(Defunct) SBS Blue Arrow Services

Initial Introduction (1975):

Singapore Bus Service (SBS) first introduced a set of new semi-express bus routes – the Blue Arrow services, on Monday, 28 July 1975. These new services connected several private residential estates in the Eastern, Central and Western regions of Singapore to the Central Business District (CBD), reducing travel time for commuters to get to their workplaces during the peak hours, at a time when the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network in Singapore was still under planning.

During the initial rollout of the Blue Arrow services, six Blue Arrow routes were operated from the private residential estates of Lucky Gardens, Bedok Gardens, Tai Kheng Gardens, Serangoon Gardens, Mayflower Gardens and Eng Kong Park, and numbered from 301 to 306 respectively. All routes operated unidirectionally from the private residential estates to the City during the morning peak, and return from the City to the estates during the evening peak, serving selected stops within their respective private residential estates, as well as key stops within the CBD.

According to a statement from SBS, the Blue Arrow services were part of a pilot scheme to support the launch of the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) in the CBD, in order to encourage motorists to switch to use public transport to travel to and from their workplaces during the peak hours.

Operational Details:

Based on an SBS statement, a combined fleet of 30 buses were initially deployed across the six Blue Arrow routes, operating at a frequency of 15 minutes at a flat fare of 50 cents per trip. These services operated from the private residential estates towards the City from 07:00 to 09:00 hrs during the morning peak from Mondays to Saturdays, and operated from the City back to the private residential estates from 16:30 to 19:00 hrs during the evening peak from Mondays to Fridays, and from 12:00 to 14:30 hrs during the evening peak on Saturdays. They did not operate on Sundays and Public Holidays.

To sustain the operations of regular multiple trips on the Blue Arrow services, buses operating on these services would “shoot back” to their respective private residential estates for subsequent trips, after completing their initial trips from these estates to the CBD, which was the inspiration behind the name for these new semi-express services.

During their rollout in 1975, the six initial routes served the following designated bus stops in the CBD:

Brief Expansion to Residential Estates (1976 – 1979):

In 1976, SBS attempted to expand the Blue Arrow scheme to developing public housing estates in Singapore. 2 new services – numbered 307 & 308 respectively – were introduced in Bedok and Ang Mo Kio respectively in 1976. Similar to the earlier routes serving the private residential estates, the 2 new services operated during peak hours from Mondays to Saturdays only, with forward trips to the City during the morning peak, and returning trips from the City during the evening peak. While Blue Arrow 307 connected Bedok with the city area of Orchard, Blue Arrow 308 connected Ang Mo Kio with the city areas of City Hall, Raffles Place and Shenton Way.

However, due to the poorer passenger demand for the Blue Arrow services operating in public housing estates, they were subsequently converted to regular trunk services. , while Blue Arrow 308 was converted to the former Bus Service 138 a year prior in 1978.

Rationalisation and Discontinuation of Blue Arrow Services (1978 – 1989):

Due to declining passenger demand, as well as the opening of the MRT system in 1987, SBS gradually rationalised and discontinued the eight Blue Arrow services between 1978 and 1989.

In 1978, Blue Arrow 304 was converted to a new semi-express day service numbered Bus Service 107, which continued to serve the private residential estates in Serangoon Gardens and Lorong Chuan. In the same year, Blue Arrow 308 was converted to former semi-express Bus Service 138 to better serve residents of Ang Mo Kio.

In 1979, Blue Arrow 307 was converted to Bus Service 7 in conjunction with the opening of the Bedok Bus Interchange under the New Bus Plan for Bedok. At the same time, Blue Arrow 302 was merged with Blue Arrow 301, operating between Bedok Gardens, Lucky Gardens and the CBD.

In 1987, Blue Arrow 303 was discontinued due to declining passenger demand from the residents in Tai Kheng Gardens, with the availability of Bus Service 70 as a direct alternative.

Following the opening of the MRT system, the remaining 3 Blue Arrow routes (301, 305 & 306) were subsequently discontinued between 1988 and 1989, as residents from the private residential estates switched to the MRT, or favoured alternative trunk bus services that operated alongside the former Blue Arrow routes.

Final Routes before Discontinuation:

• Service 301 / 302: Bedok Gardens / Lucky Heights → Robinson Rd (AM) / Shenton Way → Lucky Heights / Bedok Gardens (PM)
• Service 303: Tai Kheng Gardens → Robinson Rd (AM) / Prince Edward → Tai Kheng Gardens (PM)
• Service 304: Serangoon Gardens → Robinson Rd (AM) / Robinson Rd → Serangoon Gardens (PM)
• Service 305: Mayflower Gardens → Robinson Rd (AM) / Shenton Way → Mayflower Gardens (PM)
• Service 306: Eng Kong Park → Robinson Rd (AM) / Shenton Way → Eng Kong Park (PM)
• Service 307: Bedok South → Tomlinson Rd (AM) / Tanglin Rd → Bedok South (PM)
• Service 308: Ang Mo Kio → Robinson Rd (AM) / Robinson Rd → Ang Mo Kio (PM)

Detailed Route Information:

External Links & References:

• SGWiki: SBS Blue Arrow Services
• The Straits Times: Blue Arrow to speed commuters (20 July 1975)
• Berita Harian: Blue Arrow 307 mulakan khidmat Isnin ini (15 April 1976)
• Berita Harian: Khidmat ‘Blue Arrow’ dari Ang Mo Kio ke bandar (5 November 1976)
• The Straits Times: New SBS service (22 January 1978)
• The Straits Times: New bus services for Ang Mo Kio (26 July 1978)
• The Straits Times: New SBS service to link Bedok, Jalan Eunos (6 March 1979)
• The Straits Times: Changes in bus services (11 April 1987)
• The Business Times: SBS revises routes affected by MRT (19 January 1988)
• The Straits Times: Your Quick Guide to the SBS Service Changes (7 July 1988)
• The New Paper: SBS to start five new bus routes (1 November 1989)

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