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The bus improvements were made in consultation with grassroots advisers and community leaders.

ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

SummaryLTA will introduce seven new bus services in Tengah, Hougang, Sengkang, Punggol, Tampines, Yishun and Brickland over the next few months.New service 831 will connect Tengah Interchange and Tengah Garden Avenue from March 8. Routes 97/97e (Jurong East to Tengah) and 181 (Jurong West to Tengah) will be extended.This is part of the $900 million Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme (2024-2031), aiming to improve bus networks in newer housing estates; 27 new and extended services have been introduced since July 2024.AI generated

Published Feb 09, 2026, 06:00 PM

Updated Feb 09, 2026, 09:58 PM

SINGAPORE – Seven new bus services will be introduced over the next few months in Tengah, Hougang, Sengkang, Punggol, Tampines Boulevard, Yishun East and Brickland.

These include peak-hour, city direct and feeder services.

In addition, two services will be extended, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Feb 9.

LTA noted that these improvements were made in consultation with grassroots advisers and community leaders after a review of its bus network coverage and ridership patterns.

They are part of the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme

From March 8, a new feeder service, 831, will start running to connect Tengah Bus Interchange and Tengah Garden Avenue.

Speaking to the media at Tampines North MRT station on Feb 9, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said this service will connect residents to facilities within Tengah town, including the upcoming polyclinic, Pioneer Primary School and Parc Point, a new commercial development

Starting that same day, service 97/97e between Marina Centre and Jurong East will be extended to Tengah Interchange, instead of terminating at Jurong East Interchange.

Mr Siow noted that this service will now travel along Tengah Drive, which will be an “important connection” for residents to get to workplaces in the Central Business District and in the Labrador Park area, as well as connect them to Jurong East MRT station.

Also in the west, service 181 will subsequently be extended to Tengah beyond its current route between Boon Lay Interchange and Jurong West Avenue 3.

Mr Siow said that while he would like to add as many bus services as possible, it is not easy to do so.

The authorities would have to buy buses, build infrastructure such as bus interchanges and depots, and recruit bus drivers – which is actually the “most difficult task”.

“We have been trying very hard to recruit local Singaporean bus drivers, but despite our best efforts, it has not been easy,” Mr Siow said.

For every one local bus driver recruited, bus operators typically lose two drivers due to resignations or retirement, he said, adding that the median age of bus drivers here is now 56 and continues to rise quickly.

To incentivise Singaporeans to become drivers, Mr Siow added that the authorities may have to relook and adjust the starting salaries of bus drivers, currently at around $3,600.

In the next few months, three new peak-period services – 457, 458 and 459 – will link residents from Hougang, Sengkang and Punggol to the Circle Line and the employment centre in Tai Seng.

Another new peak-period service, 460, will provide those in Tampines Boulevard with a faster connection to Tampines MRT station.

For those in Yishun East, new peak-period service 461 will help them get to Khatib MRT station more quickly.

A new city direct service, 684, will be launched for residents in Brickland and Bukit Batok West to travel to the CBD.

More details on these services will be provided closer to their start dates, said LTA.

Mr Siow said that many residents are already moving into the Tampines North estate, which is why the authorities are trying to build up the bus network to support their transport needs.

On the bus connectivity programme as a whole, Mr Siow said he knows that buses are very important for commuters as they take residents to the MRT network and reduce the duration of their journeys.

Some passengers also like to take buses, without connecting to the MRT, and these improvements to bus services will offer more options for them, he said.

So far, the annual cost of service improvements rolled out under the programme is around $38.8 million, LTA said. This figure will increase as more improvements are introduced and as more buses are purchased.

Also addressing reporters on Feb 9, Mr Baey Yam Keng, Minister of State for Transport, said the new bus services 457, 458 and 459 will allow residents in the north-east to get to the Circle Line directly.

They will also offer a “very viable option” of commute during peak hours and ease the congestion along certain stretches of the North East Line.

(From left) Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow and Minister of State for Transport Baey Yam Keng speaking to SBS Transit bus captains at Tampines North Bus Interchange on Feb 9.

ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Mr Baey, who is also a Tampines GRC MP, added that the new peak-period service 460 will ferry residents living in Tampines Street 64 directly and more quickly to Tampines MRT station as it skips stops along the route.

He hopes that this service, which will be ready by mid-2026, will benefit residents in the new Build-To-Order estates, including Tampines GreenGlen, Tampines GreenGlade and Tampines GreenCrest.

Since the launch of the bus connectivity programme in July 2024, LTA said it has introduced 27 new and extended bus services, on top of enhancing 62 existing ones to improve connectivity.

The new and extended services include new express bus services to and from the city, and limited-stop bus services that offer a faster route to MRT stations.

The enhanced services have seen increased frequency and adjusted routes – such as the addition of stops – to serve certain areas.

Under the programme, about 244,000 commuters benefit from shorter trips and having more travel options every day, LTA said.

Esther Loi is a journalist at The Straits Times, where she covers transport issues.

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