Singapore's electric buses: How safe are they?
Public buses in Singapore are becoming cleaner and quieter, but are they safer?Reports of electric vehicle fires do surface occasionally, with the last reported incident at a Marine Parade car park on Sept 24.The Land Transport Authority (LTA), which aims to transition the public bus fleet to cleaner energy, has acknowledged that some commuters may be concerned about the safety of electric buses."Safety is our top priority," the regulator said in an explainer video on Friday (Nov 6), adding that incidents involving electric buses are considered rare. It noted that overheating can pose a fire risk if not properly managed, highlighting that Singapore's electric buses have "extra safety layers".This, the authority said, means housing the batteries in fire resistant compartments which are designed to contain fires for at least 30 minutes.But if temperatures continue to rise, the buses' automatic fire suppression system will be activated automatically to cool the area down.