in the new company. The government-sanctioned merger was undertaken to improve service standards of the bus transport system. The company was replaced by the Singapore Bus Service (1978) Limited on 17 February 1978, which was then listed on the Stock Exchange of Singapore (SES) on 26 June the same year.

In 1992, SBS were reorganised under a new subsidiary SBS Bus Services Pte Ltd. On 12 November 1997, Singapore Bus Services (1978) Limited was renamed DelGro Corporation, with SBS Bus Services Pte Ltd listed separately as Singapore Bus Services Limited on 10 December that year.

SBS also operated taxis as SBS Taxis. SBS Taxis merged with Singapore Commuter and Singapore Airport Bus Services on 1 July 1995 to form CityCab, which remained part of DelGro Corporation.

SBS also operated Airbus in the past from 1995 to 1997 and Premium Bus Services, Sentosa Services and Jurong Island Services called "SBS Leisure" in 1995 to 2003. SBS had transferred Sentosa and Jurong Island Services in 2003, and Premium Bus Services (555 and 556) in December 2003 to private bus operators. 555 was a bus service from Watten Estate to Spottiswoode Park and 556 was a bus service from Sunset Way to Shenton Way, but it was totally withdrawn on 31 October 2004.

Route Handovers

SBS Transit (2001 - present)

On 1 November 2001, Singapore Bus Services was rebranded as SBS Transit to reflect it becoming a multi-modal transport operator with the impending opening of the Sengkang LRT line and North East MRT line.

On 29 March 2003, DelGro Corporation merged with Comfort Group to form ComfortDelGro Corporation.Corporate Profile
ComfortDelGro ComfortDelGro Corporation owns 75% of the shares in SBS Transit.

On 18 January 2003, SBS Transit commenced operating the Sengkang LRT, followed by the North East MRT line on 20 June the same year. SBS Transit commenced operating the Punggol LRT on 29 January 2005, followed by the Downtown MRT line on 22 December 2013.

Bus

Routes

SBS Transit had operated the majority of routes in almost all towns of Singapore with the notable exception of Tuas, Joo Koon, Jurong West, Jurong East, Tengah, Bukit Batok, Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Panjang, Woodlands, Sembawang, Yishun, Punggol and Pasir Ris, where most routes were under SMRT Buses (Woodlands Bus Package, Choa Chu Kang-Bukit Panjang Bus Package & Jurong West Bus Package), Tower Transit (Bulim Bus Package & Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package) and Go-Ahead (Loyang Bus Package). As of 2025, there are 222 wheelchair-accessible bus services that SBS Transit operates.

SBS Transit later became the first local operator to win a tender under the BCM in April 2017, and began operating the Seletar Bus Package on 18 March 2018. It was announced in 2018 by LTA that SBS Transit had won the subsequent package, the Bukit Merah Bus Package.

In 2023, it was announced that SBS Transit retained the Bukit Merah Bus Package for its second term, but lost the bid for Jurong West Bus Package, which was awarded to SMRT Buses. In July 2024, it was announced that SBS Transit retained the Seletar Bus Package for its second term.

Vehicle Fleet

As of December 2019, SBS Transit operated more than 3,500 buses.

SBS Transit operates a mix of single decker, double decker and articulated buses.

Single deckers
* BYD GTK6127BEVB (BC12A04) (Zhuhai Guangtong)
* BYD K9 ( Gemilang Coachworks)
*Linkker LM312
* MAN NL323F Lion's City (A22) ( Gemilang Coachworks)
* Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro ( EvoBus)
* Scania K230UB ( Gemilang Coachworks)
* Volvo B5L Hybrid ( MCV Evora)
* Zhongtong LCK6126EVG N12 (Integral)

Double deckers
*Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC (3-door variant)
* MAN ND323F Lion's City (A95) ( Gemilang Coachworks)
* Scania K310UD ( Gemilang Coachworks) demonstrator – ''used for driver training purposes''
*Volvo B9TL ( Gemilang Coachworks) demonstrator – ''used for driver training purposes''
*Volvo B9TL (Wright Eclipse Gemini 2)More SBS Transit Volvo B9TLs
''Coach & Bus Week'' 11 July 2014

Articulated buses
* MAN NG363F Lion's City (A24) ( Gemilang Coachworks)

