Go-Ahead bolsters Tampines bus operations amid transition complaints

When Go-Ahead Singapore took over 27 bus routes in Tampines in July, the company inherited not just a network of roads and schedules, but the daily commute patterns of thousands of residents who had grown accustomed to a particular rhythm of service. Within weeks, that rhythm broke. Residents began reporting longer waits at bus stops, bunching—where multiple buses arrive in quick succession after long gaps—and a general unpredictability that made planning a journey feel like a gamble. By mid-September, the complaints had reached Parliament.

Go-Ahead had won the contract the previous year with a bid worth S$646 million over five years, beating out three other operators including the incumbent SBS Transit. The Land Transport Authority evaluated proposals on quality first, then price, and Go-Ahead's submission scored highest while also promising cost savings. But the transition from one operator to another, it turned out, was not seamless. On Tuesday, September 15, Go-Ahead responded to the mounting frustration by announcing it would deploy additional staff on the ground in Tampines—personnel stationed at bus interchanges and key stops to monitor service intervals, manage conditions, and provide real-time support to drivers still learning their routes.

The core problem was straightforward: about 40 percent of Go-Ahead's bus captains servicing the Tampines contract were new hires, unfamiliar with the roads, the stops, the rhythms of traffic in that part of the island. But the disruption ran deeper than inexperience. Go-Ahead had also shifted operations to a new integrated depot in East Coast, where buses are parked, cleaned, and maintained before being deployed each morning to their starting interchanges. For drivers who had worked from the old SBS Transit depot, this meant relearning their commutes to work, adjusting meal and coffee break schedules, and adapting to different off-service routes—the paths buses take when not carrying passengers. These operational changes, while necessary for the new company's efficiency, created friction that rippled through service quality.

Member of Parliament Baey Yam Keng, who represents Tampines and holds the rank of Minister of State for Transport, met with Go-Ahead's senior management after grassroots leaders brought him the complaints. The company acknowledged the transition issues and assured him that most of the logistical problems had been resolved. Go-Ahead also committed to strengthening training and support for its drivers. In a Facebook post, Baey outlined what he and local leaders had proposed: targeted monitoring at key bus stops to measure actual waiting times, identify which delays were recurring, pinpoint where bus bunching was happening, and determine what corrective steps were needed.

Go-Ahead's public response emphasized commitment and structure. In a statement, the company said it was "fully committed" to delivering safer, more reliable, and more consistent journeys for Tampines commuters. The additional ground staff would help drivers receive timely guidance as they familiarized themselves with new routes and operating conditions. "As we work through this transition period, rest assured we'll keep listening to our commuters, supporting our bus captains and looking out for one another," the company said.

What remains to be seen is whether the deployment of additional support staff and the promised training improvements will actually restore the service reliability residents expect. Baey said he and grassroots leaders would follow up closely with the Land Transport Authority and Go-Ahead, continuing to track the affected services. The contract runs for five years, with the option for the LTA to extend it by two to five years more. For now, Tampines residents are waiting—both for their buses and for evidence that the transition is genuinely stabilizing.