Public transport bus services form a significant part of public transport in Singapore, with over 3.6 million rides taken per day on average as of December 2021. There are over 300 scheduled bus services and over 100 short-trip variants, operated by SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore and Go-Ahead Singapore. The newest bus operator, Go-Ahead Singapore, started operations on 4 September 2016. In total, there are around 5,800 buses in operation as of 2024.
History
Early history
thumb|right|A trolleybus in 1930s Singapore
Buses were first introduced into Singapore when the Singapore Traction Company (STC) was established under the Singapore Traction Company Ordinance of 1925 to replace the ill-fated electric tramway with a trolleybus system. The first trolleybuses began operations on 14 August 1926 between Joo Chiat Road and Tanjong Pagar whereas trams were phased out by 1927, with 66 trolleybuses plying on six routes with a mileage of 15” by 30 September that year. The STC later phased in motorbuses in 1929 when seven Dennis G-type buses began plying between Geylang and Finlayson Green before being transferred to serve Seletar.
However, the STC faced heavy competition from “mosquito-buses”, a form of informal paratransit operated using privately owned modified Ford Model T vehicles. Reckless driving of such “mosquito-buses” led to the government imposing heavy regulation on them, including having to stop at fixed stops (1923) and speed limits (1927). By 1935, “mosquito-buses” were replaced with more formalised bus services with the former “mosquito-bus” owners establishing what came to be known as the Chinese bus companies; these Chinese-operated buses connected the rural parts of Singapore to the town as opposed to the inner town services of the STC.
The severity of the situation demanded immediate action from the government; in 1956 five Commissioners led by Mr L.C. Hawkins of the London Transport Executive published a report that recommended nationalisation of public transport
In April 1971, the 10 Chinese bus companies were merged to form three larger regional bus companies, namely Amalgamated Bus Company in the west, Associated Bus Services in the east, and United Bus Company in the north. The STC retained its presence in central Singapore but lost its privileges previously granted by the 1925 STC Ordinance. Unable to cope with existing financial difficulties and competition from the regional companies, the STC eventually discontinued bus operations in 1971, with its remaining bus fleet being split up between the three regional companies. Service quality did not make great improvement however, with breakdowns and complaints from passengers being very common. Eventually in 1973, the Singapore government persuaded the three regional companies to merge to form a single entity called Singapore Bus Services (SBS). Under the supervision of the GTO, SBS completely overhauled their bus fleet with new buses of usually the Albion Viking or Mercedes-Benz OF1413 makes and introduced a rigorous maintenance regime, improving the reliability of their buses greatly whereas a new disciplinary code was introduced, reducing complaints by half from 1979 to 1983. The government also helped to further alleviate the burden from SBS by introducing priority bus lanes to speed up bus services and introduced Scheme B bus services operated by private companies in 1974.
In 1977, SBS introduced into service its first double-decker buses, the Leyland Atlantean AN68 on route 86 between Tampines Way and Shenton Way.
In light of dissatisfaction over bus services in the Jurong area and requests for improved coverage, SBS started a reorganisation of bus services across the country, starting with Jurong. This consisted of a network of internal services serving a town, with external services terminating at a point in the town, along with bus interchanges to serve as such termini. Additional depots were also constructed, which SBS claimed gave them more control over bus operations.
In 1975, one-man operation (OMO) that charged a flat fare (for the case of SBS; TIBS opted for a distance fare) was introduced to cut manpower costs; this was followed by a one-man operated ticketing operation (OTS) in 1982. By 1984, bus conductors were completely phased out. In 2002, the contactless EZ-Link card was introduced to replace the magnetic farecard and the first air-conditioned bus interchange opened in Toa Payoh; by the end of 2025, there were 15 air-conditioned integrated transport hubs.
In 2006, SBS Transit introduced into service is the first wheelchair accessible bus, the Volvo B9TL, on bus 21 between Pasir Ris and Saint Michael's. SSB wound up in 2007 with the discontinuation of the City Shuttle Service and its fleet was inherited by SMRT Buses. By 2009, both SBS Transit and SMRT Buses were renewing their respective bus fleets with new low-entry configuration Scania K230 urban buses and Mercedes-Benz OC500LE buses as respectively.
LTA took on the role of central bus network planner from 2009, working with communities and the bus operators, SBS Transit and SMRT Buses, to identify areas for bus improvements and to shift the focus to placing the commuter at the centre and taking a holistic approach in planning the bus network, taking into consideration development in the Rapid Transit System (RTS) network and other transport infrastructure. It is meant for their feedbacks, and any changes will be under the monthly updates, this has been brought through Bus Service Enhancement Programme. Under BSEP, about 80 new bus services are being introduced and 1,000 buses are being added over five years.
