LTA to spend SGD 900 million to ramp up Singapore’s bus network

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it will spend up to SGD 900 million over the next eight years to improve Singapore’s public bus network. The LTA is launching the ‘Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme’ and will make enhancements to the city-state’s bus network, in consultation with the Grassroots Advisers, it stated in an official news release.

As Singapore’s rail network is increasing, with the addition of three new stations to close the loop of the Circle Line in 2026, as well as upcoming rail lines like the Jurong Region Line (JRL) and the Cross Island Line (CRL), which will open in stages from 2027 and 2030, respectively, public buses will play an essential role in complementing the rail network.

It will provide residents convenient access to the rail system and alternative travel options, and serve as a primary mode of daily commute for many, the LTA said. It said the target is to have 8 in 10 households within a 10-minute walk from a train station.

“The pace of housing development has picked up in recent years, and we see changes in travel patterns and an increase in demand for bus services. As our newer housing estates continue to grow, some precincts are located farther away from existing town centres and MRT stations. New developments in more mature estates can also be better served, especially in areas with fewer existing bus services, or where the resident population has grown substantially and the passenger loads on the MRT and buses have increased,” the LTA stated.

What are the enhancements to Singapore’s bus network?

LTA will step up improvements to bus services, such as by adding more trips, adjusting routes or introducing new services in response to changing travel patterns. It will make more of such adjustments based on regular reviews of the bus network.

“One upcoming example is to extend a bus service to connect residents in Toa Payoh East to Caldecott MRT station, to improve connectivity from Toa Payoh East to the Thomson-East Coast Line and the Circle Line. We plan to introduce this bus service by the end of this year,” it said.

More peak-hour express bus services as an alternative option for residents will be introduced, to complement busier MRT lines. A new City Direct Service (CDS) will be introduced in Punggol from around October 2024, providing a direct route to the city.

LTA will adopt new approaches in planning for bus services, primarily in new estates.

“We will speed up the pace of introducing bus services in new towns to better serve early batches of residents who moved into new estates, in anticipation of growing demand. For example, we intend to bring forward the introduction of a new bus service, connecting residents in new and upcoming BTO developments in Yishun East to nearby Khatib MRT station. We aim to launch this service by end September 2024.

“For estates with areas located farther away from major transport nodes and town centres, we will introduce ‘express feeder’ bus services to enhance connectivity for residents. Compared to existing feeder services, these services will take more direct routes with fewer intermediate stops, reducing residents’ travel time for the first and last mile of their journeys from major transport nodes. An example is the introduction of a bus service in Tampines North in December 2024, which will provide a more direct connection for residents in Tampines North to Tampines MRT station,” it said.

The organisation will progressively identify and introduce more of these bus service enhancements in the coming months. The aforementioned amount will be used for the purchase of new buses, infrastructural improvements and operating cost for new services. Similar to existing bus services, part of the cost will be recovered through fares paid by commuters using the services.

“As we grow our bus network to serve new needs, it is important that we spend our resources prudently. LTA will continue to review and adjust our bus network where appropriate, to reallocate the savings to better serve commuters across different parts of Singapore,” it said.