Proposal for Bus Rapid Transit System

Mr Alex Yam asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry will consider a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in tandem with the further development of the MRT; and (b) what are the limiting factors of replacing the current conventional public bus system with a BRT.

Mr Lui Tuck Yew: BRT systems typically feature off-vehicle fare collection, segregated right-of-way, signal priority, high-frequency operations, and specially-designed buses for quicker boarding and higher capacity. Some cities have implemented BRT as a lower-cost alternative to rail systems (RTS). A BRT system will require substantial additional surface land to accommodate the station platforms, and dedicated and overtaking lanes. Given Singapore's highly urbanised environment, and our existing rail network, our assessment is that a full BRT system is not practical.

However, we are incorporating some features that characterise BRT to improve our current bus system. These include signal priority, which grants buses more green time at traffic junctions, and expanding our existing bus priority measures like more bus lanes and the Mandatory Give Way to Buses Scheme.