Quality of Service (QoS) standards have also been tightened to reduce waiting time and reduce crowding. Now, those with increased loads run every 10 minutes or less during weekday peak hours in 2015. Feeder bus services have become more frequent too, with 95% of bus services now running at intervals of 10 minutes or less during the weekday peak periods, tightened from 85%.
It was also in the 21st century when the public bus operators looked into alternative fuel sources. In 2002, SBS purchased 12 compressed natural gas-powered Volvo B10BLE buses whereas the first hybrid buses and hydrogen fuel cell buses were introduction in 2010. Two CNG B10BLE units were deployed on Jurong Island Bus Services in 2006.
2010s: Government leans in
thumb|Under the new [[Bus Contracting Model, all new government owned public buses are to be painted in a unified lush green livery]]
Since the early years of independence, the government has maintained its stance that heavy car usage is not sustainable for Singapore in the long term with a mixed-use of policies to both deter car usage and to push its people to take public transport. In December 2011, the North–South MRT line suffered its first major breakdowns with 127,000 passengers affected in the worst of them.
Amid growing criticism of the existing operating model and growing strain on the bus system, the main public transport statutory board Land Transport Authority (LTA) launched the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), with 80 new and extended bus routes and 1,000 government-funded buses, involving Volvo B9TL (Wright Eclipse Gemini 2), Mercedes-Benz Citaro, Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC and MAN A22 buses. introduced over a period of five years. In 2013, the last non-air-conditioned public bus, the Volvo Olympian 2-Axle, was phased out of service whereas SMRT Buses introduced its first wheelchair-accessible bendy bus, the MAN A24 and in the following year, its the first-ever double-decker bus, the MAN ND323F A95 or Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC.
In 2014, LTA announced that it would replace the existing operating model with the Bus Contracting Model (BCM) from 2016 onwards. Modelled after the Transperth model with elements of the competitive tendering model from London Buses, LTA would own all bus assets and lease them out in regional packages to different bus operators for five years. The first bus package, the Bulim Bus Package, was awarded to Anglo-Australian company Tower Transit whereas Loyang was awarded to Go-Ahead. Both companies began their operations in 2016. The entire public bus system was fully transitioned into the BCM by September 2016 with SBS Transit and SMRT signing agreements with LTA to operate the remaining packages up to 2021 to 2026 after which they would be gradually opened up to competitive tendering.
With the BCM, bus operators introduced new buses with new features; in 2016 the first fully electric bus since the withdrawal of trolleybuses, the BYD K9, was operated by Go-Ahead Singapore whereas the first buses with USB charging ports commenced service with SMRT that year. In 2017, two three-door buses — a double-deck MAN A95 and a single decker MAN A22 were trialled by Tower Transit and SMRT Buses respectively. New Volvo B5LH hybrid buses were also purchased from Volvo in 2018.
In April 2019, SimplyGo, a new payment scheme that allows direct fare payment from bank cards, was introduced. Stroller restraint systems were also retrofitted on all wheelchair-accessible buses since July 2019. In addition, LTA also experimented with assistive technology for commuters with special needs on routes 139 and 141 from January to July 2019.
2020s: Sustainable and accessible buses
thumb|SBS Transit's [[Mercedes-Benz Citaro|Mercedes Benz O530 Citaro C2 Hybrid Trial Bus, introduced in 2020]]
On 3 April 2020, 10 units of Yutong E12 electric buses debuted on SMRT Buses 944 and 983, on Tower Transit buses 66 and 990, and on Go-Ahead bus 15.
On 29 July 2020, 5 units of Gemilang-bodied BYD K9 electric buses debut on SBS Transit buses 135, 162, and 807, with the rollout of the remaining 15 units completed in December 2020.
On 27 October 2020, 10 units of Yutong E12DD double-decker electric buses debuted on SMRT bus 983, on Tower Transit bus 189, and on Go-Ahead buses 83 and 118.
On 25 August 2021, ST Engineering-Linkker LM312 which is fitted with three passenger doors debuted on SBS Transit buses 38 and 40, on SMRT Buses 176 and 976.
On 5 October 2021, ST Engineering Retrofit Electric MAN A22, SG3100M which was once a diesel bus was retrofitted to an electric bus debuted on SMRT bus 176. However, it was taken out of service the next day due to rolling back issues and charging connectivity issues. It has since returned to revenue service in August 2023 after taken out for repairs between late 2022 to August 2023.
