Tower Transit City Direct Bus Service 653

Tower Transit City Direct Service 653 is a Weekday Peak Hour City Direct service between Hume/Bukit Batok and the CBD, passing through PIE, AYE and Shenton Way. It is the third City Direct route introduced under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP).

653
43811 Bef Summerhill Hume Ave
43821 Opp Symphony Hts Hume Ave
43279 Aft Hillview Stn DT3 Hillview Rd
43268 Hillington Green Condo Hillview Ave
43259 Opp Hillbrooks Hillview Ave
43249 Hillview Apts Hillview Ave
43239 The Petals Condo Hillview Ave
43449 Blk 258 Bt Batok East Ave 2
43439 Blk 242 Bt Batok East Ave 2
43429 Blk 240 Bt Batok East Ave 2
43179 Blk 231 Bt Batok East Ave 3
43189 Blk 283 Bt Batok East Ave 3
43619 Blk 289E Bt Batok East Ave 3
43629 St. Andrew's Mission Sch Bt Batok East Ave 3
42319 Burgundy Hill Bt Batok East Ave 3
03241 Mapletree Anson Anson Rd
03111 Aft Capital Twr Robinson Rd
03071 80 Robinson Rd Robinson Rd
03381 The Sail Marina Blvd
03391 Marina Bay Financial Ctr NS27TE20CE2 Marina Blvd
03539 Marina Bay Stn NS27TE20CE2 Central Blvd
03529 Downtown Stn Exit E DT17 Central Blvd
03129 UIC Bldg TE19 Shenton Way
03218 Opp MAS Bldg EW15 Shenton Way
42311 Opp Burgundy Hill Bt Batok East Ave 3
43621 Opp Parkview Apts Bt Batok East Ave 3
43611 Blk 290H Bt Batok East Ave 3
43181 Keming Pr Sch Bt Batok East Ave 3
43171 Blk 229 Bt Batok East Ave 3
43421 Blk 503 Bt Batok East Ave 2
43431 Opp Blk 242 Bt Batok East Ave 2
43441 Opp Blk 258 Bt Batok East Ave 2
43231 Opp The Petals Condo Hillview Ave
43241 Opp Hillview Apts Hillview Ave
43251 Hillbrooks Hillview Ave
43811 Bef Summerhill Hume Ave
43821 Opp Symphony Hts Hume Ave
43279 Aft Hillview Stn DT3 Hillview Rd
43268 Hillington Green Condo Hillview Ave
Route Overview
Route WAB_logo_20px [AM]: Hume Avenue (Bef Summerhill) → Marina Boulevard (Marina Bay Financial Ctr)
[PM]: Central Boulevard (Marina Bay Stn) → Hillview Avenue (Hillington Green Condo)
Passes Through Hillview Ave, Bukit Batok East Ave 2/3, Anson Rd, Shenton Way
Route Length Towards Marina Blvd: 21.8 km Towards Hillview Ave: 21.5 km
Travelling Time 60 – 61 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package Bulim Bus Package
Current Operator Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd
(Tower Transit Singapore)
Current Depot Bulim Bus Depot
Current Fleet Double Deck Bus
Alexander Dennis Enviro500
Volvo B9TL
Operating Hours
Departure Times from Hume Ave
Weekdays, except Public Holidays
07:15 – 07:45
Departure Times from Central Blvd
Weekdays, except Public Holidays
18:15 – 18:30
Operating Frequency
From Hume Ave
10 mins
From Central Blvd
15 mins
Fare Information
Fare Charges express distance fares

 

City Direct Service 653 provides residents of Hume and Bukit Batok with greater connectivity to the CBD. By running parallel to existing rail lines, the service provides a travel alternative for commuters who relied on the rail network and feeder buses to and from work. The route incorporates an express sector between Bukit Batok East Ave 3 and Shenton Way via PIE, Clementi Avenue 6 and AYE.

This is the third City Direct service to be introduced under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), and one of ten proposed City Direct bus routes to be progressively introduced until the 2nd Quarter of 2014. This provides more options for commuters using stretches of the existing rail lines that experience persistently high ridership, while the ongoing rail enhancement measures are being implemented.

MRT Stations Served
Departure Timings

Weekdays (except Public Holidays)

  • Morning Peak from Hume Avenue (Bef Summerhill):
    07:15, 07:25, 07:35 & 07:45
  • Evening Peak from Central Boulevard (Marina Bay Stn):
    18:15 & 18:30

Gallery (Tower Transit):
Gallery (SMRT Buses):
Gallery (ComfortDelGro Bus):
Poster Gallery:

 


Operator History:
  • 13 Jan 2014 – 12 Apr 2017: ComfortDelGro Bus Pte Ltd
  • 13 Apr 2017 – 28 May 2021: SMRT Buses Ltd
  • 29 May 2021 – Present: Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd

The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed in 2026 under the Bulim Bus Package.

