New bus services for residents in areas such as Bukit Panjang, Punggol and Tengah by end-2025
Isabelle Liew for The Straits Times
Six new bus services that will serve residents in areas such as Bukit Panjang, Punggol and Tengah will be rolled out over the next two months.
Another five new City Direct Services - buses that ply express routes between housing estates and the city - for the north-eastern region will be introduced by the end of 2025, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Oct 12. Two existing bus routes - 114 and 146 - will also be extended.
The efforts are part of the LTA's $900 million Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme, which aims to broaden the bus network in newer housing estates islandwide over eight years.
Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said the new services are meant to give residents who live further away from the city more options, and bring them to MRT stations more quickly.
From Oct 26, new bus service 104 will run between Punggol Coast and Woodleigh, connecting residents in Punggol Northshore, Sumang and Bidadari to MRT stations such as Punggol Coast, Buangkok and Serangoon.
On the same day, service 984 will begin operating between Bukit Panjang and Jurong East, connecting Teck Whye and Brickland in Tengah. It will take residents to Jurong East and Bukit Panjang MRT stations, as well as amenities such as polyclinics and schools.
Punggol residents will get a new service to Changi Airport from Nov 10. Service 44 will operate during the morning and evening peak periods on weekdays, excluding public holidays.
From Nov 17, new services 451, 452 and 453 will provide residents in the Tengah and Brickland area with faster connections to MRT stations such as Bukit Gombak and Beauty World.
LTA said these services have limited stops to provide residents in estates farther away from transport nodes with a direct connection to MRT stations.
These express feeder services will be numbered from 451 onwards to better distinguish them from existing routes, LTA said. Three similar services - 298X, 979X and 21X - will be renumbered as services 454, 455 and 456, respectively, it added.
By the end of 2025, the LTA will extend service 114 - which currently plies within Buangkok - to the Yio Chu Kang bus interchange and MRT station.
Service 146, which runs from Woodleigh interchange to Bartley, will be extended to Kovan MRT station.
LTA did not elaborate on the five new City Direct Services for the north-eastern area, which will be included under its Travel Smart Journeys programme. Such services only ply during peak hours on weekdays, and provide commuters with an alternative to the MRT.
The Travel Smart programme is aimed at encouraging passengers to avoid the busier segments of the MRT network during the morning peak. By doing so, they can earn rebates worth up to 80 per cent of the journey fare.
Since the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme launched in July 2024, it has benefitted nearly 200,000 commuters daily by bringing them more travel options and shorter journeys, LTA said.
Speaking to reporters at Choa Chu Kang bus interchange, Mr Siow said 14 bus services have been introduced under the programme, including peak-hour express and limited-stop bus services. These include bus services that ply the estates of Tampines, Whampoa and Toa Payoh.
He added that buses have been added to 52 existing services, which has helped reduce waiting times and improve the connectivity of these routes.
For example, more trips were added for service 861 during the morning and evening peak periods to cater to demand since July. The service connects residents in Yishun, Sembawang and Canberra to nearby amenities and transport nodes.
Service 140 was also amended to serve new BTO flats along Towner Road in September, providing residents easier access to amenities such as Boon Keng MRT Station and Kallang Polyclinic.
Mr Siow noted that improving the bus network is resource intensive, as it entails building new facilities and hiring more bus drivers.
Less than one third of bus drivers here are locals, he said, adding that more has to be done to recruit new drivers.
LTA said that as it introduces more buses, it is also identifying areas where more bus lanes can be added to speed up bus journeys. This will benefit estates located further from transport nodes, it said.
The authority added that it will monitor travel patterns and feedback from the community, and adjust bus services as needed to serve commuters across different parts of Singapore.
