15 February 2006 – Passengers in wheelchairs will soon be able to travel on public buses with the unveiling of Singapore’s first wheelchair accessible bus (WAB) prototype, by Minister for Transport, Mr Yeo Cheow Tong, today.

The first low-floor, double-decker Superbus WAB, built by ComfortDelGro Engineering for SBS Transit, will be equipped with wheelchair accessible ramp and other special features for the comfort and safety of all passengers.

In all, some 150 WABs will be rolled out over this year. The WABs are equipped with wheelchair ramps to enable easy access for passengers in wheelchairs. A specially-designated area, with a special backrest, low position handrails and a push button for signalling the intention to alight, has been installed to make commuting on public transport more comfortable for passengers in wheelchairs. These features are being introduced on all new SBS Transit buses, in line with the recommendations by the Committee on Ageing Issues last Wednesday to make all new public buses low-floor, step-free for easy boarding and alighting and wheelchair-accessible.

To help make new buses wheelchair accessible, Minister Yeo announced today that the Government has agreed to fund the incremental capital cost of providing manual ramps and associated features such as the dedicated bell-push button, padded backrest, horizontal handrail and vertical stanchion pole. The Government has also agreed to embark on road infrastructure improvement facilities to make it easier for passengers in wheelchairs to use the public transport system.

At the unveiling ceremony today, Minister Yeo said: “ We are pleased that SBS Transit is bringing in Singapore’s first wheelchair accessible bus for the commuting public. This is something that passengers in wheelchairs have been looking forward to for a while now and I am sure they will be very happy about today’s announcement. But as the boarding and alighting activities of a passenger in wheelchair will result in some delays, we seek the understanding and patience of all passengers of both the affected bus and those further down the route.”

The first WAB is expected to begin operations in April. SBS Transit is currently working with LTA and Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) to determine the best routes to introduce the services.

Ms Judy Anne Wee, Vice President of Handicaps Welfare Association said: “It is indeed heartening news to learn that the authorities and SBS Transit are joining hands in bringing in public buses with wheelchair accessible features. Dr Ow Chee Chung, Executive Director, Society for the Physically Disabled said : “ We are eagerly looking forward to more wheelchair accessible bus being put on the roads and making the bus service accessible to passengers in wheelchairs.”

All Bus Captains deployed on the selected services will be trained to operate the wheelchair ramp and to render assistance to passengers in wheelchairs. The Bus Captains will help passengers tap their ez-Link cards or help slot the fare into the coin box if they so require.

Besides the wheelchair features, the new ergonomically contoured buses will boast wider leg room and broader space in the gangway for easy mobility. There will be an additional 50mm width in the saloon and extra of 100mm height of headroom in the upper deck, as compared with a typical double decker.

A brand new body design has also been adopted for the new bus. It employs curvy contours on its edges to emphasise smoothness and roundness of the body and eliminating the feeling of “box” effect. Single piece exterior side panel construction also gives it a seamless appearance.

The aesthetically designed “full length” windscreen is a new feature in the local public transport service. The concave edge of the lower windscreen is designed to look like a smiling face, making it stand out from existing buses.

Mr Kua Hong Pak, Deputy Chairman, SBS Transit said: ”We are looking forward to the roll-out of our new buses. They will not only be pleasing to the eye but also be well-equipped with facilities to make travel on our buses comfortable. This is what we are always striving to provide. We are happy to be able to do our part in making public bus transport easily accessible to the physically disabled.”

The 150 new Volvo B9TL Superbuses, which cost $71 million, are being assembled in-house at the ComfortDelGro Engineering’s Vehicle Construction Workshop in Defu Avenue.

Mr Simon Soh, Chief Executive Officer, ComfortDelGro Engineering (CDGE) said :” It certainly is a challenging project. My team took about 13 months to develop and construct the prototype bus at a cost of $1.1 million. We have learnt a lot. CDGE has upgraded itself from the status of a bus assembler to a bus body supplier. I am proud to say that through this bus building project, CDGE added to its resume the capability of designing and fabricating body kits for aluminium bus bodies. “

BACKGROUND

SBS Transit
SBS Transit is 75%-owned by ComfortDelGro Corporation. SBS Transit is the largest scheduled public bus operator in Singapore with more than 2,700 buses on 205 routes. The buses serve 16 interchanges, 16 bus terminals and more than 3,000 bus stops. Low-floor zero-step (or step-free) buses for easy boarding and alighting, were introduced in 2001 after the successful completion of a trial bus in 1998/99. Since then all new buses are of zero configuration. Currently, SBS Transit operates 86 low-floor step-free buses, consisting 14 single deck and 72 double deck buses.

ComfortDelGro Engineering
ComfortDelGro Engineering (CDGE), a wholly-owned subsidiary of ComfortDelGro Corporation, is the largest state-of-the-art passenger car vehicle maintenance and repair workshop in Singapore. It services more than 16,000 taxis, over 3,000 private passenger cars and 2,000 commercial vehicles every month. It also offers unlimited vehicle recovery and towing service round-the-clock with a strong cardmembers base of more than 55,000. CDGE also develops, constructs and supplies Coach, Citybus, Paramedic Ambulance, Light Fire Attack Vehicle, Command and Control Vehicle and other specialised vehicles to the local and overseas markest. Its customers in Singapore include Singapore Civil Defence Force, Singapore Police Force and public/private coach and bus operators. Its overseas markets include Hong Kong, Taiwan and Brunei.

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