Route History:
  • 2014 (13 Jan): Introduced between Hume Ave (Bef Summerhill) and Marina Blvd (Marina Bay Financial Ctr) during morning peak hours and between Central Blvd (Aft Marina Stn Rd) and Hillview Ave (Hillington Green Condo) during evening peak hours as a peak hour one-directional service on weekdays under the BSEP. Operated under Contract VT387A.
  • 2015 (23 Mar): Serves new staggered bus stop outside Mapletree Anson along Anson Rd, skipping the bus stop outside Hub Synergy Pt
  • 2017 (13 Apr): Operations transferred to SMRT Buses Ltd under the Choa Chu Kang–Bukit Panjang Bus Package. Trip details revised. Double-Decker Buses deployed.
  • 2020 (08 Apr – 01 Jun): Temporarily suspended due to Singapore COVID-19 Circuit Breaker Measures.
  • 2021 (29 May): Operations transferred to Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd under the Bulim Bus Package

Past Routings

Changes in Departure Times:
Effective Date Morning Peak Timings Evening Peak Timings
13 Jan 2014 07:25 & 07:40 18:10 & 18:25
31 Mar 2014 07:20, 07:30 & 07:40 18:10 & 18:25
04 Aug 2014 07:20, 07:26, 07:33 & 07:40 18:10 & 18:25
16 Mar 2015 07:15, 07:21, 07:27, 07:33 & 07:40 18:10 & 18:25
29 Jun 2015 07:15, 07:21, 07:27, 07:33 & 07:40 18:10, 18:20 & 18:30
26 Oct 2015 07:15, 07:21, 07:27, 07:33, 07:39 & 07:45 18:10, 18:20 & 18:30
13 Apr 2017 07:15, 07:25, 07:35 & 07:45 18:15 & 18:30

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24 thoughts on “Tower Transit City Direct Bus Service 653

  • 15 January 2020 at 1:35 PM
    Permalink

    Tower Transit should take this over the Marsiling & Yishun CDS.

    Reply
    • 11 March 2021 at 4:27 PM
      Permalink

      Don’t worry, it will take over.

      Reply
  • 6 July 2017 at 7:27 AM
    Permalink

    I dont see the bus which is scheduled at 7:25am…….. is there any changes to the bus timing ??

    Reply
  • 19 April 2017 at 7:06 PM
    Permalink

    On the new bus right now, the driver is driving at 40km/h….this is too much, when will I get home? It’s good that we are guaranteed seats and all but if you are going to be driving this slow, I would rather take than the train, at least I know I can get to work/home quicker.

    Reply
    • 25 April 2017 at 8:06 PM
      Permalink

      I feel exact the same. I don’t take this bus anymore and take the train to work now . I bet many people would do the same as I see a few on the bus.

      Reply
    • 28 April 2017 at 7:41 PM
      Permalink

      Take the train, you mean? And it’s not that many people would do the same. It’s just that they do not want to comment about that.

      Reply
      • 29 April 2017 at 11:59 AM
        Permalink

        And remember, the service charges express fares, which is more expensive, that’s why you saw a few on the bus.

        Reply
  • 13 April 2017 at 7:43 AM
    Permalink

    New 653, so slow. I’m sure I won’t be able to make it to work. I like the previous one much much better. Maybe I should take a train.

    Reply
    • 13 April 2017 at 11:42 AM
      Permalink

      I was 30minutes late this morning. Can’t take it.

      Reply
    • 13 April 2017 at 7:18 PM
      Permalink

      OK, you have double-deckers, and passenger load is up, so the bus driver has to ensure the passengers’ safety not just at the lower deck but also at the upper deck. The driver has to slow down. Furthermore, today’s the first day of operations.

      Reply
      • 17 April 2017 at 7:25 AM
        Permalink

        Yeah, I won’t take this bus as this will take more than 65 minutes. Thank you for your advice. I miss the blue bus.

        Reply
        • 17 April 2017 at 9:50 PM
          Permalink

          Frankly speaking, I miss it, too.

          Reply
  • 5 April 2017 at 1:03 AM
    Permalink

    So new operator is charging the same price for buses with narrower seats without headrest and seat belts?
    Lesser value for money now.

    Reply
    • 12 April 2017 at 10:10 PM
      Permalink

      Come on, this ain’t Premium buses. I took 667 and never used a seat belt.

      Reply
    • 13 April 2017 at 11:40 AM
      Permalink

      Less comfort, more trip time.

      Reply

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