Diesel hybrid buses with new information screens will hit the road in December

SINGAPORE: Fifty hybrid diesel buses will serve commuters from December, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Monday (26 January).

They will offer quieter and quieter exits, said LTA, as the electric motor – powered by batteries – reduces exhaust emissions and noise generated by the diesel engine.

According to LTA, the batteries are automatically charged by the diesel engine and, when the brakes are operated, the vehicle dynamics is converted into electricity, making the fleet more environmentally friendly.

The buses will also be equipped with new passenger information display systems.

The outside display shows the bus service number, the destination and the next three MRT or LRT stations to help commuters plan their train bus transfers.

Inside the bus, commuters will be able to see information about the next four bus stops, information on MRT and LRT transfers, as well as the current time and whether the bus has arrived at the bus. # 39; stop.

There will also be audio ads from the next bus stop. LTA intends to introduce this principle on all new buses, starting with these diesel hybrid buses.

Other features of the new buses include a collision alert system as well as an anti-fatigue system that monitors the eye and head movements of drivers and alerts them by a vibration of the seat s & # 39; They are tired.

The wheelchair space has also been increased from one to two to meet the needs of parents with strollers.

Following consultations with the Singaporean Association of the Visually Impaired, the support bars were made of a brighter blue and more tiffany to help people with visual impairments.

The buses were provided by Volvo East Asia following a $ 30 million Singaporean tender launched by LTA last October.

They will be deployed gradually from December from December. The bus services for the new diesel hybrid vehicles are being finalized, although one of them is the 272 feeder service, which runs from the Bukit Merah interchange.

"At first, the diesel hybrid buses will be deployed on the main and main lines to test their operational feasibility, taking into account the extent of the use of these buses and their impact on commuters", said an LTA spokesperson in response to media requests.

READ: Electric buses will serve commuters in Singapore from 2020

"We are going to test them as they are effective, while getting feedback from bus operators and commuters," said PA Senior Secretary of Transportation Baey Yam Keng on the sidelines of LTA's unveiling.

"We will also experiment with other technologies because in the end we want to be open to all the new things that could happen to us in terms of fleet choice because we not only want it to be cleaner for the environment, but also want commuters and operators to have better experiences, "he added.