Up to $900m to be spent to boost bus connectivity

Faster roll-out of services in new towns, express feeder buses among latest plans

- Kok Yufeng

Residents of newer housing estates as well as those moving into new housing projects - whether in new towns or mature ones - will benefit from better public bus connectivity under a new government initiative.

Those in Yishun, Punggol and Tampines will be among the first to benefit.

Up to $900 million will be spent over the next eight years to improve the bus network in several ways under the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on July 30.

First, the roll-out of bus services in new towns will be sped up, so early batches of residents will get access to public transport options as soon as possible, instead of having to wait for more people to move in.

Second, express feeder buses that will call at fewer stops will be introduced, so those living in new housing developments a distance from the town centre and major transport nodes can get there more quickly.

Third, more peak-hour express bus services - including those from housing estates to the city - will be added to complement busier MRT lines.

Finally, in response to changing travel patterns, more bus trips will be added to certain routes, new services will be rolled out, and some routes adjusted, LTA added.

The authority noted that housing development in Singapore has gathered speed in recent years, and demand for bus services has climbed.

New developments in more mature estates can also be better served, LTA said. This is especially in areas with fewer bus services, or where the number of residents has increased substantially and passenger loads on the MRT and buses have risen.