Volvo Buses
Singapore
School bus operator Yeap Transport strives to maintain its impeccable record of no accidents involving serious injury.
Yeap Transport Pte Ltd was established in 1979. In the same year, it was awarded its first contract to manage the transportation of school children by bus in Singapore.
“Keeping them safe permeates every aspect of our operation,” says Mr. Adrian Yeap, owner of Yeap Transport.
The bus company currently transports children to and from five campus locations at three prestigious international schools in Singapore. Yeap Transport has always put safety first, and it continually strives to maintain its impeccable record of no accidents involving serious injury. A big part of this is the reliability of the buses. Adrian Yeap points out that the customers expect this kind of operation to run smoothly at all times because should anything happen, the children are too young to make their own way home.
"Photo credit to SK Santhosh"
Adrian Yeap, Owner, Yeap Transport
“We take the responsibility of transporting school children very seriously and reliability is an important factor. Not only does it ensure your buses are always on the road, but it also helps develop trust among parents,” he says.
It is one of the reasons why Yeap Transport decided to invest in two Volvo B7R coaches in 2017 and opt for its full service maintenance contract.
“Investing in a bus is not just about selecting the right vehicle – we also need reliable parts availability and full service support to maximise safety”
Adrian Yeap says: “Investing in a bus is not just about selecting the right vehicle – we also need reliable parts availability and full service support to maximise safety and vehicle uptime. With Volvo Buses, we get a safe, reliable and complete solution. And we feel supported by them as they fully understand our needs,” he adds.
Achuth Das, Volvo Buses Sales Manager, Singapore says: “Our relationship with Yeap is very strong and we care about their unique requirements. Safety is Volvo Buses’ core value, so we share a common understanding of the concerns this type of operation brings.”
Yeap Transport has also been able to access extensive training materials enabling the drivers to learn how to utilise the full potential of the coaches, ensuring safe and reliable operations.
“What’s been important to us is that the training is easy to access and does not always take up too much time for the drivers. It doesn’t seem like much, but even a three-minute presentation on how to evacuate a bus can make all the difference,” says Adrian Yeap.
“Photo credit to SK Santhosh"
Yeap Transport currently operates two Volvo B7R buses but plans to expand its Volvo fleet and implement safety zones around the schools it works with.
More recently, the close partnership with Volvo Buses has seen Yeap enter discussions about the potential of investing in more Volvo coaches with additional safety features.
“I believe a data-driven fleet is a safer fleet. With Volvo’s fleet management system, we would be able to predict any maintenance concerns and analyse how the drivers and buses are performing, addressing any safety concerns,” says Adrian Yeap.
The company is set to invest in advanced telematics, which will collate data from hundreds of on-board data points. The objective is to establish new levels of control in terms of safety, fuel efficiency and carbon emissions. With the potential to implement Safety Zones around the schools Yeap works with, geofencing technology is also being considered. It would enable the school bus operator to set a maximum speed limit that would be impossible to exceed.
Further advantages would include Volvo Buses’ Collision Warning and Emergency Braking System, which automatically applies full brakes to the coach if a collision with a vehicle in front is imminent and the driver doesn’t react.
The reliability of our Volvo coaches and Volvo Buses’ ability to understand our safety needs has proved invaluable.
“It is all about ensuring maximum safety for the school children, not just in but also around the coaches, especially when they are near the schools. It would also be very reassuring for our customers and the parents,” says Adrian Yeap.
At present, there are other features that the parents in particular appreciate. The coaches feature seatbelts and wearing them is strictly enforced by Yeap staff onboard, even though it is not a legal requirement in Singapore. The air suspension that lowers the bus during boarding and disembarking has also received a lot of positive feedback.
“When you have children as young as three travelling with you – it makes it easier and safer for them to get on and off the coach,” he explains.
Despite the pandemic, Adrian Yeap is optimistic about the future: “The reliability of our Volvo coaches and Volvo Buses’ ability to understand our safety needs has proved invaluable. There is so much potential when it comes to the latest technology. We look forward to building on our partnership and investing in new Volvo coaches and safety technologies in the near future,” he says.
Bus fleet: 458 buses in total; 2 Euro 5 B7R Volvo buses
Operation: School bus transportation and management
Main customer type: International schools in Singapore
Drivers: 900
Employees: 54
