SINGAPORE - Two bus packages for Bukit Merah and Jurong West have been put up for tender by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Wednesday.

Currently operated by SBS Transit, the contracts include 17 public bus routes for Bukit Merah and 26 for Jurong West, according to government procurement website GeBiz.

The Bukit Merah contract is due to expire in 2023, while the one for Jurong West will expire in 2024.

This is the second time LTA has called a tender for two packages concurrently under the bus contracting model. Previously, bus operator Tower Transit in 2020 won the bid to run both the Bulim and Sembawang-Yishun packages.

Mrs Grace Wu, SBS Transit’s vice-president for customer experience and communications, said it will bid for the contracts.

She said: “Tendering is part and parcel of our business and we approach every tender with our best efforts and competitive advantages. It will be no different this time round.

“We are committed and driven to doing more as Singapore’s leading public bus operator.”

A spokesman for Tower Transit said it is keen to bid on both bus packages, while Go-Ahead Singapore declined to comment.

The Straits Times has asked SMRT for comment.

The tender closes on March 22, 2023.

Wednesday’s tender comes after Go-Ahead Singapore was given a three-year extension to operate 31 public bus routes in the Loyang area in October - the first time a tendered bus contract was extended beyond the stipulated contract duration of up to seve...