All the Volvo Super Olympian buses were retired from revenue service on 8 April 2020, with the exception of SBS9889U being in revenue service until 11 November 2020. However, 2 buses have been preserved - 1 unit in Hong Kong for heritage purposes and the other in a special needs school in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore for practical purposes. A sole Mercedes-Benz O405G (Hispano Habit), TIB1238H which operated under Woodlands Bus Depot (WLDEP) has been preserved at Woodlands Bus Depot and has been de-registered with the "Off Peak" Number registration plate which has a Red Plate with White Text.
On 1 December 2020, all public buses in Singapore became fully wheelchair-accessible with the retirement of Mercedes-Benz O405G buses. The Volvo B9TL (CDGE) and Volvo B10TL (CDGE), both share the same manufacturing and product, retired gradually between November 2020 and September 2023, without lifespan extension to allow a greener planet with last better-quality diesel buses.
In April 2023, LTA launched a tender for 400 electric buses. The tender was won by BYD and Zhongtong, for 240 and 120 buses each. An option for 60 more buses was exercised and awarded to BYD Auto on 23 October 2024, and the new buses entered service from December.
COVID-19 pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic first emerged in the beginning of 2020, the Singapore government introduced the circuit breaker measures to curb the spread of the virus. Under these measures, selected public bus services were suspended in two tranches, with adjustments made later. The first tranche of suspended bus services took effect from Wednesday, 8 April 2020, while the second tranche of bus service suspensions started from Wednesday, 15 April 2020. The suspensions lasted till Monday, 1 June 2020; several recreational and discretionary services were suspended until 30 June 2022, after which:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Service
!Changes
!Result
|-
|128
|Discontinued on 2 June 2020.
|Low ridership since 1 August 2016.
|-
|171
|Shortened to Bukit Panjang instead of Marina Centre on 31 August 2020.
|
|-
|700/700A
|Discontinued on 31 August 2020 and merged to service 972M.
|
|-
|971E
|Renumbered to service 971 on 31 August 2020.
|
|-
|167e
|Discontinued on 14 December 2020.
|Low ridership.
|-
|963R, NR1, NR2
|Discontinued on 3 October 2021.
|10.30pm curfew in all places (NR1 & NR2) killed these demand as a result, and discouraging public gambling and expensive leisure in the integrated resort. It was retired at the end of the Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package under SMRT Buses, under Phase 1.
|-
|22
|Shortened to Eunos instead of Tampines on 10 December 2021.
| rowspan="5" |Downtown Line Stage 3 duplication.
|-
|65
|Amended via Tampines Avenue 4 instead of Tampines Avenue 5 and Tampines Avenue 1 on 10 December 2021.
|-
|66
|Shortened to Beauty World instead of Bedok on 10 December 2021.
|-
|506
|Shortened to Serangoon instead of Upper East Coast on 10 December 2021.
|-
|CT18
|Discontinued on 10 December 2021.
|-
|74e, 151e
|Discontinued on 17 January 2022.
|
|-
|971
|Discontinued on 1 April 2022.
|Downtown Line Stage 2 duplication.
|-
|401
|Resumed on 4 June 2022.
|
|-
|926
|Discontinued on 30 June 2022.
|Successful launch of Mandai-Khatib Shuttle as a result on 10 March 2017.
|-
|CT8
|Discontinued on 30 June 2022.
|Thomson-East Coast Line (opening on 13 November 2022) duplication and decentralisation of Chinatown as a result.
|-
|188R, NR3, NR5, NR6, NR8, 1N, 2N, 3N, 4N, 5N and 6N
|Discontinued on 30 June 2022.
|10.30pm curfew in all places killed these demand as a result, and discouraging public gambling and expensive leisure in the integrated resort. Those remaining routes are still within the negotiated bus packages awaiting tender.
|}
Installation of protective screens
Since 2016, protective screens were installed to protect bus drivers from potential abuse by passengers. This was expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect bus captains from the virus as well.
Autonomous buses
Between 2015 and 2022, ST Engineering embarked on various initiatives and effort to develop and trial autonomous buses. The public trials included Sentosa (3 months, 2019), Science Park 2 (4 months, 2021) and Jurong Island (4 months, 2021). In 2023, the company discontinued their autonomous bus development effort, citing insufficient financial resources. The Centre of Excellence for Testing & Research of Autonomous Vehicles (CETRAN) has said that autonomous vehicles remained a key part of the plan to make the city-state "car-lite", potentially reducing accidents and keeping roads safer for all.
In 2024, LTA announced that it was considering to trial autonomous minibuses on public bus routes. LTA launched a request for proposals in January 2025, with buses to be deployed from 2026 onwards on buses 191 and 400.
Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme
thumb|Bus services introduced under the BCEP include express feeder services. Service 298X was the first express feeder to be introduced.
