Bus service 167 to cease from Dec 10

SINGAPORE – One public bus service will be discontinued from Dec 10, with changes to the routes of several other services on the same day.

Service 167, which plies a route between Sembawang and Bukit Merah, via Upper Thomson and the Orchard area, will be stopped, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Friday. It currently operates at a frequency of between 11 and 20 minutes.

The authority said ridership for some bus services along segments of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) has fallen by around 30 per cent to 40 per cent.

This includes service 167, an LTA spokesman told The Straits Times.

The spokesperson added that the authority had earlier reduced the service’s frequency when it observed that demand had fallen following the opening of the third stage of TEL.

“Taking into account the sustained reduction in demand and availability of other alternatives, LTA assessed that discontinuation would be the optimal approach to reallocate finite resources,” he said.

The average weekly ridership on the TEL increased from 60,000 in October 2022 to 177,000 in October 2023, following the opening of the third stage of the line, according to LTA.

Some 11 TEL stations – from Stevens to Gardens by the Bay – opened for passenger service on Nov 13, 2022, with four of these stations – Stevens, Orchard, Outram Park and Marina Bay – serving as interchanges that connect commuters to other MRT lines.

More commuters are using TEL because of the shorter travelling time to different parts of Singapore, LTA said. For example, a resident staying near the Mayflower station can now go to the Central Business District via TEL in 30 minutes, compared with a 45-minute bus journey.

With the termination of service 167, the frequency of service 980 – which plies a similar area between Sembawang and Thomson Road – will be increased, LTA added, without elaborating when asked.

Also, the route for service 859 will be changed to serve The Visionaire condominium in Sembawang Road, and Canberra Link.

Services 162 and 162M will be combined into a single service and its route will be shortened to a loop between Yio Chu Kang Bus Interchange and Sin Ming Drive. Commuters can currently take these bus services to places such as Thomson Road, Orchard Road and the city.

Service 75 will be shortened to terminate at the Bukit Merah Bus Interchange instead of the Marina Centre Bus Terminal. The new route will no longer serve Outram Park MRT station and Shenton Way, but commuters will be able to go to Bukit Merah Town Centre and Havelock MRT station via this bus service from Dec 10.

Service 121 will operate from the Shenton Way Bus Terminal from Dec 10, instead of the Kampong Bahru Bus Terminal, and ply Cantonment Link, Cantonment Road, Anson Road and Shenton Way along the amended route.

This would maintain the connectivity between Outram Park MRT station and residential estates in the Cantonment area, originally served by service 75, LTA said.

LTA told ST it monitored and considered adjustments to bus services that duplicate sections of the TEL, particularly along the Upper Thomson corridor and in the city area.

It analysed the change in ridership of the bus services after the TEL’s opening, considered available travel alternatives and ensured that parts of bus routes with stronger demand, or unique connectivity, are retained, the spokesman said.

“LTA had consulted community leaders and taken on board their feedback and suggestions before finalising the changes,” he added.

Asked whether the peak-hour frequency for TEL trains will be increased from the current five minutes, given the changes made to parallel bus routes, LTA said it will make adjustments as necessary according to ridership demand.

Upper Thomson resident Tham Chen Munn bemoaned the impending termination of service 167, as it is one of two buses that he takes to the Upper Thomson TEL station, as well as his parents’ home in the Sin Ming area.

The 48-year-old said he also has to walk farther to other bus stops to catch services to other destinations. 

He added that people living and working in the Tagore Road area would also be inconvenienced with the loss of a bus service in that area.

Mr Tham’s neighbour, Ms Lim Hwee San, was similarly disappointed about the impending loss of service 167, and pointed out that she would be left with only service 980 if she wants to go to a TEL station.

The wait now for buses can be as long as 30 minutes during off-peak hours, she added.

“I will propose they add in another bus service which goes directly to Bishan MRT station. This will definitely benefit the students and younger people, especially if they can’t drive or can’t afford to buy a car yet,” added the 48-year-old, who has three teenage daughters.