The Singapore trolleybus system formed part of the transportation network of Singapore from 1926 to 1962. The system was constructed between 1926 and 1927 as a replacement to the
Singapore tramway network with the old
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
routes converted to
trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
routes. The network became one of the world's largest in the 1930s, with a total network length of and fleet of 108 trolleybuses.
After World War II, the trolleybuses were obsolete and could no longer serve Singapore's transportation needs. By 1962, motor buses had completely replaced the trolleybuses.
History
Background
In the early 1920s, the
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
system in Singapore was in a poor state due to lack of funds and, in 1922, Shanghai Electric Construction Company took over its management. Because of the cost of rehabilitating the deteriorated tram track, Shanghai Electric Construction Company made plans to replace the trams with trolleybuses.
In March 1925, the
Legislative Council passed the Singapore Traction Ordinance which authorised the conversion of the tram system to trolleybuses and reorganised the tram operating company into the Singapore Traction Company (STC). The STC was formed in October 1925, and it took over the assets of the old tram operating company.
Conversion from trams
After its formation, the STC commenced the transition to trolleybuses from trams. In 1926, a fleet of trolleybuses was shipped to Singapore and the first ten became ready for service in April.
Trolleybus service began on 14 August 1926 with a fleet of 30 trolleybuses that serviced two routes—
Joo Chiat Road
Joo Chiat Road is an arterial road and a residential conservation area in the eastern part of Singapore, and is located between Geylang Serai and Marine Parade Road.
It is mainly bounded by conserved shophouses that are colourfully painted on ...
–
Tanjong Pagar
Tanjong Pagar ( alternatively spelled ''Tanjung Pagar'') is a historic district located within the Central Business District in Singapore, straddling the Outram Planning Area and the Downtown Core under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's urb ...
and
Upper Cross Street–
Outram Road. To inaugurate the service, an illuminated trolleybus ran between
Bras Basah,
Geylang
Geylang is a planning area and township located on the eastern fringe of the Central Region of Singapore, bordering Hougang and Toa Payoh in the north, Marine Parade in the south, Bedok in the east, and Kallang in the west.
Geylang is perha ...
, and the
Singapore General Hospital
Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is an academic health science centre and tertiary referral hospital in Singapore. It is located next to the Bukit Merah and Chinatown districts of the Central Region, close to the Outram Community Hospital (OCH ...
that evening.
The trolleybuses were initially popular with the public and trolleybus ridership was much higher than that of the trams they replaced. Fare revenue increased by 22 percent between the last quarters of 1925 and 1926. In March 1927, the route conversion between Tank Road and
Keppel Harbour
Keppel Harbour (; ms, Pelabuhan Keppel), also called the Keppel Channel and formerly New Harbour, is a stretch of water in Singapore between the mainland and the southern islands of Pulau Brani and Sentosa (formerly Pulau Blakang Mati). Its natur ...
was completed. With the conversion of the route between Selegie Road and
Bras Basah Road
Bras Basah Road () is a one-way road in Singapore in the planning areas of Museum and Downtown Core. The road starts at the junction of Orchard Road and Handy Road, at the ERP gantry towards the Central Business District, and ends at the junc ...
, the move to trolleybuses was completed in September 1927.
1920s to 1940s
Problems arose with the trolleybuses soon after their introduction; several fatalities occurred because riders were either alighting or falling from moving trolleybuses. Consequently, the coroner requested that a fitting be made that allowed the conductor of the trolleybus to control passenger exits. As more deaths occurred, the coroner continued to make the same request and, in November 1927, STC decided to install a "central rod at the second-class entrance of each trolleybus." After the coroner's enquiry into a trolleybus fatality that same month, he theorised that the rods would not reduce the number of fatalities until passengers were compelled to wait until the bus had stopped to alight. When a Chinese teenager fell to his death from a trolleybus in 1928, STC installed inward-opening doors at third-class exits on all of its trolleybuses.
By October 1931, the trolleybus network had had almost 40 million riders. In 1933, the ''Malaya Tribune'' claimed that the trolleybus system was thought to be the largest in the world with a total route length of served by a fleet of 108 buses. In August 1939, new regulations for trolleybuses were implemented that limited their top speed to , prohibited advertising be placed on their exterior, and mandated that they be conveniently and brightly lit.
After the
fall of Singapore to the Japanese in February 1942, operation of the network was taken over by the local administration and trolleybus services were more or less back to normal by May. First-class service ended in 1943 with the introduction of new single-class trolleybuses; the new fares were based on the prior second-class rates.
