Tower Transit Bus Service 167 is a trunk route connecting Sembawang Interchange and Bukit Merah Interchange, passing through Canberra Link, Sembawang Road, Upper Thomson, Thomson, Newton, Orchard, Dhoby Ghaut, Connaught Drive / St Andrews Road, Shenton Way, Cantonment Road and Jalan Bukit Merah.
Service 167 operates at 30-minute intervals daily from 17 December 2023. The service was initially slated for withdrawal as part of the TEL3 Bus Service Rationalisation.
| Route Overview | ||||||||||||
Route  |
Sembawang Bus Interchange ↔ Bukit Merah Bus Interchange | |||||||||||
| Passes Through | Sembawang Rd, Upp Thomson Rd, Thomson Rd, Scotts Rd, Orchard Rd / Orchard Turn, Bras Basah Rd / Penang Rd, Shenton Way / Anson Rd, Jln Bukit Merah | |||||||||||
| Route Length | Towards Bukit Merah: 30.2 km | Towards Sembawang: 30.0 km | ||||||||||
| Travelling Time | 77 – 119 mins | |||||||||||
| Operator Information | ||||||||||||
| BCM Route Package | Sembawang–Yishun Bus Package | |||||||||||
| Current Operator | Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd (Tower Transit Singapore) |
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| Current Depot | Mandai Bus Depot | |||||||||||
| Current Fleet | Single-deck buses Occasional double-deck bus deployments |
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| Operating Hours | ||||||||||||
| Departure Times from Sembawang |
Weekdays & Saturdays | Sundays / Public Holidays | ||||||||||
| 05:30 – 23:30 | 05:45 – 23:30 | |||||||||||
| Departure Times from Bukit Merah |
Weekdays & Saturdays | Sundays / Public Holidays | ||||||||||
| 05:45 – 23:45 | 06:00 – 23:45 | |||||||||||
| Operating Frequency | ||||||||||||
| 6:30am–8.30am | 8.31am–4.59pm | 5.00pm–7.00pm | After 7.00pm | |||||||||
| From Sembawang | 30 – 35 mins | 30 mins | 30 mins | 30 mins | ||||||||
| From Bukit Merah | 30 – 35 mins | 30 mins | 30 mins | 30 mins | ||||||||
| Fare Information |
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| Fare | Charges regular distance fares |
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Service 167 is an inter-town trunk route that connects housing estates around Sembawang, Yishun and Bukit Merah, and the suburban areas of Upper Thomson and Thomson, with connections to the City areas of Novena, Orchard Road, Padang and Shenton Way. Along with Service 980, it serves the full stretch of Upper Thomson Road, connects to the city, and compliments Service 196 between Bukit Merah and the Central Business District.
Demand for this route remains moderate to low throughout the day owing to duplicate routes and low-density developments along much of its route. Owing to duplication with the Thomson-East Coast Line (Stage 3) that opened in November 2022, Bus Service 167 was initially planned to be rationalised, slated for withdrawal in December 2023.
History
Bus Service 167’s heritage dates back to 1971 when it was started as Service 160A between Admiralty Road West and New Bridge Road, later renumbered to Service 167 in 1974. Route amendments over the years were largely limited to both the north and south ends of the route, preserving its core sectors along Upper Thomson and Thomson Road.
Service 167 is historically significant in being the first of two bus routes transferred to Trans-Island Bus Service (TIBS) when the company started operations. Both Services 160 and 167 were handed over from Singapore Bus Service (SBS) to TIBS on 3 April 1983, giving the new operator its first two bus routes and a foothold in the northern part of Singapore. TIBS and its successor SMRT Buses would continue operating Bus Service 167 until October 2021, when operations were handed over to Tower Transit under the Sembawang–Yishun Bus Package.
Past routings of Bus Service 167 over the years can be found at the bottom of this article.
Planned Withdrawal in 2023
As part of the Thomson-East Coast Line 3 Bus Service Rationalisation announced on 17 November 2023 by the Land Transport Authority, Service 167 was slated to be withdrawn on 10 December 2023, with the last day of service on 9 December 2023.
The lost sectors would have been covered by other bus services as such:
- Amended Service 121 along Cantonment Road and Cantonment Link
- Amended Service 859 along Canberra Link and part of Sembawang Road
- Enhanced frequency for Bus Service 980 along parallel sectors between Sembawang and Thomson Road
However, following commuter feedback in response to the TEL3 bus amendments, LTA announced on 28 November 2023 that it had reversed its decision to withdraw Bus Service 167. The route was retained and operated at roughly 30-minute intervals throughout most of the day. All service changes to these bus services were pushed back to Sunday, 17 December 2023. With this, high capacity double-deck buses are not regularly deployed on this service.