Former Vehicle Fleet

* BYD B12A03 (integral) LTA trial specifications demonstrator
* Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro C2 Hybrid demonstrator
*Volvo B8L (Wright Eclipse Gemini 3) demonstrator
*Volvo B9TL ComfortDelGro Engineering (CDGE)
* Volvo B10TL Super Olympian
* Volvo Olympian
*Leyland Olympian
* Mercedes-Benz O405 (including one demonstrator Volgren CR221-bodied O405G articulated vehicle)
*Volvo B10BLE
* Scania N113CRB
*Volvo B10M, it some two Volvo B10M Mark IV demonstrator vehicles
*Sunlong SLK6121UF14 Hybrid ( Gemilang Coachworks) demonstrator
*MAN 18.240 HOCL-NL (A69) ( Gemilang Coachworks) demonstrator
*Dennis Dart
* Dennis Trident 3 (Duple Metsec 5000)
* Volvo B7RLE (Soon Chow Workshop) demonstrator
* Mercedes-Benz 811D

When SBS was first formed in 1973, it inherited a wide variety of buses of various makes from its Chinese predecessors. Examples of such buses included the Albion Viking, Mercedes-Benz LP1113 and OF1413 and Nissan Diesel RX102K3 with small numbers of Ford R192 and 226, Seddon, Fargo-Kew, Bedford and Austin. Most of these buses were bodied by local coachbuilder Soon Chow although some were bodied by other companies such as Supreme Star and Strachan. Subsequent models that were purchased by SBS included Berliet and Guy Victory in the 1970s and the Volvo B57 and Mercedes-Benz OF1417 in the 1980s, the latter which were bodied by foreign coachbuilders like New Zealand Motor Bodies and Hawke Coachwork.

In 1976, SBS purchased its first 20 Leyland Atlantean AN68 buses to evaluate the suitability of double-decker bus operation, with the buses first entering service on route 86 on 13 June 1977. Following the success of the trial, SBS ordered another 500 Leyland Atlantean AN68 buses from 1978 to 1984, all of which were either bodied by Metal Sections or Walter Alexander Coachbuilders; SBS also conducted comparative trials of double-decker buses of other makes, namely the Leyland Olympian, Volvo Ailsa B55, Scania BR112DH, Dennis Dominator, Dennis Trident 3, Mercedes-Benz O305 and Volvo B10MD Citybus. In 1984, SBS purchased another 200 Leyland Olympian and 200 Mercedes-Benz O305 double-decker buses. SBS also conducted an evaluation of air conditioned buses (namely the ex-Singapore Airport Bus Services Mercedes-Benz OF1413 coaches) that year and conducted similar trials with other bus models like the Nissan Diesel U31S and Renault PR100 (SBS30P) before its first bulk order for 50 Scania N113CRB buses in 1989.

In the 1990s, some bus models on the roads included the Volvo B10M, Scania N113CRB, Mercedes-Benz O405, Leyland and Volvo Olympian and Dennis Dart. SBS also conducted trials of high capacity single decker buses, namely a superlong Volvo B10M Mark IV (SBS997A), an articulated Volvo B10MA (SBS998Y) and an articulated Mercedes-Benz O405G (SBS999U), in 1996 although the trial did not succeed. The first low-floor bus, a Volgren-bodied Volvo B10TL demonstrator (SBS9888Y) was brought to SBS by Volvo Buses for trial purposes in 1999. After its successful trial, 51 Volvo B10TL chassis were further brought in by SBS Transit. 50 buses are bodied by Volgren between 2002 and 2003 while 1 remaining chassis is being reserved for a ComfortDelGro Engineering bodywork, which entered revenue service by 2005. The first wheelchair-accessible bus was also brought into service in 2006. SBS Transit CNG buses began service in 2002. Hybrid and electric buses came into foray since 2019, although small-scale trials began in 2010.

In 2020 to 2021, a unit of Mercedes-Benz Citaro C2 Hybrid, SG4004B, was brought in for trial purposes and was loaned from Daimler South East Asia under a Special Purpose License. The bus was on revenue service from 9 March 2020 to 8 March 2021 on routes 93 & 272 with SBS Transit based at the Ulu Pandan Depot.