Postwar and demise
After the return of Singapore to British rule, the STC found that of their 108 pre-war trolleybus fleet, only 20 trolleybuses were roadworthy. Trolleybus service was reinstated in September 1945, with the passenger capacity on each bus limited to 45. Due to the insufficient number of trolleybuses available, some of the routes previously served by trolleybuses were served by omnibuses until sufficient trolleybuses were delivered.
In the years after the war, the transport system provided by the trolleybuses and omnibuses proved to be inadequate. A memorandum by the
Singapore City Council's vehicles and traffic committee said they were "slow, noisy and unattractive". The trolleybus wires prevented the introduction of double-decker buses on Singapore streets. The STC embarked on a programme to replace the trolleybuses with brand-new
Isuzu buses built in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
The last trolleybuses, operating on service number 4 from
Paya Lebar
Paya Lebar is a planning area located in the East Region of Singapore, bordered by Hougang to the west, Sengkang to the northwest, Tampines to the east, Bedok to the south and Pasir Ris to the north.
As part of the Singapore Urban Redevelopment ...
to Outram Road, ceased operations at midnight on 15 December 1962.
Fleet
The initial set of trolleybuses acquired in 1926 consisted of chassis constructed by the
Associated Equipment Company
Associated Equipment Company (AEC) was a British vehicle manufacturer that built buses, motorcoaches and trucks from 1912 until 1979. The name Associated Equipment Company was hardly ever used; instead it traded under the AEC and ACLO brands. ...
in England and bodies constructed in Shanghai. The buses were shipped to Singapore in kit form and were assembled by workmen at the Tanjong Pagar docks in Singapore.
Initially, these trolleybuses had several issues, with a Malaya Tribune reporter noting that they frequently left the wires, a result of the poor construction of the trolley poles' contacts. Nevertheless, the same reporter noted that the buses had a smooth ride and were comfortable. As of the 1930s, the trolleybuses were inspected every two months and fully overhauled every two years.
In 1943, the new single-class trolleybuses were introduced; these had a lower floor then previous types.
After the war in 1945, as part of its rehabilitation programme, the STC ordered 60 new trolleybuses fitted with electrical equipment and
pneumatic tyres; the bodies were constructed in Singapore. The new trolleybuses began service in 1946.
All of the old trolleybuses were scrapped by November 1948.
Infrastructure
Initially, the trolleybuses were powered by electricity generated by the STC, but the electrical supply was switched to the municipal grid in 1927. Since the trolleybus routes required 540V of direct current, STC owned and operated two substations which converted the municipal grid alternating current to direct current.
See also
*
History of Singapore
The history of the modern state of Singapore dates back to its founding in the early nineteenth century; however, evidence suggests that a significant trading settlement existed on the Singapore Island, Island of Singapore in the 14th century. ...
*
Bus transport in Singapore
Public buses form a significant part of public transport in Singapore, with over 3.6 million rides taken per day on average as of December 2021. There are 352 scheduled bus services, operated by SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore ...
*
List of trolleybus systems
This is a list of cities where trolleybuses operate, or operated in the past, as part of the public transport system. The original list has been divided to improve user-friendliness and to reduce article size. Separate lists—separate articles i ...
*
Trams in Singapore
Singapore has had two tramway networks forming part of its public transport arrangements. Both networks were relatively unsuccessful and short lived.
History Steam trams
A steam tram service by the Singapore Tramways Company operated with limi ...
References
Further reading
* ''Trolleybus Magazine'' Nos. 207, 210, 212, 214-216, National Trolleybus Association (UK). .
*
External links
Commissioners Notebook, Vol 3, No 1– includes reprint of ''
Electric Railway Journal
''Electric Railway Journal'' was an American magazine primarily about electric urban rail transit in North America, published by McGraw Hill
McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publ ...
'' article about establishment of Singapore trolleybus system
Singapore Pages: Trams– published by the
National Library of Singapore
The National Library, Singapore is the flagship national library of Singapore. A subsidiary of the National Library Board (NLB), it is located on an 11,304–square metre site in Victoria Street within the Downtown Core. It is the country's ...
Land Transport Gallery– managed by the
Land Transport Authority of Singapore
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore.
History Incorporation of Land Transport Authority
Land Transport Authority (LTA) was established on 1 September 1995, ...
{{portalbar, Buses, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
Trolleybus transport in Singapore
1926 establishments in Singapore
1962 disestablishments in Singapore