SG: Bids for bus contract in

The LTA has receive bids from 11 companies as part of its public bus contract. This is brilliant news, as there is interest in a field that has been thought of as barely profitable. 4 of the bids are from local firms, 6 are foreign, and 1 is a joint-venture between a local and foreign firm. The winning bidder will be announced in April, and they will be given a year to prepare for operations. They will operate the Bulim package of 26 routes from as early as July 2016. Experts estimate that the five-year contract is worth up to $100 million a year. More route packages will be up for bidding. Currently, SBS Transit and SMRT have nine route packages to run post-expiry of their current operating licences, but in 2021, the two will have to bid and jostle for the rights to run them afterwards.Pictures used for illustration purposes only.