Bids Invited to Run 27 Public Bus Routes in Tampines from 2026

Public transport operators have been invited to submit bids to run 27 public bus routes under the Tampines bus package from 2026, with electric bus operations set to be a key factor in the evaluation process.

- Kok Yufeng

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) called a tender on Dec 19, and it expects to award the new bus contract by the second half of 2025.

The incumbent, SBS Transit (SBST), has been running the Tampines bus package since 2016. Its existing contract with LTA is set to expire in July 2026.

The package is composed largely of trunk routes, such as those of bus services 10, 23 and 81, and will include a new bus service that will be launched in 2025 as part of the $900 million Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme.

More details about the new service will be provided when available, LTA said in response to queries.

The routes under the Tampines package, which currently operate from Bedok North Bus Depot, will be supported by the upcoming East Coast Integrated Depot when it opens in 2026, LTA added.

The facility in Changi will house a multi-storey bus depot that will be able to hold more than 500 buses and charge more than 200 electric buses, and also hold train depots serving three rail lines.

Besides the quality factors that LTA had looked at in the past, the authority will be evaluating proposals for electric bus operations for the latest tender.

This means taking into consideration how the bidding companies intend to optimise deployment and maintain the battery-powered buses and supporting infrastructure, and how they will ensure safe operations, LTA added.