Chinese Brands Win Singapore Landmark Electric Bus Tender with 660-Unit

December 15, 2025 – Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded its largest-ever electric bus contract, with all 660 vehicles—comprising 360 single-deck and 300 double-deck buses—set to be supplied by consortia led by China's top bus manufacturers.

The winning bidders are:

Deliveries are scheduled to begin in late 2026, phasing out diesel buses that have reached the statutory 17-year retirement age.

This procurement marks a significant step toward LTA's goal of a fully cleaner-energy public bus fleet by 2040. Under Singapore's Green Plan 2030, 50% of the public bus fleet must be battery-electric by the end of this decade.

A key feature of this tender is Singapore's first bulk procurement of electric double-deckers. The new buses feature a three-door, two-staircase design to minimize boarding times and reduce dwell time at stops. Equipped with next-generation lithium iron phosphate batteries for extended cycle life, the vehicles also meet Singapore's stringent safety standards through integrated collision-warning, driver-fatigue monitoring, 360° surround-view, and certified fire-containment systems.

The tender, launched on the government procurement portal GeBIZ on March 14, 2025, attracted a record 21 domestic and international bids by the June 26 deadline. While global competitors like Volvo Buses and Alexander Dennis participated, LTA's two-envelope quality-and-price evaluation resulted in a full sweep for the Chinese-led consortia. Industry analysts note that the ST-CRRC consortium offered the most competitive pricing for double-deck models, while BYD, Zhongtong, and Yutong capitalized on their proven operational reliability and established local service networks.

Chinese electric buses first entered the Singaporean market in 2018 with a 60-vehicle pilot program that included BYD and Yutong models. Their market share has grown consistently since, and with this 660-unit award—along with anticipated follow-on orders—Chinese-made electric buses are poised to become the dominant force on the island's roads.

This landmark deal highlights the evolution of China's bus industry from vehicle exporters to providers of integrated "technology + product + service" solutions. In a related development, a consortium led by BYD and autonomous driving firm MOGOX won Singapore's first L4 self-driving bus pilot in October 2025. This trend signifies the deepening integration of Chinese automotive platforms and electric drivetrains into the public transit infrastructure of developed economies, offering a potential blueprint for global smart-mobility adoption.

For Singapore, the deployment of these 660 electric buses will directly contribute to reduced land-transport emissions and accelerate progress toward national net-zero targets. For China's bus manufacturing sector, the contract represents a strategic entry into a new phase of high-value, service-oriented expansion in Singapore and other advanced international markets.