Yutong electric public buses in Singapore can't be controlled remotely by Chinese manufacturer: LTA
SINGAPORE – The 20 electric public buses made by Yutong on Singapore’s roads cannot be remotely controlled by the Chinese manufacturer, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Nov 17.The buses also do not support over-the-air software updates, LTA added in response to The Straits Times’ questions about the cyber security of such buses, following a report by Norwegian public transport operator Ruter.Ruter said in late October that tests on the electric buses suggested that Yutong could remotely turn them off.“This could be exploited to affect the bus,” its report said. The operator now plans to introduce stricter security requirements and step up anti-hacking measures.The 20 Yutong buses in Singapore have been operating smoothly on public bus services in Singapore since 2020, LTA said.Yutong buses here are used by public bus operators Tower Transit Singapore, Go-Ahead Singapore and SMRT, according to Land Transport Guru, an independent website focusing on Singapore’s public transport system.Acknowledging Ruter’s report, LTA said: “We note Yutong’s public clarification that its buses cannot be remotely controlled or deactivated.”