- About two thirds of the 1,000 BSEP buses on road
- About three in five existing bus services improved
- Crowding reduced by over 90%
1. Under the BSEP, 1,000 Government-funded buses will be added into the public bus network by 2017. As of end July 2015, about 660 of these buses have already been injected into the bus network. These have gone towards improving about three in five of the existing 282 bus services, or 168[1] services, and 41 new bus services have been introduced. Crowding has fallen by more than 90%[2] as a result. Commuters now enjoy more comfortable, more frequent and better connected services.
2. For example, SBS Transit Service 315, a feeder service which serves Serangoon residents, now runs at an improved frequency of four to six minutes during the morning peak, and five to six minutes during the evening peak. The service previously ran at a frequency of nine to 13 minutes during the morning peak, and 10 to 14 minutes during the evening peak.
3. Of the 41[3] new bus services introduced since the start of the BSEP, 31 are operated by the Public Transport Operators (PTOs), while 10 are City Direct Services (CDS) operated by Private Bus Operators (PBOs). The new bus services improve local connectivity to transport nodes and key amenities, and also serve new housing developments. The CDS provide a direct connection between residential estates and the city as an alternative to trains during the peak periods.
4. By August 2015, the number of supplementary bus services (these supplement existing bus services) operated by the PTOs will go up to eight[4]. They serve the residents of Bedok, Buangkok, Bukit Merah, Hougang, Jurong East, Punggol, Sembawang, St Michael’s Estate, and Ubi. These supplementary services have resulted in shorter wait times and less crowded bus rides for commuters travelling to and from nearby bus interchanges/MRT stations and amenities. More trips have also been injected into these services. The latest of these supplementary services, SBS Transit Service 53M which supplements Service 53 between Serangoon and Hougang Avenue 1, will be introduced on 16 August.
5. 14[5] Peak Period Short Services (PPSS) operated by PBOs have also been introduced to bring residents in Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Boon Lay, Pasir Ris, Tampines, Yew Tee, Yishun, West Coast, and Woodlands to major transport nodes such as bus interchanges and MRT stations. PPSS operate on weekdays during peak hours and overlay existing feeder bus services. They are designed to alleviate crowding, shorten wait times and improve bus reliability for commuters using these feeder services.
More BSEP Enhancements from April to July 2015
6. In April this year, two new bus services - SMRT Services 301 and 983 - were introduced to serve new housing developments in Choa Chu Kang. One existing route - SBS Transit Service 103 - which originates from Serangoon Bus Interchange, was extended to Yishun in June to provide a new direct link between Yishun and Seletar Aerospace Park.
7. 44 additional buses were deployed to 28 existing bus services during the morning and evening peak hours from April to July 2015. For example, SMRT Service 972 which links Bukit Panjang to the city, now runs at a significantly improved frequency of four to eight minutes during morning peak hours, compared to 11 to 12 minutes when the service was launched in November 2013, after the addition of six buses in May and June. Similarly, during evening peak periods, the service now runs at an improved frequency of five to 10 minutes, down from 13 to 15 minutes previously.
8. SBS Transit Service 285, a feeder service serving Clementi and West Coast residents, has also seen an improvement in its frequency. The service now runs at four to five minute intervals during the morning peak period, a significant reduction from seven to eight minute intervals previously. Similarly, for the evening peak period, the service now runs at intervals of five to six minutes, compared to nine to 12 minutes previously.
9. In all, 775 weekly peak-hour bus trips were added during the April to July period.
Upcoming New Bus Services
10. Eight more new services will be implemented in the coming months to further improve connectivity in areas like Bedok, Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang, Hougang, Jurong East, Jurong West, Marine Parade, Punggol, Sembawang, Sengkang, Tampines and Yishun. Details of these new bus services are being worked out and will be shared closer to the implementation dates.
11. In addition, 12[6] more CDS will be implemented, bringing the total number of CDS to 22. The first five of these new CDS in Marsiling / Woodlands, Tampines East / Simei, Pasir Ris, Yew Tee and Yishun will be progressively implemented from September this year.
