SINGAPORE — A new wheelchair-accessible electric mini bus will hit the roads on Thursday (Oct 17), plying the route of service 825 which operates between Yio Chu Kang interchange and Lentor Avenue.

With this new addition, all public bus services in Singapore will be wheelchair-accessible, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Wednesday (Oct 16) at a media preview of the newly expanded Yio Chu Kang bus interchange.

For a public bus service to be considered wheelchair accessible, half of the buses plying the route and 80 per cent of the bus stops along that route must be wheelchair-accessible.

This move will bring the authority closer to its goal of having the entire public bus fleet wheelchair-accessible by 2020. As at end-September, around 99 per cent of Singapore’s bus fleet of about 5,800 buses are wheelchair-accessible, said LTA. 

The new bus is also be the first time that an electric minibus will be used on a public route. 

Asked if the LTA is planning to introduce more minibuses to ply low-service routes like service 825, its spokesperson said that it would continue to procure regular-sized buses which can be deployed across different bus routes.

It added that the operating costs of minibuses are not much lower than those of normal buses, because the bulk of the operating costs is due to manpower costs, which are similar for both normal and minibuses. 

A minibus was introduced for this route between the bus interchange and estates around Lentor as some roads within the estate are “too narrow” for normal buses.

Three more electric minibuses with wheelchair-lifting mechanisms will be progressively introduced on the 825 service.

A BIGGER, BETTER YIO CHU KANG INTERCHANGE

The minibus was revealed at a media preview of the Yio Chu Kang interchange, which is currently undergoing expansion in two phases.

The entire expansion works, estimated to cost S$9.5 million, will be completed in 2021, and the size of the bus interchange will more than triple the current premises, increasing from 4,730 sqm to around 16,200 sqm.

The first phase involves constructing the expanded areas, and the second involves upgrading the existing bus interchange.

Under the first phase, commuters can look forward to a canteen, more food options and an e-lobby which will complement traditional ticketing booths from Dec 29.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Baey Yam Keng said that there will be more inclusive facilities at the expanded bus interchange.

“For example, there is a priority queue zone with seating so that those in need can have a more comfortable time waiting for buses and there are also nursing rooms for mothers,” he said, adding that these were recommendations given by commuters during feedback sessions on the Land Transport Master Plan 2040.

There will also be 150 bicycle parking lots and barrier-free toilets.

Following the completion of the first phase, commuters can look forward to other enhancements such as an improved boarding point at each berth and graduated kerb edges to facilitate boarding by passengers in wheelchairs.

To improve safety, the interchange will also be equipped with a reverse warning system to detect movement of buses from parking lots into the driveway.

Commuters TODAY spoke to said they looked forward to the expanded interchange.

ITE College Central student Gayathiri Iliyaperumal, 18, said: “I take bus 72 to school almost every day and during peak hours, the waiting area gets very cramped as the lines are long.

“I think the new bus interchange will be more spacious and it can make my journey more enjoyable.”