- 1,000 new BSEP buses
- 80 new BSEP bus services
- 70% of bus services with improved capacity or frequency
- Crowding reduced substantially during peak periods
Mr Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore and Adviser to Ang Mo Kio GRC GROs together with Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport and Adviser to Sengkang West GROs, officially launched Service 71 on Saturday, 9 December 2017, to commemorate the completion of the five-year $1.1 billion Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP).
2 BSEP was introduced in September 2012 to significantly expand bus capacity and enhance service levels to benefit commuters. Since then, 1,000 Government-funded buses have been added to the bus network. As a result, the capacity of about 70% of bus services, or 218 bus services, have been improved through the deployment of higher capacity buses or the operation of more frequent bus trips. This has allowed commuters to enjoy more comfortable rides as crowding has been reduced substantially, especially during peak periods (see Annex A for loading comparison). Commuters also benefit from shorter wait times during peak periods as maximum scheduled headways were reduced from 30 minutes to 20 minutes as part of BSEP, and had further improved to 15 minutes with the transition to the bus contracting model. The scheduled peak headways for feeder services are even shorter at six to eight minutes.
3 To enhance bus connectivity island-wide and integration with other public transport modes, 80 new services have also been rolled out as part of BSEP (see Annex B for details of the 80 services). Many of the new services introduced are feeders or short trunks intended to improve local connectivity to major transport nodes and key community and commercial facilities in our heartlands, as well as to serve newly developed areas that will see ridership growth, such as Choa Chu Kang, Sengkang, Punggol and Yishun. 22 of these new services are City Direct Services (CDS), which were added to provide an alternative for commuters travelling to and from the city centre during weekday peak hours.
Table: BSEP at a Glance
| Bus Service Enhancement Programme | |
| Time: Sept 2012 – Dec 2017 | $1.1 billion set aside for BSEP |
| Number of buses introduced: 1,000 | Number of new services launched: 80 (including 22 CDS) |
| Number of services improved: 218 (70% of existing services) |
|
Community Event to Mark Completion of BSEP
4 To commemorate the successful completion of BSEP, Prime Minister Lee took a ride on the newly launched Service 71 from Block 220 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 to Block 341 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, before he joined residents at the Teck Ghee Market and Food Court to enjoy a series of activities organised by Teck Ghee Grassroots Organisations, including community performances, interactive games, informative displays and snacks booths.
5 Volunteers from the Teck Ghee Residents’ Committees Citizens On Patrol (COP) teams raised awareness on crime prevention and offered useful personal safety advice to residents. Active Mobility Patrol (AMP) teams were also on board to explain how pedestrians and cyclists could share footpaths in a gracious and responsible manner.
6 In addition, residents were able to visit a Smart Nation booth, where they could learn more about and sign up for “Seniors for Smart Nation” courses. Ambassadors under the People’s Association’s Ask Kopi Kakis initiative also shared important Government schemes and programmes with residents through a set of three easy-to-read booklets in four languages.