Improvements by Public Transport Operators (PTOs)
12. As part of the on-going quarterly bus service review process, the PTOs have also improved 20 bus services between April and July 2015. This was by deploying higher capacity buses and/or adding more bus trips along sectors that experience heavy ridership. Since the review process was started, the PTOs have improved a total of 123[7] bus services, some more than once in response to changing commuter demand.
Annex A: BSEP Year Three Round up Poster
Annex B: City Direct Services and Peak Period Short Services Round-up Poster
Annex C: Summary of BSEP Improvements as of July 2015
Annex D: Map of BSEP Improvements – April to July 2015
Annex E: Enhancements to Existing Bus Services between April and July 2015
[1] Services improved (Sep 2012 – Jul 2015; comprising 113 SBS Transit and 55 SMRT bus services): Services 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 19, 21, 22, 23, 25, 28, 29, 31, 34, 36, 39, 40, 42, 43, 45, 48, 50, 52, 53, 55, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 67, 69, 70, 72, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 84, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 98, 99, 100, 103, 106, 109, 115, 116, 123, 139, 147, 154, 155, 158, 159, 161, 162, 163, 168, 169, 175, 176, 178, 182, 183, 187, 188, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 222, 225, 228, 229, 232, 235, 238, 241, 242, 243, 243, 251, 257, 261, 262, 265, 268, 269, 272, 273, 282, 284, 285, 291, 292, 293, 302, 307, 315, 317, 325, 333, 334, 335, 354, 358, 359, 372, 402, 403, 410, 513, 700, 800, 803, 804, 806, 811, 812, 854, 855, 856, 857, 858, 860, 882, 900, 901, 902, 903, 912, 913, 920, 922, 925, 941, 945, 947, 960, 961, 962, 963, 964, 965, 966, 969, 972, 975, 980, 981, 983, 985, 850E, 951E.
[2] Measured by crowded service days, which is the number of days for each bus service where the average loading over the heaviest one hour during either the morning or evening peak period is more than 85%.
[3] New BSEP services (Sep 12 – Jul 15; comprising 21 SBS Transit, 10 SMRT bus services, and 10 City Direct Services): Services 4, 11*, 20, 35*, 41, 49, 50, 103*, 116, 119*, 120, 121, 122, 140, 141, 201, 301, 324, 371, 386, 386*, 513, 651, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656, 657, 658, 659, 660, 803, 850E, 860, 904, 951E, 972, 982E, 983 and 990.
*Route extension
[4] The eight supplementary services are Services 17A, 43M, 53M, 63M, 123M, 139M, 143M and 859A/B.
[5] The fourteen PPSS are Services 222P, 240P, 265P, 268P, 285P, 291P, 293P, 307P, 358P, 359P, 811P, 812P, 903P and 912P. These operate during peak periods from Mondays to Fridays, except public holidays.
[6] New City Direct Services in: Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Clementi / Dover, Marsiling / Woodlands, Tampines East / Simei, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Yew Tee, Yishun (2 services) and two more to be announced.
[7] Improvements made by PTOs (Sep 12 – Jul 15, comprising 69 SBS Transit services and 54 SMRT services) - 2, 5, 6, 7, 12, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 28, 29, 36, 39, 45, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57, 59, 61, 67, 72, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 85, 87, 88, 90, 92, 94, 95, 98, 101, 106, 109, 124, 125, 130, 138, 145, 154, 156, 159, 161, 167, 168, 169, 171, 172, 173, 174, 176, 178, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 187, 188, 190, 198, 199, 225, 240, 241, 243, 251, 254, 261, 269, 293, 300, 302, 307, 334, 410, 506, 518, 700, 800, 804, 806, 811, 852, 854, 856, 857, 858, 859, 860, 882, 900, 901, 903, 911, 912, 913, 941, 960, 961, 962, 963, 964, 965, 966, 969, 972, 975, 981, 985, 850E, 951E, 971E
