The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded the contract for the Serangoon-Eunos bus package to SMRT Buses Ltd. The contract, estimated at a total fee of $599.5 million[[1]] over a five-year contract period, will commence from 13 June 2027. LTA has the option to extend the contract by between two and five years at the end of the five-year term.
2. The Serangoon-Eunos bus package is currently operated by SBS Transit Ltd (SBST) and consists of 26 routes[[2]] operating from Hougang Bus Depot. Under the new contract, SMRT will begin operations from the new Kim Chuan Bus Depot, and manage Eunos Bus Interchange, Serangoon Bus Interchange, Woodleigh Bus Interchange and Sims Place Bus Terminal.
Evaluation process
3. The tender for the Serangoon-Eunos bus package was called on 19 December 2025. Tender submissions were evaluated based on a two-envelope process, whereby quality proposals were evaluated before price submissions were opened. This ensures that LTA selects the proposal that offers the best value-for-money. Given large-scale electric bus deployment in this package, LTA placed greater emphasis on the proposal’s quality, particularly in electric bus operations and maintenance capabilities. Please see Annex A for the bidders of the Serangoon-Eunos bus package.
4. SMRT was awarded the contract because it received the highest total score for its proposal. SMRT’s proposal also offered cost savings for LTA compared to the current contract. In particular, SMRT’s proposal demonstrated strong capabilities in electric bus operations and maintenance, alongside comprehensive plans to strengthen workforce development. SMRT will also:
- Implement attractive workforce recruitment initiatives to grow and diversify its local pool of bus captains, including offering a high sign-on bonus, Class 3/3A licence sponsorship, and C-U-Back at work (“CUB”) programme developed in partnership with NTUC Women and Family Division to attract more women to enter the bus sector.
- Enhance bus safety and systems maintenance through the deployment of fleet-wide AI-enabled fatigue detection and fault navigator systems to reduce fault resolution time and improve maintenance turnaround.
- Enhance commuter experience through community-focused programmes tailored to the local profile at each interchange. These include a placemaking initiative featuring the heritage of Kampung Eunos, and extending the community piano and busking sessions initiatives at Woodleigh to support local arts and community engagement.
Workers’ support and redeployment plans
5. Current SBST employees from the Serangoon-Eunos bus package will be protected by the Public Transport Tripartite Committee’s Guidelines on Good Employment Practices in the Public Bus Industry. The incoming operator, SMRT, will be required to offer affected employees employment terms that are no worse-off compared to current employment terms. Affected employees can choose to join SMRT or be redeployed by their current employer where feasible.
Annex A: Bidders of Serangoon-Eunos Bus Package
