SBS Transit Bus Service 18

SBS Transit Bus Service 18 is a trunk service between Tampines North and Bedok North Depot, serving Tampines East, Bedok Reservoir and Bedok North Avenue 4.

Note:

• No boarding & alighting at Bedok North Depot

Route Overview
Route	Tampines North Bus Interchange ↔ Bedok North Bus Depot
Passes Through	Tampines North Dr 1, Tampines Ave 9, Tampines Street 33, Tampines Ave 2, Bedok North Ave 3, Bedok North Ave 4
Route Length	Towards Bedok Nth Depot: 12.2 km						Towards Tampines North: 12.7 km
Travelling Time	55 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	Tampines Bus Package
Current Operator	SBS Transit Ltd
Current Depot	Bedok North Bus Depot (BNDEP)
Current Fleet	Single-deck buses
Operating Hours
Departure Times from Tampines North	Weekdays & Saturdays								Sundays / Public Holidays
	05:30 – 23:45								05:40 – 23:45
Departure Times from Bedok North Depot	Weekdays & Saturdays								Sundays / Public Holidays
	05:25 – 00:35								05:55 – 00:35
Operating Frequency
From Tampines North	6:30am–8.30am			8.31am–4.59pm			5.00pm–7.00pm			After 7.00pm
Weekdays	11 – 15 mins			14 – 16 mins			14 – 17 mins			17 – 25 mins
Saturdays	14 – 15 mins			14 – 15 mins			15 mins			15 – 24 mins
Sundays / Public Holidays	15 mins			15 – 16 mins			15 – 16 mins			16 – 25 mins
From Bedok North Depot	6:30am–8.30am			8.31am–4.59pm			5.00pm–7.00pm			After 7.00pm
Weekdays	13 – 14 mins			13 – 16 mins			14 – 16 mins			15 – 23 mins
Saturdays	14 – 15 mins			14 – 15 mins			14 – 15 mins			15 – 23 mins
Sundays / Public Holidays	15 – 16 mins			15 – 16 mins			15 – 16 mins			15 – 22 mins
Fare Information
Fare	Charges regular distance fares

Service 18 is a trunk bus route connecting Tampines North to Bedok North Depot, passing through Tampines Avenue 9, Tampines Street 33, Tampines Avenue 2, Bedok Reservoir, and Bedok North Avenue 4. The route weaves through several residential estates, providing inter-estate connectivity that supplements other feeder and trunk routes. It has also been enhanced in recent years to improve access to the Downtown Line, with bus stops near Tampines East, Tampines West and Bedok Reservoir stations.

First introduced on 2 May 1982, Bus Service 18 was significant in being the first bus route serving the newly-developed Tampines New Town. Initially operating as a loop between Bedok and Tampines Avenue 2, it primarily catered to the growing residential population of Tampines. The route was amended to loop at Tampines Street 22 in 1985, and extended further to Tampines Interchange in 1987 via Tampines Avenue 7.

Singapore Bus Services, later SBS Transit, deployed high-capacity articulated buses on Service 18, including the Volvo B10MA Mark IV (SBS998Y) and the Mercedes-Benz O405G (SBS999U). These buses were retired in 2006.

Recent Amendments

In 2016, the service was relocated to Tampines Concourse Interchange.

In 2017, the service was amended to serve Tampines Streets 32, 33, 34 as part of Downtown Line 3 Bus Service Enhancements. The amended route offered direct access for residents to Tampines East MRT Station and additional travel options to Tampines and Bedok, supplementing Services 291 and 28.

In 2022, with the opening of Tampines North Bus Interchange, Service 18 underwent further changes. On the northern end, it was rerouted to serve Tampines North via Tampines Avenue 9 and Tampines North Drive 1. On the southern end, it was extended to terminate at Bedok North Depot, replacing its previous loop at Bedok Interchange. While these changes improved inter-town connectivity for residents in Tampines North and Bedok North Avenue 4, the service lost ridership as it no longer served Tampines and Bedok bus interchanges and MRT stations directly.

Current Demand Patterns

Service 18 only operates single-deck buses. Since its 2022 route amendment, demand has remained low to moderate throughout the day, as the service bypasses key transport nodes at Tampines and Bedok. Despite this, it continues to serve as a vital connection for residents, linking them to three Downtown Line stations, local community amenities, and several educational institutions.

