SMRT Buses is a bus operator in Singapore. A subsidiary of SMRT Corporation, it traded as Trans Island Bus Services until 10 May 2004.
History
Trans-Island Bus Services (1983–2004)
In April 1981, Communications & Labour Minister Ong Teng Cheong announced the government would grant a license to an operator that was willing to compete with Singapore Bus Service, that had operated all services in Singapore since 1973, with the aim of improving service levels. In January 1982, City Shuttle Service operator Singapore Shuttle Bus lodged applications with the Ministry of Communications to establish a second bus operator and the Registry Of Vehicles for four bus depots. The applications were approved on 12 March that year, with SSB to take over 11 services in Woodlands and Sembawang from SBS. A new company, Trans-Island Bus Services, was founded on 31 May 1982, ordering a fleet of 250 buses including 90 Hinos. Operations commenced on 3 April 1983 with 40 buses. On 27 April 1987, TIBS was listed on SESDAQ, although Mr Ng Ser Miang retained a majority shareholding. By this stage it operated 361 buses. In 1995, as part of the government's plan to make the local bus system more competitive, 16 SBS Transit services were handed over to TIBS along with the tender to operate bus services in the north-east corridor, mainly the developing towns Sengkang and Punggol as well as Bukit Panjang. In 1996, TIBS began operations at the now closed Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange, Singapore's first underground bus interchange. It was also the first bus interchange designed to accommodate articulated buses. some of which were designed by world-renowned designer, Pininfarina and was known as the Habit articulated buses, on a large scale in its fleet, in contrast to the double-deckers used by SBS. In 1999, SBS Transit was awarded both bus and train services in the entire north-east corridor with the North East line, Sengkang LRT and Punggol LRT by the Land Transport Authority, both based in Sengkang. Eight bus routes affected in the bus tender of Sengkang and Punggol were transferred to SBS Transit. In return, TIBS was awarded to operate 17 routes in the north-west corridor towns of Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Batok, where the handover was done in stages together with the opening of Bukit Panjang LRT. Services 61, 106 and 173 were the last services to be handed over mainly due to extra time involved. In February 2001 TIBS joined with RATP Group in an unsuccessful bid to operate the Marina line.
SMRT Buses (2004–present)
TIBS and SMRT engaged in unsuccessful merger talks in 1999. In July 2001, SMRT launched a takeover bid for TIBS that was accepted. The transaction was completed in December 2001, with TIBS being operated as a wholly owned subsidiary. As part of a corporate rebranding programme, TIBS was rebranded as SMRT Buses in May 2004. On 26 November 2012, 170 bus drivers, refused to leave their living quarters for work. This reduced bus services to 90% of normal levels. The Ministry of Manpower considered it an illegal strike since the group failed to give a 14 days notice prior to disrupting an essential public service, as is required by the local laws. As a result, five of the strikers were jailed for instigating the strike, and another 29 were deported.
Routes
SMRT Buses operates services at Yishun, Sembawang, Woodlands, Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang, and operated one special service, 110. Since 1999, SMRT Buses have handed back Sengkang, Punggol, Jalan Kayu and parts of Yishun to SBS Transit. Most of the Bukit Batok routes were transferred to Tower Transit Singapore, except services 61, 868E, and new services 944 and 991. In addition, SMRT Corporation has a minibus subsidiary Bus-Plus Services which provides some premium, free shuttle, chartered, and peak-hour peak period bus services throughout Singapore.
Fleet
As at 2017, SMRT Buses operates more than 1,450 buses. It was the only operator of articulated buses in Singapore until 2018, when the Seletar Package transitioned to the Tendered Contract and introduced double-decker buses in 2014. It was the first operator to introduce electronic destination signage on its buses since 1990, which is now standard equipment. Some of these recently acquired buses are used for Bus Service Enhancement Programme since 17 September 2012.
Historical
In the 1980s, TIBS operated buses that were mostly of Japanese build such as Hino and Nissan Diesel In 1990, TIBS purchased its first European-built bus, the DAF SB220. Subsequent bus purchases during the 1990s included the Mercedes-Benz O405, the Scania L113CRL, Dennis Lance and Hino HS3KRKK. In 1996, TIBS purchased Singapore's first articulated bus, a Mercedes-Benz O405G which was specially airflown from Spain using a Spair Airlines cargo plane. The success of this bus saw TIBS purchase another 314 of such buses from 1996 to 2004.
