Bus services adjusted in view of changing travel patterns

           Since the opening of the Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 3 (TEL3), the average weekday ridership on TEL has almost tripled from 60,000 in October 2022 to 177,000 in October 2023.

2        More commuters are using TEL3 because of the shorter travelling time to different parts of Singapore. 80% of the journeys involving TEL3 saw shorter travelling times, of which about 30% saved more than 10 minutes. For example, a resident staying near Mayflower station can now commute to the Central Business District via Shenton Way station in just 30 minutes via TEL, as compared to the 45 minutes it takes by bus. The same resident visiting Gardens by the Bay now takes 40 minutes with TEL, saving 25 minutes.  

3        The ridership for some bus services plying along segments of TEL has seen an overall decrease of around 30 to 40 percent. To reduce duplication of bus services with TEL and to reallocate finite resources to better serve residents from new estates within our towns, the following adjustments will be implemented from 10 December 2023:

        I.      Service 167 will be discontinued. Adjustments will be made to existing services to help preserve the connectivity along key segments of the original route of Service 167. Service 859 will be amended to ply along Canberra Link and Sembawang Road; this amendment will also enhance connectivity to Bukit Canberra. The frequency of Service 980, which serves a similar sector as Service 167 between Sembawang and Thomson Road, will also be increased. All three services are operated by Tower Transit Singapore.

        II.    Service 162 / 162M operated by SBS Transit will be combined into a single Service 162. Its route will be shortened to loop in the Sin Ming area, maintaining the link between Yio Chu Kang Bus Interchange and Sin Ming. Amendments to the route will also enhance local connectivity within the Sin Ming area, as well as provide new connections to Upper Thomson Road.

        III.   Service 75 operated by SMRT Buses will be shortened to terminate at Bukit Merah Bus Interchange instead of Marina Centre Bus Terminal. Amendments to the route will enhance connectivity for Kim Tian Road residents with new connections to Bukit Merah Town Centre and Havelock MRT Station. Service 121 operated by SBS Transit will be amended to ply Cantonment Road enroute to Shenton Way Bus Terminal, to maintain the connectivity between Outram Park MRT and the residential estates in Cantonment area originally provided by Service 75.

4        For more details of the service amendments, please refer to the accompanying bus route amendment posters. Information on these changes will be available at all relevant bus stops, bus interchanges as well as on LTA and bus operators’ websites. Commuters can also approach staff from the relevant bus operators for assistance.

Please refer to additional information here for this announcement.