Between Tampines North and Tampines East, Service 18 provides a direct link between the neighbourhoods, eliminating the need for transferring buses at Tampines Central and thereby reducing travel time. Additionally, the pair of bus stops outside Citylife @ Tampines serves as a crucial transfer point for passengers connecting to Bus Services 27, 168 and 969, which head to destinations such as Sengkang, Hougang, Yishun, and Woodlands.

Along Bedok North Avenue 4, Service 18 provides schools and residential areas with a direct connection to Bedok Reservoir MRT Station. Before the 2022 amendment, this sector was covered solely by Service 17, which primarily connected the area to Bedok MRT and bus interchange.

The service operates at 15-minute intervals during daylight hours, with frequencies dropping to over 20 minutes after the evening peak.

Key Amenities served:

• Tampines North Primary School
• Tampines N4 Neighbourhood Centre
• Dunman Secondary School
• East Spring Secondary School
• East Spring Primary School
• Ngee Ann Secondary School
• Tampines East Community Club
• Tampines N2 Shopping Street
• Chongzheng Primary School
• NTUC Health Nursing Home (Tampines)
• Tampines Round Market & Food Centre
• SAFRA Tampines
• yo:HA Commercial @ Tampines
• Bedok Reservoir Park
• Bedok Green Secondary School
• Red Swastika School
• Yu Neng Primary School
• Fengshan Community Club
• Fengshan Centre / Bedok 85 Market
• St Anthony’s Canossian Primary School
• Saint Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School

MRT Stations Served

• DT33 Tampines East
• DT31 Tampines West
• DT30 Bedok Reservoir

Special Departures

• Tampines Ave 7 (Opp Blk 390) → Bedok North Depot
  Weekdays: 05:10, 05:22 & 05:34
  Saturdays: 05:15, 05:30 & 05:45
  Sundays & Public Holidays: 05:45

Gallery:

Poster Gallery:

Operator History

• 02 May 1982 – 31 Oct 2001: Singapore Bus Services Ltd
• 01 Nov 2001 – Present: SBS Transit Ltd

History:

• 1982 (02 May): Introduced between Bedok and Tampines Ave 2 (Loop), U-turning at the junction of Tampines Ave 2 and Tampines St 21 (Bedok ↺ Tampines Ave 2)
• 1985 (03 Nov): Amended to loop at Tampines St 22 (Bedok ↺ Tampines St 22)
• 1987 (29 Nov): Extended to start from Tampines Int and loop at Bedok Int, skipping Tampines St 22 (Tampines ↺ Bedok)
• 1988 (25 Jan): First bus brought forward to 0515 hrs on weekdays and Saturdays
• 1999: Serves new pair of bus stops outside and opposite The Clearwater Condo along Bedok Reservoir Rd
• 2001: Serves new pair of bus stops opposite Blk 761 and opposite Baywater along Bedok North Ave 3
• 2006: Skips a pair of abolished bus stops outside and opposite Bedok Green Sec Sch along Bedok North Ave 3
• 2011 (07 Mar): Designated Wheelchair Accessible Bus Service (WAB)
• 2011 (19 Nov): Amended to loop at Bedok Temp Int and amended to ply Bedok North Rd and Bedok North Ave 2
• 2012 (11 Mar): Serves new bus stop outside Blk 204 along Bedok North Int
• 2014 (30 Nov): Amended to Bedok Integrated Transport Hub, skips bus stop outside Blk 204 along Bedok North Interchange
• 2016 (18 Nov): Extended to Tampines Concourse Int (Tampines Concourse ↺ Bedok)
• 2017 (21 Oct): Amended to Tampines St 34, Tampines St 33 & Tampines St 32 with the opening of Downtown Line 3; First bus brought forward to 0505 hrs on weekdays and Saturdays, and 0535 hrs on Sundays and Public Holidays
• 2021 (12 Dec): Serves a pair of new bus stops before and after Heartbeat @ Bedok along Bedok Nth St 1
• 2022 (27 Nov): Extended to Tampines Nth Int and Bedok Nth Depot and converted to bi-directional service (Tampines North ↔ Bedok North Depot)

Past Routings

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