And now … Singapore orders more Volvos!
Mercedes-Benz Citaro low floor single-deck city buses by SBS Transit, Singapore’s major city bus operator. By the time of final delivery in 2015, this will raise the total number of these vehicles in the Singapore fleet to 750. We also mentioned that SBS operates a total fleet of around 3 000 buses, and that this is expected to grow to 3 400 by the end of 2015 – which left some space for the announcement of further orders
At the end of July, SBS Transit announced that it had also placed an order for 550 Volvo B9TL double-deckers for delivery over a three-year period from 2013 to 2015. These will join the 150 similar units purchased in 2009, and a further 300 ordered in 2010. This announcement confirms that Singapore has adopted a dual purchasing strategy – standardising on Mercedes-Benz for its single-decker requirements and Volvo for its double-deckers – to execute the fleet renewal programme that began in 2006. Volvo has a long history of bus supply to SBS, having delivered more than 2 000 buses to the company since 1981.
These new buses will be fitted with locally assembled bodywork, supplied in kit form by Wrightbus of Ballymena in Northern Ireland, and, in line with SBS policy, will include wheelchair access ramps. The chassis will be manufactured in Sweden, and the technical specification includes Euro 5-compliant Volvo D9 engines, in anticipation of Singapore’s planned implementation of this emission standard in 2014.