SBS Transit
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| SBS Transit Ltd
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; padding:16px 0 16px 0;"> | |
| Type | Public (SGX: SBSTransit) |
|---|---|
| Founded | Singapore, 1973 |
| Headquarters | Singapore
<tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Key people</th><td>Lim Jit Poh (Chairman) |
SBS Transit Limited (Simplified Chinese: 新捷运, SGX: S61) is a public transport operator in Singapore. Their major competitor in Singapore's duopoly transport system is SMRT Corporation, which also operates bus, rail, taxi and other transport services.
The company (organisation) was formed as a separately-listed subsidiary in November 1997 under the name of Singapore Bus Services Limited, although it can trace its history back to the formation of Singapore Bus Service in 1973 with the merger of three bus companies. On 1 November 2001, the company's name was changed to SBS Transit Limited to reflect its status as a bus and rail operator.
Its parent company is ComfortDelGro Corporation, which was formerly known as DelGro Corporation Limited. The parent company has Singapore Bus Service as its direct predecessor.
In 2003, SBS Transit started operating the North East MRT Line of the Mass Rapid Transit system in addition to its existing bus systems.
Contents |
[edit] Operations
Image:SBS7314A 021 27062006 DSC1007 S.jpg
SBS Transit's primary business is providing public transport services in Singapore. Its more notable operations are the following.
- Bus operations comprising a fleet of about 2,700 buses, serving almost the entire island
- Rapid transit operations along the North East Line of the MRT network and its 16 stations
- Light Rail operations and manages the 29 stations along the Sengkang and Punggol LRT Lines of the Light Rapid Transit
[edit] Bus fleet
SBS Transit currently operates 75% of the scheduled bus market share in Singapore with 217 bus services and has a total fleet of more than 2,700 buses. 91% of the buses are air-conditioned. The current bus fleet includes:
- Volvo B9TL (Wheelchair accessible)
- Volvo B10BLE (Diesel/CNG)
- Volvo B10TL Super Olympian
- Volvo B10M Mk IV, Mk III and Mk II
- Dennis Trident 3
- Volvo Olympian
- Leyland Olympian
- Scania L94UB and Scania N113CRB
- Dennis Dart
- Mercedes-Benz O405
The buses are maintained by 5 workshops in Ang Mo Kio, Bedok North, Hougang, Bukit Batok, and Soon Lee. Regular preventive and corrective maintenance, component design and repair, engineering service improvements and modifications are also carried out at these workshops.
The workshop works with the following hierarchy.
- Workshop Manager
- DY Manager
- Technical Officer
- Senior Foreman
- Foreman
- Senior Leading Hand
- Leading Hand
- Technician Grade III
- Technician Grade II
- Technician Grade I
- Panel Beater
- Painter
[edit] Key operating statistics
Monthly Ridership for Bus and Rail
| Month | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus | Rail | Bus | Rail | Bus | Rail | |
| January | 71,225,011 | 173,786 | 64,324,473 | 6,004,948 | 64,885,728 | 6,834,446 |
| February | 60,357,864 | 176,260 | 62,548,766 | 5,295,081 | 56,837,060 | 6,057,296 |
| March | 66,842,727 | 205,468 | 66,351,036 | 5,746,222 | 64,890,223 | 6,732,828 |
| April | 57,407,730 | 179,940 | 63,487,500 | 5,435,070 | 62,479,980 | 6,426,390 |
| May | 64,069,312 | 230,950 | 64,064,538 | 5,826,574 | 62,302,994 | 6,740,609 |
| June | 61,078,440 | 5,754,480 | 58,792,110 | 5,786,490 | 59,278,140 | 6,729,450 |
| July | 66,929,000 | 4,896,605 | 66,508,609 | 6,105,977 | 64,967,196 | 7,107,649 |
| August | 66,998,998 | 5,209,860 | 65,082,175 | 6,010,931 | 65,473,116 | 7,075,905 |
| September | 64,138,650 | 5,070,510 | 62,920,620 | 5,908,380 | 62,254,350 | 6,956,040 |
| October | 65,437,838 | 5,327,040 | 63,445,158 | 6,039,513 | 63,613,023 | 7,232,610 |
| November | 60,143,490 | 5,176,680 | 58,936,800 | 6,008,850 | 59,570,430 | 7,016,160 |
| December | 60,760,868 | 5,871,276 | 60,215,888 | 6,575,844 | ||
| Total | 765,389,928 | 38,272,855 | 756,677,673 | 70,743,880 | ||
Notes - Rail ridership includes North East Line (NEL), Sengkang Light Rapid Transit (LRT) and Punggol Light Rapid Transit (LRT) rides. - Sengkang LRT and NEL commenced revenue service on 18 January 2003 and 20 June 2003 respectively. The Punggol LRT began service on 29 January 2005.
[edit] TVMobile
As of 2005, TVMobile has been installed in most of SBS Transit's buses. TVMobile is an outdoor digital television station, broadcasting live news & entertainment programmes throughout the bus's operation hours. SBS Transit is the only bus operator to have installed TVMobile in its buses as of 2006. However, most of SBS Transit's newer buses, such as the Volvo B9TL have not been installed with TV Mobile. It is unlikely that TV Mobile would be installed in these buses in the near future.
From time to time, SBS' use of TVMobile has attracted flak in the Straits Times' forum pages. Many commuters persistently hold the impression that the installation of TVMobile is the reason for increases in busfares. <ref>Gan Y. C., Save money, do away with TV Mobile, The Straits Times, May 27, 2006 Saturday.</ref> <ref>Chong J., Forget TV mobile, give us more frequent bus services", The Straits Times, May 19, 2006.</ref> <ref>Arip, A., Did TV Mobile survey include a cross-section of commuters?, The Straits Times, November 9, 2006.</ref> There are also other complaints about the suitability <ref>Balaguru, R., 'Desperate Housewives' on TV Mobile not good, The Straits Times, May 25, 2006.</ref>, the repetitiveness of programs.<ref>Tan, K.S., TVMobile repeats programmes ad nauseam. Can anything be done about it?, The Straits Times, November 26, 2005.</ref> <ref>Teo K.S., TVMobile is boring. Take off old shows and replace them with new ones, The Straits Times, August 28, 2006.</ref>
[edit] References
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