In a Written Reply to PQ published on 10 January 2024, LTA estimated that Bus Service 167 required an annual subsidy of S$6.2 million at existing service levels, which dropped to S$3.6 million a year following the implementation of 30-minute frequencies from 17 December 2023, representing S$2.6 million in annual savings.
MRT Stations Served
- NS11 Sembawang
- TE4 Springleaf
- TE8 Upper Thomson
- NS20 Novena
- NS21–DT11 Newton
- NS22TE14 Orchard
- NS23 Somerset
- NS24NE6CC1 Dhoby Ghaut
- DT21 Bencoolen
- CC2 Bras Basah
- EW13NS25 City Hall
- CC3 Esplanade
- EW14NS26 Raffles Place
- DT18 Telok Ayer
- TE19 Shenton Way
- EW15 Tanjong Pagar
- EW16NE3TE17 Outram Park
Departure Timings
| Day Type / Origin | From Sembawang Int | From Bukit Merah Int |
| Weekdays & Saturdays | 05:30, 06:00, 06:30, 07:00, 07:30, 08:00, 08:30, 09:00, 09:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, 16:30, 17:00, 17:30, 18:00, 18:30, 19:00, 19:30, 20:00, 20:30, 21:00, 21:30, 22:00, 22:30, 23:00 & 23:30 | 05:45, 06:15, 06:45, 07:15, 07:45, 08:15, 08:45, 09:15, 09:45, 10:15, 10:45, 11:15, 11:45, 12:15, 12:45, 13:15, 13:45, 14:15, 14:45, 15:15, 15:45, 16:15, 16:45, 17:15, 17:45, 18:15, 18:45, 19:15, 19:45, 20:15, 20:45, 21:15, 21:45, 22:15, 22:45, 23:15 & 23:45 |
| Sundays / Public Holidays | 05:45, 06:20, 06:55, 07:30, 08:00, 08:30, 09:00, 09:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, 16:30, 17:00, 17:30, 18:00, 18:30, 19:00, 19:30, 20:00, 20:30, 21:00, 21:30, 22:00, 22:30, 23:00 & 23:30 | 06:00, 06:35, 07:10, 07:45, 08:15, 08:45, 09:15, 09:45, 10:15, 10:45, 11:15, 11:45, 12:15, 12:45, 13:15, 13:45, 14:15, 14:45, 15:15, 15:45, 16:15, 16:45, 17:15, 17:45, 18:15, 18:45, 19:15, 19:45, 20:15, 20:45, 21:15, 21:45, 22:15, 22:45, 23:15 & 23:45 |
Gallery (Tower Transit):
More photos, including SMRT Buses, at Page 2.
Poster Gallery
Operator History:
- 1974 – 1983: Singapore Bus Services Ltd
- 1983 – 2004: Trans-Island Bus Services Ltd
- 2004 – 2 Oct 2021: SMRT Buses Ltd
- 3 Oct 2021 – Present: Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd
The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed in 2026 under the Sembawang–Yishun Bus Package.
History:
- 1971 (03 May): Introduced as Service 160A between Rotherham Gate Ter (Admiralty Road West) and New Bridge Rd Ter. Initially operated by United Bus Company, later Singapore Bus Service in 1973.