In July 2024, LTA announced the launch of the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme (BCEP), in which they would spend nearly $900 million over a period of eight years to improve the connectivity of public buses in Singapore. These improvements would include purchasing more buses, introducing new bus services and increasing the frequency of existing ones, recruiting more staff and building new transport infrastructure.
The main initiatives under the BCEP include -
- Bus Service Improvements: In response to changing travel patterns and bus service rationalisation in view of the expanded rail network, bus services will be improved through introduction of new bus services, route amendments or improved frequencies. This includes -
- 861: Yishun (September 2024)
- 967: Woodlands (January 2025)
- 148: Bidadari (April 2025)
- 299: Tampines (April 2025)
- 230M: Toa Payoh (June 2025)
- 872: Tengah (August 2025)
- 104: Punggol (October 2025)
- 984: Choa Chu Kang / Bukit Panjang (October 2025)
- 44: Punggol (November 2025)
- 18M: Bedok (February 2026)
- 831G/831W: Tengah (March 2026)
Express Feeder Services
Express Feeder Services is a new category will reduce residents travel time to major transport nodes by skipping intermediate bus stops along routes. It will be classified in a new category: 45X from November 2025.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Route
!Routing
!Previous number
!Introduced
|-
|451
|Keat Hong Link - Bukit Gombak MRT Station (Brickland)
|991C, 991X
| rowspan="3" |17 November 2025
|-
|452
|Tengah - Beauty World (Tengah)
|871X
|-
|453
|Tengah - Bukit Batok (Tengah)
|992X
|-
|454
|Tampines North - Tampines Street 86 (Tampines)
|298X
|9 December 2024
|-
|455
|Bukit Panjang - Yew Tee (Yew Tee)
|979X
|24 March 2025
|-
|456
|St Michael's - Novena (Whampoa)
|21X
|28 April 2025
|-
|457
|Hougang - Tai Seng MRT
|
| rowspan="2" |23 March 2026
|-
|458
|Sengkang - Tai Seng MRT
|
|-
|459
|Punggol - Tai Seng MRT
|
| rowspan="2" |27 April 2026
|-
|460
|Tampines Boulevard - Tampines MRT
|
|-
|461
|Yishun East - Khatib MRT
|
|2026
|-
|462
|Tengah - Jurong East MRT
|
|2026
|}
With the luggage rack trial on service 36, Member of Parliament also shared the service 34e or 34X from Punggol to Changi Airport and more details will be shown where ready.
Vehicles
Singapore's buses consist of single deck and double deck buses and they are operated by all four operators, SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore and Go-Ahead Singapore. Articulated buses are operated by SMRT Buses, with several units being transferred to SBS Transit and Tower Transit Singapore as part of the Seletar and Sembawang-Yishun Bus Packages respectively under the Bus Contracting Model (BCM).
{| class="wikitable"
|+Single deck and articulated buses
!Bus Model
!Operators
!Units acquired
!Year of introduction
!Notes
!<abbr title=References>Ref.</abbr>
|-
|BYD BC12A04
|SBS Transit, Tower Transit Singapore, Go-Ahead Singapore & SMRT Buses
|300
|2024
|To replace Scania K230UB and Mercedes-Benz OC500LE.
|
|-
|BYD C6
|Tower Transit Singapore
|4
|2019
|Only deployed on Service 825
|
|-
|BYD K9
|SBS Transit
|20
|2020
|
|
|-
|Linkker LM312
|SBS Transit, SMRT Buses
|20
|2021
|
|
|-
|MAN A22
|SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore & Go-Ahead Singapore
|734 (Euro V), 150 (Euro VI)
|2010 (Euro V)
2018 (Euro VI)
|
|
|-
|MAN A24
|SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore
|40
|2013
|Sole model of articulated buses in Singapore since 2021.
