SMRT Bus Service 976

SMRT Bus Service 976 is a trunk service operating between Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang Interchange, supplementing the Bukit Panjang LRT and was launched on 10 November 2019.

Route Overview
Route	Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange ↔ Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange
Passes Through	Choa Chu Kang Way, Senja Rd, Bt Panjang Ring Rd, Petir Rd
Route Length	Towards Bukit Panjang: 8.5 km						Towards Choa Chu Kang: 8.9 km
Travelling Time	37 – 50 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	Choa Chu Kang–Bukit Panjang Bus Package
Current Operator	SMRT Buses Ltd
Current Depot	Gali Batu Bus Depot
Current Fleet	Single-deck buses Includes electric buses
Operating Hours
Departure Times from Choa Chu Kang	Daily
	05:30 – 00:30
Departure Times from Bukit Panjang	Daily
	05:50 – 00:50
Operating Frequency
	6:30am–8.30am			8.31am–4.59pm			5.00pm–7.00pm			After 7.00pm
From Choa Chu Kang	10 – 15 mins			12 – 17 mins			15 mins			14 – 18 mins
From Bukit Panjang	10 – 15 mins			13 – 17 mins			15 mins			15 – 16 mins
Fare Information
Fare	Charges regular distance fares

Bus Service 976 was introduced as a full-day service to complement the Bukit Panjang LRT network. As part of the Bukit Panjang LRT Overhaul, train services would only be offered in a counter-clockwise loop (Service B via Petir) during off-peak hours on Weekdays and the entire day during Weekends & Public Holidays starting from 1 December 2019.

According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), full-day Bus Service 976 is upgraded from the withdrawn peak-hour Bus Parallel Service BPS1, which was introduced in 2011 as a measure to reduce peak hour crowding on the Bukit Panjang LRT network by providing an alternative travel route for residents at Segar, Jelapang and Senja to Choa Chu Kang. With the introduction of Bus Service 976, Service BPS1 was withdrawn on the same day.

Withdrawn Double Deck Deployment Plans

Plans were made to deploy double-deck buses on Service 976 in 2024 to improve capacity. To accommodate the larger turning radius of the 3-axle double-deck buses, a lane reduction was implemented along Segar Road, from three lanes to two, before the junction with Bukit Panjang Ring Road and Fajar Road. This change aimed to facilitate left turns from Segar Road onto Bukit Panjang Ring Road towards Bukit Panjang Interchange. However, this adjustment led to increased traffic congestion at the affected junction.

On 5 August 2024, Mr. Edward Chia Bing Hui, Member of Parliament for Holland–Bukit Timah GRC (Zhenghua), posted on Facebook about the feedback he received from residents concerning the congestion at the junction. He announced that the previous three-lane configuration would be reinstated before mid-August 2024, following discussions with LTA.

In an update on 12 August 2024, he mentioned that more trips were added to Service 976.

MRT / LRT Stations Served

• BP6–DT1 Bukit Panjang
• BP7 Petir
• BP8 Pending
• BP9 Bangkit
• BP12 Jelapang
• BP13 Senja
• BP5 Phoenix
• BP4 Teck Whye
• BP3 Keat Hong
• BP2 South View
• BP1NS4  Choa Chu Kang

Gallery (Buses):

Poster Gallery:

Operator History

• 2019 – Present: SMRT Buses Ltd

Route History

• 2019 (10 Nov): Introduced between Choa Chu Kang Int and Bukit Panjang Integrated Transport Hub, replacing Service BPS1
• 2020 (01 Jan): Service Enhancement to operate at 15 minutes frequency daily throughout the day.
• 2022 (03 Apr): Amended to skip Senja Link towards Bukit Panjang due to the conversion of part of Senja Road and Senja Link to one-way traffic

Past Routings

External Links & References

• Facebook Post by Edward Chia Bing Hui 谢秉辉 (Retrieved 5 Aug 2024)

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