- 1974 (03 Feb): Re-numbered from Service 160 to Service 167, plying between Rotherham Gate Ter (Admiralty Road West) and New Bridge Rd Ter under the 1974 Bus Rationalisation
- 1974 (24 Feb): Amended to ply Grange Rd, Orchard Blvd and Paterson Rd towards Rotherham Gate Ter with the conversion of Orchard Rd to one-way traffic
- 1976 (23 Aug): Amended to Admiralty Rd West Ter and Tg Pagar Ter with the opening of Admiralty Rd West Ter
- 1979 (01 Aug): Amended to temporary terminal along Lim Teck Kim Rd with the closure of Tg Pagar Ter
- 1980 (20 Jan): Amended to ply Hoe Chiang Rd towards Tg Pagar Ter, skipping Lim Teck Kim Rd
- 1983 (03 Apr): Operations transferred to Trans-Island Bus Service (TIBS)
- 1985 (13 Jan): Extended to World Trade Centre Ter
- 1987 (27 Sep): Amended to ply the extended Eu Tong Sen St towards Admiralty Rd West Ter to facilitate the first stage of road expansion along New Bridge Rd
- 1987 (01 Nov): Amended to ply Eu Tong Sen St towards Admiralty Rd West Ter to facilitate the second stage of road expansion along New Bridge Rd
- 1987 (13 Dec): Serves new staggered bus stop outside Orchard Stn along Orchard Blvd, skipping the bus stop opposite Orchard Stn; Serves new bus stop outside Newton Stn along Scotts Rd
- 1990 (21 Feb): Skips abolished bus stop opposite Jasmine Rd along Upp Thomson Rd
- 1992 (20 Sep): Integrated with Services 161 and 850, extended to Sembawang Rd End Ter, extended to Bt Merah Int and amended to ply Cecil St/Shenton Way under TransitLink Network Integration Exercise Phase 9, skipping Eu Tong Sen St/South Bridge Rd and Tg Pagar Rd
- 1992: Amended to ply Orchard Link, skipping Grange Rd
- 1995: Amended to ply Orchard Turn
- 1998: Trial of Passenger Information Display System with onboard announcements [Link]
- 2001 (11 Feb): Amended to ply Canberra Rd and Canberra Link
- 2002 (07 Jul): Skips the bus stop outside Orchard Emerald along Orchard Rd
- 2005 (03 May): Serves additional bus stop outside Victoria Concert Hall along Empress Pl
- 2005 (02 Jul): Amended to ply Grange Rd and Orchard Link with the partial closure of Somerset Rd
- 2005 (20 Nov): Amended to Sembawang Int
- 2006 (18 Feb): Serves additional bus stop after Hosp Dr along Eu Tong Sen St
- 2006 (29 Oct): Serves relocated bus stop outside Orchard Stn along Orchard Turn
- 2012 (15 Nov): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus service (WAB)
- 2016 (01 May): Amended to ply Esplanade Dr with the partial closure of Fullerton Rd
- 2017 (26 Nov): Skips abolished bus stop before Hospital Dr along Kg Bahru Rd
- 2019 (22 Dec): Serves new bus stop before Adana @ Thomson along Upp Thomson Rd
- 2020 (08 Nov): Bus Stop opposite SLF Cplx temporarily merged with the bus stop outside S’pore Polo Club along Thomson Road to facilitate construction of North-South Corridor
- 2020 (27 Dec): Serves a new pair of bus stops Opp Canberra Dr & Bef Canberra Dr along Sembawang Rd
- 2021 (03 Oct): Operations transferred to Tower Transit under the Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package
- 2021 (26 Dec): Amended to ply Esplanade Dr towards Bukit Merah Int due to closure of Connaught Dr to all vehicles
- 2023 (08 Jan): Temporarily skips the bus stop outside Newton Stn Exit B along Scotts Rd due to upgrading works
- 2023 (27 Aug): Resumes serving the bus stop outside Newton Stn Exit B along Scotts Rd after completion of upgrading works
- 2023 (17 Nov): Initial announcement by the Land Transport Authority that Service 167 was to be withdrawn under the Thomson-East Coast Line 3 Bus Service Rationalisation on 10 Dec 2023. Lost sectors covered by amended bus services 121 & 859.
- 2023 (28 Nov): Service 167 withdrawal decision recalled; to operate at reduced frequencies of 30 mins daily from 17 Dec 2023
- 2023 (17 Dec): Frequencies reduced to around 30 mins as part of the Thomson-East Coast Line 3 Bus Service Rationalisation
External Links & References:
- NewspaperSG – Singapore Herald, 3 May 1971, Page 11 (nlb.gov.sg)
- NewspaperSG – Tibs 167 will tell you where you are (nlb.gov.sg)
- Service 167 will operate with 30-minute intervals – Land Transport Authority Facebook Post
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Send more petition to normalise this service.. This service follow strictly to LTA OTA not EWT.
Just terminate at Shenton Way will do
Off peak 15-20mins
Peak 11-14 mins
9 SD 4 DD will do
LTA so stupid they should make 980 low frequencies instead 167 is such a good route
167 has gd loadings and is in strong demand plz make this service to atleast 15 to 20 min frequency instead of 30min
Plese normalise 167 to normal again. This service has good pax flow on a daily basis all day long. Its very obvious. This service has to stay forever.
167 may be amended to Canberra Drive for Canberra part. I saw new condos going up already. They may have forgot that change.