Progress on Diesel Hybrid Bus Trials

Mr Yee Jenn Jong asked the Minister for Transport (a) what are the results of the two diesel hybrid bus trials conducted by the public transport operators since 2010; (b) what are the costs incurred for conducting those trials; (c) what are the lessons learnt from those trials that can be applied to the new one-year diesel hybrid bus trial mentioned in the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015; and (d) when will diesel hybrid buses be implemented on a larger scale in Singapore.

The two trials that were conducted from 2010-2012 indicated an approximate 25% improvement in fuel efficiency, with less conclusive results for emissions. The fuel savings were, however, insufficient to offset the 140% higher cost, compared to normal buses. ComfortDelGro Engineering, which partnered the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for the trials, estimated the trials to cost $1.7 million. LTA's share came up to about

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$660,000.

SBS Transit's on-going diesel hybrid bus trial, as mentioned in the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015, was started in March this year at the manufacturer’s initiative. It is intended to test the performance of the manufacturer’s diesel hybrid buses in Singapore’s climate. There is no funding from the Government for this trial.

In view of the significantly higher cost and unproven reliability in our local climate, we have decided not to adopt diesel hybrid buses on a large scale for now. However, we will continue to monitor prices and find opportunities to trial different models of such buses.

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