Weaving into the heartlands, business hubs, and tourist attractions, buses bring you closer to your destination.
They are one of the most convenient and accessible modes of public transport in Singapore.
Public bus services are operated by four operators under LTA’s Bus Contracting Model. LTA issues licenses to both public and private bus operators to operate bus services and regulates bus advertising.
Public buses form a significant part of public transport in Singapore, with over 4.0 million rides taken per day on average as of 2018. There are more than 370 scheduled bus services, operated by SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore, and Go-Ahead Singapore. The newest bus operator, Go-Ahead Singapore started operation on 4 September 2016. There are also around 5,800 buses currently in operation.
Types of Bus Services
Trunk & Feeder Bus Services
Trunk Bus Services: These are the backbone of the public bus network, plying longer routes that take you from one neighborhood to another, or into the various parts of town.
Feeder Bus Services: These offer transfers from MRT stations and bus interchanges to surrounding housing estates and industrial areas. It also connects you to various neighborhoods within the same estate.
Premium Bus Services
Premium Bus Services typically ply between major residential estates and key industrial/ commercial nodes such as the Central Business District (CBD) and Industrial/ Business Parks during the peak hours. Designed to ease the rush-hour crowd, premium bus services charge a premium fare but offer a more direct connection as compared to existing public transport options. Premium bus services are operated by private bus operators, based on commercial considerations.
City Direct Services
City Direct Services operate between major residential estates and the Central Business District (CBD) during the peak hours on weekdays. City Direct services provide commuters with an alternative to the existing public transport connections to the CBD.
Midnight Bus Services
The NightRider and Nite Owl Bus services are late-night bus services operated by SMRT Buses Ltd and SBS Transit Ltd respectively. These services operate one way, from the city to major residential estates. They operate from about midnight to 2 am on Fridays, Saturdays and eves of public holidays.
Shuttle Bus Services
Shuttle bus services are also operated to cater to specific transport needs, such as connecting to places of interest, tourist attractions, commercial or retail centers, and medical institutions. Shuttle Bus Services are typically operated by private bus operators, which are operated as either a fare-collecting or a free shuttle service.
Bus Operator
Go-Ahead Singapore
Go-Ahead Singapore is a provider of passenger transport and bus operator in Singapore. It had commenced operations on 4 September 2016 and it is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.
Go-Ahead Singapore is a leading local public transport provider and a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group, a UK transport operator that enables more than one billion journeys a year.
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SBS Transit
SBS Transit Ltd is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus, rail, and taxi services. With a majority of its shares owned by ComfortDelGro Corporation at 75%, it was formerly known as Singapore Bus Services before rebranding to SBS Transit on 1 November 2001. It is the largest public bus operator in Singapore.
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SMRT Buses
SMRT Corporation Ltd (SMRT) is a public transport service provider. Our primary business is to manage and operate train services on the North-South Line, the East-West Line, the Circle Line, the new Thomson-East Coast Line, and the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit. This is complemented by our bus, taxi and private hire vehicle services.
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Tower Transit Singapore
Tower Transit is an operator of bus services in Singapore. In 2015, competing with some of the world’s biggest bus operators, Tower Transit was awarded the Singapore government’s first competitively-tendered bus operations contract. On 29 May 2016, the first Tower Transit buses hit the road in Singapore, making history as the first company to operate under the bus contracting model.
Tower Transit Singapore operates more than 300 buses and 30 services on behalf of the Land Transport Authority.
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Bus Routes
Singapore has many different bus services plying through the island. These bus routes are categorized accordingly:
Trunk: Routes that ply between towns. (e.g. 7, 21, 53M, 133, 162M, 851, 960)
Feeder: Services that operate within a neighborhood. (e.g. 293, 334, 386, 410W, 812, 901M)
Short Trip: Routes that operate short-haul trips of services that cover high demand sectors of the parent route. (e.g. 3A, 70B, 147A, 222A, 502A, 857A, 965A)
Jurong Industrial Service: Routes that service the Jurong and Tuas industrial areas. Operated exclusively by SBS Transit. All Jurong Industrial Services are under Jurong West Bus Package. (e.g. 247, 249, 251, 258)
Express: Routes that stop at selected stops and generally run on expressways or long stretches of the express sector for faster travel between several towns. (e.g. 43e, 174e, 502, 854e, 951E)
City Direct: Service connecting passengers directly to and from the Central Business District during peak hours. Previously operated by private operators. (e.g. 655, 661, 666, 670)
NightRider (SMRT Buses) and Nite Owl (SBS Transit): Midnight services on Fridays, Saturdays, and eves of Public Holidays. (e.g. 1N, 3N, NR5, NR8)
Chinatown Direct: Routes that run from towns to Chinatown via expressways. Operated exclusively by SBS Transit. (i.e. CT8, CT18)
Cross Border Services: Services that cross the Causeway or the Second Link into Malaysia. (i.e. 160, 170, 170X, 950)
Resorts World Sentosa Bus services: Bus services that operate in and out of Resorts World Sentosa. Services run on weekends and Public Holidays. (i.e. 188R, 963R, RWS8)
Scheme B Bus services: Bus services that are operated by private operators at peak timings. (Note that these services are not very well mentioned by LTA) (i.e. 621, 623, 625, 640)
Find out more list of bus routes in Singapore
