FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Singapore’s First #ChallengeInTransit Concept Bus Launched On Bus Service 96

Singapore, 15 January 2018 — For some commuters, a simple bus ride may soon unexpectedly become a riveting and rewarding experience.

Enter the #ChallengeInTransit concept bus, a first in Singapore, where commuters, from the comfort of their seats, can look forward to solving 14 stimulating questions

(Appendix A), each crafted by a local defence scientist and engineer.

As part of a collaboration between Singapore (TTS) and DSO National

Laboratories (DSO), #ChallengeInTransit is all about transforming a simple commute into an engaging experience. It debuts today on a double-deck bus (Appendix B) on

TTS’s 96 bus service, which starts from and travels in a loop through National University of Singapore (NUS).

The 14 questions cover a wide range of subject matters, from Chemistry and Physics to Cybersecurity. They offer a glimpse into the interesting challenges that defence engineers and scientists often have to solve as part of their research work.

Ms Serene Tan, Director of DSO’s Human Resource and Communications Division, shared, “At DSO, our people are always curious and exploring solutions for unique problems. This bus journey is a little taste of the adventure ahead should they choose to be part of DSO.” Mr Glenn Lim, Group Communications Director of TTS, said, “We are always keen to explore new ways to transform journeys, and are excited to join efforts with DSO to make them more interactive and immersive. This is a fresh and fun approach to engaging and communicating with the passengers on bus.”

Fully embracing the modes of communication used by their target audience, hints, announcements, and additional content about the campaign will be shared on DSO’s

Facebook (@dso.sg) and Instagram (@discoverdso) accounts. All the solutions will be revealed after the contest ends.

#ChallengeInTransit will run for 14 weeks and commuters can submit their answers online at curiousbus.sg. All they need is to successfully solve any of the 14 questions, and all qualified entries will stand a chance to win a portable drone at the end of each month from January to March.

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For more information and high resolution images, please contact: Kenny Wong Head of Corporate Communications, DSO +65 6450 4163 [email protected]

Aidah Subir +65 6203 4069 [email protected] About DSO National Laboratories DSO National Laboratories (DSO) is Singapore’s largest defence research and development organisation. It undertakes indigenous development of advanced defence and weapon systems that provide the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) with the superior technological edge in the battlefield.

While its primary focus is to support the SAF, DSO also extends its defence R&D capabilities to support homeland security. With more than 1,400 research scientists and engineers, DSO researches on emerging technologies, matures promising ones and integrates them into innovative system concepts to meet Singapore’s defence and security needs.

For more information, please visit www.dso.org.sg.

About Tower Transit Tower Transit is a young and innovative transport operator with fresh ideas and an expertise in bus franchising. The company works with governments to bring clean, reliable, efficient and personable bus services to the world’s top cities. Established in the UK in 2013, Tower Transit operates some of the busiest bus routes in central London and is a leading operator of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell buses. The group also owns boutique bus and coach operations in Cambridge and The Impact Group in West London which runs transport app Citymapper’s pop-up bus service, and autonomous shuttle trials at Heathrow Airport.

In 2015, competing with some of the world’s biggest bus operators, Tower Transit was awarded the Singapore government’s first competitively-tendered bus operations contract. Tower Transit Singapore runs 29 routes and has a staff strength of close to 1,000.

In 2017, the Tower Transit Group was named “International Business of the Year” at the British Expertise International Awards. In Singapore, Tower Transit Singapore was awarded “Best Workplace Culture & Engagement” at the HRM Awards 2017 and won the Customer Engagement category at the Annual Business Awards of the British Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, visit www.towertransit.co.uk or www.towertransit.sg. Appendix A

An example the 14 challenges:

Appendix B

Bus interior — entrance and lower deck:

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Bus interior — stairwell and upper deck:

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