SAFETY OF BENDY-BUSES

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SAFETY OF "BENDY-BUSES": 9.

Dr Warren Lee asked the Minister for Transport if he will assure the House that the long "Bendy-Buses" used in Singapore are safe and at low risk of catching fire, given that the media have

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reported that two such buses have caught fire in Singapore since January 2001 and three such vehicles have caught fire in the UK in the last three months.

The Minister for Transport (Mr Yeo Cheow Tong): Mr Speaker Sir, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has confirmed that the model of Bendy buses used in Singapore differs significantly in design and specifications from the model of the three buses that caught fire in London recently.

Tibs first introduced the Bendy buses in 1996. Since then, there were two fire incidents involving such buses here; one in September 2000 and the other in December last year. Investigations conducted by a fire investigation expert from Germany revealed that both incidents were caused by isolated technical faults, and were not due to design problems.

Since the incidents, the bus operator has tightened its maintenance programme to prevent future occurrences. To further enhance the fire safety of Bendy buses, the operator is also currently in the process of installing automatic fire extinguishing systems in the engine compartments of the Bendy buses.

LTA will continue to work with the bus operator and introduce additional measures, if necessary, to ensure the safety of commuters.