Tower Transit Bus Service 873 is a trunk service operating from Tengah and looping at Hillview Road, connecting Tengah to Bukit Gombak, Hume, and Hillview MRT stations. Departures alternate with Service 873M, a variant that runs a shorter route looping at Bukit Batok Street 52.
Bus Services 873 & 873M was launched on Sunday, 25 October 2026.
↺ Hillview Rd (Loop)
| Route Overview | ||||||||||||
Route  |
Tengah Bus Interchange ↺ Hillview Road (Loop) | |||||||||||
| Passes Through | Bt Batok Rd, Bt Batok West Ave 7, Bt Batok West Ave 5, Hillview Ave, Upp Bukit Timah Rd | |||||||||||
| Route Length | 15.4 km | |||||||||||
| Travelling Time | 70 mins | |||||||||||
| Operator Information | ||||||||||||
| BCM Route Package | Bulim Bus Package | |||||||||||
| Current Operator | Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd (Tower Transit Singapore) |
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| Current Depot | Bulim Bus Depot | |||||||||||
| Current Fleet | Single-deck buses | |||||||||||
| Operating Hours | ||||||||||||
| Departure Times from Tengah |
Daily | |||||||||||
| 05:30 – 23:30 | ||||||||||||
| Operating Frequency | ||||||||||||
| Loop Service | Weekday Peak Hours: 20 mins Weekday Off-Peak Hours, Saturdays & Sundays / Public Holidays: 30 mins |
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| Fare Information |
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| Fare | Charges regular distance fares |
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Bus Service 873 connects Tengah to the Bukit Gombak, Hume, and Hillview MRT stations, providing direct access to schools and amenities in Bukit Batok West, Bukit Gombak, and Hillview.
This service is introduced under the LTA’s Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme (BCEP), a ~$900 million government scheme that funds new buses, infrastructure improvements, and operating costs of new bus services between 2024–2032.
Alternate Departures
Service 873 schedules alternate departures from Tengah Interchange with its variant, Service 873M. Service 873M runs a shorter route that loops at Bukit Batok Street 52.
Between Tengah, Bukit Gombak MRT Station, and Bukit Batok Street 52, the combined services offer a 10-minute frequency during weekday peak hours, and a 15-minute frequency during weekday off-peak hours, weekends, and Public Holidays.
MRT Stations Served
- NS3 Bukit Gombak
- DT4 Hume
- DT3 Hillview
Departure Timings:
From Tengah Int
- Sundays / Public Holidays:
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
Route Variant
- Service 873M: Tengah Int ↺ Bukit Batok St 52 (Loop)
Daily; Alternate departures from Tengah Int. Operates a shorter route looping at Bukit Gombak.
Poster Gallery
Operator History:
- 25 Oct 2026 – Present: Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd
Route History:
- 2026 (25 Oct): Introduced between Tengah Int and Hillview Rd (Loop) under the LTA’s Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme (BCEP), operating as alternate departures with route variant Service 873M.
Back to Bus Services
Interesting that 873 alternates departures with 873M, giving a combined 10-minute weekday peak frequency between Tengah and Bukit Gombak. The comment about it replacing the HillV2 shuttle makes a lot of sense given how closely the Hillview/Hume sector matches.
If you’re wondering why 873/M runs such low frequencies and having to alt depart with each other, I have 2 guesses
1. Resource/space crunch. Theres not enough buses coming in to support the new services, so they have to make do with downgrading it all the way, and introduce a shorter M variant so that the full 10/15min freq stays within Tengah/BBG instead of being on the full route.
2. 873 is the upgraded equivalent of HillV2 Shuttle. Sharp eyes will notice 873 nearly fully copies the route of the HillV2 Shuttle, with its Hillview/Hume sector being exactly the same, and linking to Bukit Gombak. And HillV2 runs at a frequency of 30min, just like 873 is going to do. My guess is that 873 is meant to completely replace HillV2, while giving it an upgrade of capacity. There probably wasnt a need to boost the frequency since it’s possible the demand of HillV2 didnt stretch that far (its a free shuttle after all, anyone could have used it without hassle)
HilV2 Shuttle Bus will be withdrawn by the end of 2026. One of the drivers told me when I rode the shuttle. Service 873 replaces parts of the shuttle bus.
The exact date is unknown, probably soon we will find out.
-Travel17asia-
Must be OTA svc haiss sucks sia prepare to see BC enter bus stop to follow frequency.