|
|-
|Volvo B5LH
|SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore
|50
|2018
|
|
|-
|Yutong E12
|Go-Ahead Singapore, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore
|10
|2020
|
|
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Double deck buses
!Bus Model
!Operators
!Units acquired
!Year of introduction
!Notes
!<abbr title=References>Ref.</abbr>
|-
|Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC
|SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore & Go-Ahead Singapore
|216 (Euro V), 50 (Euro VI)
|2014 (Euro V)
2021 (Euro VI)
|
|-
|MAN A95
|SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore & Go-Ahead Singapore
|200 (Euro V), 412 (Euro VI)
|2014 (Euro V)
2018 (Euro VI)
|
| rowspan="4" |
!Total
!Services
|-
!colspan="7"|Tendered packages
|-
|Bulim
|Bulim Bus Depot<br>Tengah Depot (From 2028)
|style="background-color:#008000; color: white"|Tower Transit Singapore
|29 May 2021
|2028
|38
|41, 49, 66, 77, 78, 79, 96, 97, 97e, 98/98M, 106, 143/143M, 173, 177, 183, 189, 282, 284, 285, 333, 334, 335, 452, 453, 651, 653, 657, 674, 831G/831W, 870, 871, 872, 941, 945, 947, 984, 990, 992
|-
|Loyang
|Loyang Bus Depot<br>Lorong Halus Bus Depot (From 2031)
|style="background-color:#FFA500; color: white"|Go-Ahead Singapore
|4 September 2016
|2026
|37
|2, 3, 6, 12, 12e, 15, 17/17A, 34, 36, 43, 43e, 44, 62, 68, 82, 83, 84G/84W, 85, 104, 118, 119, 136, 354, 358, 359, 381, 382G/382W, 384, 386, 403, 459, 518/518A, 661, 666, 673, 678, 683
|-
|Seletar
|Seletar Bus Depot<br>Ang Mo Kio multi-storey Bus Depot (From 2030)
|rowspan="2" style="background-color:#800080; color: white"|SBS Transit
|16 March 2025
|2030
|29
|24, 70/70M, 71, 76, 130, 133, 135, 138/138M, 162, 261, 262, 265, 268, 269, 652, 668, 800, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 811, 812, 650, 851, 851e, 852, 860
|-
|Bukit Merah
|Ulu Pandan Bus Depot<br>Pasir Panjang Bus Depot (From 2029)
|28 April 2024
|2029
|2029
|2031
|29
|4, 10, 10e, 18/18M, 19, 20, 23, 28, 29, 31, 37, 38, 39, 47, 65, 69, 72, 81, 127, 129, 291, 292, 293, 296, 298, 299, 454, 460, 646
|-
|Serangoon–Eunos
|Hougang Bus Depot (Until June 2027)
|26 June 2027
|27
|11, 22, 53/53M, 55, 58, 59, 60, 63/63M, 64, 90, 94, 101, 103, 105, 109, 134, 137, 140, 141, 146, 148, 150, 154, 158, 315, 317, 506
|-
|Sengkang–Hougang
|Sengkang West Bus Depot
|rowspan="2"
|41
|27, 51, 80, 86, 87, 89, 89e, 102, 107/107M, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117/117M, 132, 151, 153, 159, 161, 163, 165, 324, 325, 329, 371, 372, 374, 457, 458, 654, 660/660M, 671, 672, 675, 676, 677, 679, 680, 681, 682
|-
|Bedok
|Bedok North Bus Depot
|20
|9, 13, 14, 14e, 25, 30, 30e, 35/35M, 40, 42, 45, 46, 168, 196, 196e, 222, 225G/225W, 228, 229, 401
|-
|Choa Chu Kang–Bukit Panjang
|Gali Batu Depot
|rowspan="2" style="background-color:#FF0000; color: white"|SMRT Buses
|rowspan="2"|2026
|31
|61, 67, 75, 172, 176, 180, 184, 188, 188e, 190, 300, 301, 302, 307, 451, 455, 647, 649, 684, 920, 922, 927, 970, 972/972M, 973, 975, 976, 979, 983/983M, 985, 991
|-
|Woodlands
|Woodlands Bus Depot (Until 2030)
|21
|110, 178, 187, 648, 665, 900, 901/901M, 902, 903/903M, 904, 911, 912, 913/913M, 925/925M, 950, 960, 960e, 961/961M, 962, 964, 967
|-
|Clementi
|Bukit Batok Bus Depot (Until 2030)
|rowspan="2" style="background-color:#800080; color: white"|SBS Transit
|rowspan="2"
|24
|7, 32, 33, 48, 74, 91, 92, 95, 99, 100, 111, 147, 156, 166, 174, 174e, 175, 191, 197, 200, 201, 506 (From June 2027), 655, 667
|-
|Bishan–Toa Payoh
|Hougang Bus Depot
|23
|8, 21, 26, 50, 52, 54, 56, 73, 88, 124, 125, 139, 142, 155, 157, 186, 230/230M, 231, 232, 235, 238, 410G/410W, 456
|}
See also
- Transport in Singapore
- Rail transport in Singapore
Notes
References
Further reading
- Ilsa Sharp, (2005), SNP:Editions, The Journey: Singapore's Land Transport Story.
External links
- Ministry of Transport website
- Land Transport Authority website
- Public Transport Council website
- TransitLink website
- SBS Transit website
- SMRT Corporation website
- Tower Transit Singapore website
- Go-Ahead Singapore website