We refer to Ms Ng Cheng Hoon’s letter “Speed up conversion to electric public transport” (March 19).
The electrification of our public bus and taxi fleet is a key part of the Government’s efforts to significantly reduce land transport emissions and support Singapore’s net-zero ambitions. The MRT, which runs on electricity, is the most carbon-efficient way of travelling, and our rail expansion efforts continue to make travel by MRT more convenient for more commuters.
The Land Transport Authority is also fully committed to achieving a 100 per cent cleaner energy bus fleet by 2040. Since awarding the first large-scale electric bus tender in November 2023, we have deployed 10 buses as at end-2024, with plans to fully deploy all 420 electric buses by early 2026. We have also recently called a tender for another 660 electric buses. We remain on track for electric buses to comprise half of our public bus fleet by 2030.
This pace of deploying electric buses is based on making this transition in the most environmentally responsible and financially prudent way. New electric buses are being progressively deployed as older diesel buses reach the end of their lifespan. This avoids prematurely writing off buses that are still useable, which will also have a negative environmental impact. In the meantime, our inspection regime ensures that existing diesel buses continue to meet stringent emission standards.
By pacing bus procurement and infrastructure upgrades over time, we are also capitalising on advancements in the fast-evolving electric bus industry. We can procure the most optimal battery and charging technology available at every purchase, rather than committing at scale to technology that may become obsolete.
Our taxi operators have also committed to fully transitioning their fleet to cleaner energy models by 2040. As at end-2024, over 90 per cent of our taxis are already cleaner-energy models.
We thank Ms Ng for her letter and assure her that we remain focused on building an environmentally friendly public transport fleet.
Yeo Teck Guan
Senior Group Director
Public Transport
Land Transport Authority