All single-decker Volvo B10BLE CNG buses were retired in 2019 except for the first two units which had been preserved, after that, both Volvo B10TLs and Volvo B9TL CDGEs were retired early and scrapped. Only 20 Volvo B9TL CDGE buses remained in operation until late September 2023 when they reached the end of their lifespan, with the last day of service being 22 September.

In March 2024, several units of the Scania K230UB (Euro IV and V) buses were transferred to SMRT Buses from SBS Transit for some testings at Woodlands Depot before the Jurong West Bus Package begins operations in September that year.

Rail

Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)

SBS Transit operates two of Singapore's six MRT lines in the network, the North East Line (NEL) since its opening on 20 June 2003 and the Downtown Line (DTL) since its opening on 22 December 2013.
SBS Transit is also set to operate the Jurong Region Line (JRL) as a joint venture alongside French rail operator RATP Dev under the operator name Singapore One Rail when it opens in 2027.

The NEL currently spans 21.6 km and 17 stations, running from HarbourFront in the south-west to Punggol Coast in the north-east. As of 2023, the NEL uses a fleet composed of three very similar series of 49 Alstom Metropolis train-sets, namely the C751A, C751C and C851E. The operating license for the NEL was awarded to SBS Transit in order to foster competition with SMRT Trains and to create multi-modal public transport companies, each specialising in their own district. In 2018, it was confirmed that SBS Transit's contract for maintaining the NEL would last until 31 March 2033.North East Line, Sengkang and Punggol LRTs to move to new financing framework
''Channel NewsAsia'' 14 February 2018
''Metro Report International'' 16 February 2018

The NEL was Singapore's third metro line and the city's first automated and driverless system. At times, it has been referred to as "the first driverless heavy metro line in the world" or the "world's first fully automated and driverless high-capacity rapid transit line" by some. While driverless metro systems have existed long before (notably the Lille Metro since 1983, the Vancouver Skytrain since 1985 and the Kelana Jaya Line and Paris Metro Line 14 since 1998), the NEL is the first application of a fully automated and driverless metro system with heavy rail characteristics such as an overhead catenary (in contrast to earlier systems using third rail) and 1,435 mm standard-gauge (in contrast to earlier systems featuring smaller rail profiles). Till today, it is the only MRT line in Singapore using the overhead catenary electrical system while the rest of Singapore's MRT uses the third rail.

The DTL currently spans 41.9 km and 35 stations as of 2025, running from Bukit Panjang station in the north-west to Expo station in the east via the Central Area. The DTL is fully automated and driverless as well and consists of a fleet of 92 Bombardier Movia C951 trainsets.

Fleet

*The trains are classified as contracts unlike other countries which use "class".

Light Rail Transit (LRT)

Out of three LRT lines in Singapore, two are operated and maintained by SBS Transit, namely the Sengkang LRT line and Punggol LRT line (SPLRT). These lines serve a total of 29 stations and provide feeder connections to Sengkang and Punggol stations. As of 2025, these lines use a fleet of 57 sets comprising two series of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Crystal Mover APMs (namely the C810 and C810A), a number expected to increase in the future with the introduction of C810D APMs. In 2018, it was confirmed that SBS Transit's contract for both LRT lines would run until 31 March 2033.

Fleet

*The trains are classified as contracts unlike other countries which use "class".

Depots

Out of ten operational rail depots in Singapore, SBS Transit maintains three, namely:
* Sengkang Depot which houses NEL and SPLRT trains. The depot is undergoing an expansion program which is targeted for completion in 2027 in order to accommodate more trains, after being in operation since 2003.
* Tai Seng Facility Building which houses some DTL trains.
* Gali Batu Depot which houses the majority of DTL trains. It has undergone expansion towards the end of 2010s.
* East Coast Integrated Depot which is expected to house DTL trains upon its opening in 2026.

Notes

References

Further reading

*Ilsa Sharp, (2005), SNP:Editions, ''The Journey — Singapore's Land Transport Story''.
*
*

External links

Company website

{{ComfortDelGro

Bus companies of Singapore
ComfortDelGro companies
Companies listed on the Singapore Exchange
Light Rail Transit (Singapore)
Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
Railway companies of Singapore
Transport companies established in 1973
Singaporean brands
Singaporean companies established in 1973