Singapore will eventually ditch public buses which run solely on diesel power.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary said the Government will buy either electric or hybrid buses from now on, which is in line with its goal to have its fleet of around 5,400 public buses run on cleaner energy by 2040.
The Straits Times understands the hybrids are likely to be diesel-electric models, as these are most widely available. Both types will cost more than conventional buses.
Dr Janil said Singapore has deployed 50 diesel-electric buses on the road since March 2019.
“We have also bought 60 fully-electric buses and will be deploying them progressively this year,” he told the House on 5 March, adding that new bus depots will be designed to support electric buses.
He also encouraged taxi operators to switch to electric cabs. As at end-January, only 133 out of 18,528 cabs were electric.
Nanyang Business School Adjunct Associate Professor Zafar Momin said bus operators will need to make adjustments to accommodate such changes in their fleet. “Other than training more drivers for handling new bus types in the fleet, they will need to adjust the infrastructure and technical skills of their maintenance and repair staff,” he said.
While electric buses may be easier to maintain as they have fewer parts, hybrids “may be more complicated than conventional buses and perhaps as costly to maintain”.
Beyond buses and taxis, Singapore plans to phase out all vehicles which are solely powered by combustion engines by 2040, a move Dr Janil described as ambitious.
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Source: The Straits Times, 6 March 2020