October 31, 2025
SINGAPORE – The steps inside 420 new electric buses are being lowered after elderly passengers flagged the difficulty of navigating them to get to seating areas.
Work started in October to bring down the steps to the raised seating platforms on BYD and Zhongtong single-deck electric buses, for the convenience of older passengers and those with mobility issues, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said.
The steps to these platforms can be as high as 33cm.
Their height will be reduced to 23cm or lower, similar to the height of steps on staircases of double-decker buses, LTA told The Straits Times on Oct 24. It is working with the manufacturers on the changes.
“The modification will make it much easier and safer for elderly commuters and those with mobility challenges to access the seats,” added the authority.
It did not provide the total cost of the modification works when asked.
At present, 170 of these buses are plying the roads, with the first few having started service in December 2024.
The buses generally run on routes that pass through Hougang and Sengkang, such as services 80, 163 and 371.
In total, 420 electric buses procured by LTA in 2024 are undergoing step-height modifications. These buses are scheduled to be progressively delivered by end-2025.
The steps are higher because of the low-floor design of these new electric buses, which ensures that passengers using wheelchairs or mobility aids can move freely from the front to the back of the buses.
But with a low-floor design, space above the floor is needed to accommodate the wheel arches of the bus, the electric motor, battery packs and other equipment.
As a result, the seats are positioned on elevated platforms – higher than those on existing diesel buses – on both sides of the aisle.
LTA has since dropped the requirement of having a low-floor design in its latest tender for 660 new electric buses, which closed in June. All other requirements, such as having one entrance and two exits, as well as two wheelchair bays, remain.
Passengers who frequently take the BYD and Zhongtong buses are happy that the height of the steps are being lowered.
Ms Rosalinda Hassim, 56, said the height of the raised platforms make it very difficult for the elderly with knee problems to climb up. She often takes service 371 from Sengkang bus interchange towards Rivervale.
The cleaner said she finds it quite tough to get on and off these seats, although she does not suffer from knee problems, as she has to carefully manoeuvre her way up and down the platforms.
Similarly, homemaker Susan Han, 65, who recently underwent surgery on her left knee, said she has to put in extra effort to slowly climb up the high steps on these buses whenever she takes service 159 from Sengkang bus interchange to Toa Payoh.
She said she has seen many elderly passengers avoid these seats altogether, choosing instead to stand, which could be more dangerous for them.
LTA said the buses are being taken out of service – one to two weeks each – in phases for the modifications to minimise disruption to services and ensure the continuation of reliable transport options.
It said that in the meantime, it has advised bus drivers to be more attentive to elderly passengers who may need help on these buses. Stepless priority seating is still available at the front of these buses, it added.
“We are committed to ensuring our public transport system remains accessible and comfortable, and we appreciate the patience of commuters as we implement these improvements,” it added.
Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min Daily News first reported in early October that elderly passengers were having trouble getting on and off seats on the elevated platforms of these new buses.
LTA said plans to address the step height were already in progress before the report was published in the newspaper.