SBS Transit Bus Service 121

SBS Transit Bus Service 121 is a residential trunk route travelling between Kampong Bahru Bus Terminal and Telok Blangah Rise, passing through Ganges Avenue, Tiong Bahru MRT, Kim Tian Road and Telok Blangah Way / Crescent / Rise.

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Technical Information
Route	Kampong Bahru Bus Terminal ↺ Telok Blangah Rise (Loop)
Passes Through	Ganges Ave, Tiong Bahru MRT, Kim Tian Rd, Telok Blangah Way / Crescent
Route Length	15.3 km
Travelling Time	65 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	Bukit Merah Bus Package
Current Operator	SBS Transit Ltd
Current Depot	Ulu Pandan Bus Depot (UPDEP)
Current Fleet	12-metre Double Deck Bus: – Volvo B9TL 12-metre Single Deck Bus: – Mercedes-Benz Citaro – Scania K230UB
Departure Times from Kampong Bahru	0555hrs – 2330hrs (Daily)
Frequency	Loop Service
	0630hrs – 0830hrs: 10 – 11 mins 0831hrs – 1659hrs: 10 – 13 mins 1700hrs – 1900hrs: 11 – 12 mins After 1900hrs: 10 – 13 mins

Service 121 provides residents of Telok Blangah, Kim Tian and Havelock with greater connectivity to Tiong Bahru and Outram Park MRT Stations, along with other amenities in the vicinity. It is the twenty-fifth (25th) bus service to be introduced under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), and the second new BSEP service originating from New Bridge Road after Service 120.

The inter-town service improves on existing bus connections between the estates at Telok Blangah Way / Crescent / Rise, Kim Tian and Ganges Avenue, and providing the much-needed bus connection between the estates and Tiong Bahru MRT Station. The service also calls at a new pair of bus stops along Kim Tian Road, which had no bus services plying the stretch in recent times.

For the Telok Blangah Estates, Service 121 closely duplicates the existing Feeder Service 272, which did not connect to any MRT station. Residents will enjoy better connectivity to Tiong Bahru MRT with the new service, which is also expected to relieve demand on Service 195.

SBS Transit’s press release sums up the new service:

“SBS Transit Bus Service 121 is a new trunk service that will operate from Sunday, 16 March 2014. Service 121 will directly connect commuters from Ganges Avenue, Kim Tian Road and Telok Blangah Crescent/Rise to Tiong Bahru and Outram Park MRT stations.
Operating daily from 6.00am to 11.30pm from New Bridge Road Bus Terminal, SBS Transit Bus Service 121 will ply Outram Road, Zion Road, Ganges Avenue, Lower Delta Road, Tiong Bahru Road, Kim Tian Road, Jalan Bukit Merah, Lower Delta Road and Telok Blangah Way, before looping back via Telok Blangah Crescent and Telok Blangah Rise. As Zion Road is one-way, the service will ply Outram Road in the return direction.
Besides enhancing connectivity to key transport nodes such as Tiong Bahru and Outram Park MRT stations, the new bus service will also provide residents with convenient access to amenities like Singapore General Hospital, Outram Polyclinic, SAFRA Mount Faber, Tiong Bahru Plaza, markets and food centres along Jalan Bukit Merah and Telok Blangah Crescent, as well as schools such as Radin Mas Primary School and CHIJ St. Theresa’s Convent.
SBS Transit Bus Service 121 is the 25th new bus service to be rolled out under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP).”

In March 2018, Service 121 was amended to serve Kampong Bahru Bus Terminal following the closure of New Bridge Road Bus Terminal.

MRT Stations Served

• EW16NE3 Outram Park
• EW17 Tiong Bahru

Special Departures

• Telok Blangah Way (Blk 27) → Kampong Bahru Ter
  Weekdays: 0545hrs, 0554hrs, 0603hrs, 0612hrs
  Saturdays: 0545hrs, 0556hrs, 0608hrs
  Sundays / Public Holidays: 0600hrs, 0610hrs

Fare: Charges basic distance fares. See Bus Fares.

Gallery

History:

• 2014 (16 Mar): Introduced under the LTA’s Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), plying between New Bridge Road Terminal and Telok Blangah Rise (Loop).
• 2014 (29 Jun): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus route (WAB)
• 2018 (10 Mar): Amended to Kampong Bahru Ter. First bus departure timings from Kampong Bahru brought forward by 5 minutes.
• 2018 (18 Nov): Start of operations under Bukit Merah Bus Package (Tendered Contract); Start of regular double decker bus deployments.

Operator History:

• 2014 – Present: SBS Transit Ltd

The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed in 2023 under the Bukit Merah Bus Package.

Past Routings:

• Refer to this article
• 2018: Amended to present routing. No significant route changes since 2018.