The Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme, or BCEP for short, was launched on 30 July 2024 by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The BCEP will allocate an additional $900 million from 2024 to 2032, for the purchase of new buses, infrastructural improvements, and to fund operating cost of new bus services.
Initiatives under BCEP for Bus Services are:
- Improvement to bus services to address changing travel patterns
- Introduction of more peak-hour express bus services
- Speeding up the introduction of new bus services in new estates
- Introduction of “express feeder” bus services
BCEP – Bus Services
Bus Service Improvements
Under the BCEP, bus services will be improved in response of changing travel patterns through measures such as:
- Adding more trips
- Adjusting routes
- Introduction of new bus services
An example cited by LTA is the upcoming extension of an existing bus service to connect residents in Toa Payoh East to Caldecott MRT Station by the end of 2024.
Peak-hour Express Bus Services
More peak-hour express bus services, such as City Direct Services, will be introduced under the BCEP to provide an alternative option for residents to complement busier MRT lines.
An example cited by LTA is an upcoming new City Direct Service in Punggol from around October 2024.
New Bus Services in New Estates
Under the BCEP, early batches of residents who moved into new estates will be better served by the expedited introduction of new bus services in anticipation of growing demand.
An example cited by LTA is the aim of introducing a new bus service connecting residents in new and upcoming BTO developments in Yishun East to nearby Khatib MRT station by end September 2024. This was later announced to be Service 861 commencing service on 15 September 2024.
Express Feeder Bus Services
A new concept, “express feeder” bus services, will be launched under the BCEP to enhance connectivity for residents in estates with areas located farther away from major transport nodes and town centres. These services will take more direct routes with fewer intermediate stops compared to regular feeder bus services, reducing residents’ travel time for the first and last mile of their journeys from major transport nodes.
An example cited by LTA is an upcoming bus service in Tampines North, which will provide a more direct connection for residents in Tampines North to Tampines MRT station in December 2024.
Rollout
| S/N | Date | Bus Service | Category |
| 1 | 15 Sep 2024 | Bus Service 861 | New Bus Services in New Estates (Yishun East) |
| – | Short Trip Service 861A |
Suggest a new svc from punggol to jurong east – 164
Passes through fernvale, upper thomson, pie, eng neo, beauty world and bukit batok
Please introduce a service from Sengkang to Choa Chu Kang or Bukit Panjang. It would benefit Sengkang residents a lot.
I suggest if the bus operater for Go-Ahead Singapore to introduce service from Sengkang towards Bukit Panjang and terminates at Choa Chu Kang (plys faster transit using the expressway sector: SLE/BKE). What do u think?
For the yishun east connection to Khatib, a guess would be a new variant of svc 801- a new 801M that plies to Khatib MRT prob using Yishun Ave 11, Yishun Central, Ave 2, Ring Rd (loop).
We’re getting tired of LTA introducing M-variants. For reference, see the absolutely useless 117M & 16M
Perhaps its about time the remaining storage buses gets leased and cleared out especially the MAN A22 Euro V specifically the Batch 2s to make way for the eventual EV buses which will likely need to park somewhere before being leased and deployed. These buses have been rotting away for long enough and lifespan isnt that much longer for them anyways. Personally i think GAS has enough buses for now seeing them leased quite a number lately. SMRT & TTS & Maybe SBST should leased the remaining few.
Lta storage buses will most like be used up for the lifespan ending batch 1 kubs this year.
Based on lta clues I think service 298e will be introduced