SBS Transit Bus Service 153

SBS Transit Bus Service 153 is a trunk service plying between Bukit Merah Int and Hougang Ctrl Int, passing through Upper Serangoon, Toa Payoh, PIE, Bukit Timah, Farrer, Queenstown and Bukit Merah. It shares the Hougang – Bukit Merah start/end points with Service 132.

153

Bt Merah Int
→ Hougang Ctrl Int ⇋

Hougang Ctrl Int
→ Bt Merah Int ⇋

10009 Bt Merah Int B1 Bt Merah Ctrl

10659 Blk 1003 Bt Merah Ctrl

10101 Opp Bt Merah Sec Sch Jln Bt Merah

10111 Opp Blk 28 Jln Bt Merah

10131 Opp Blk 2 Jln Bt Merah

11021 Aft Queenstown NPC HQ Queensway

11031 Opp Queen's Cl Queensway

11041 Aft C'wealth Dr Queensway

11051 Opp Queenstown Polyclinic Queensway

11061 Opp Queensway Sec Sch Queensway

11071 Blk 97 Queensway

11081 Viz Holland Queensway

11091 Leedon Green Farrer Rd

11101 Empress Rd Mkt/FC Farrer Rd

11111 Farrer Rd Stn Exit B CC20 Farrer Rd

41101 St. Margaret's Sec Sch Farrer Rd

41111 Lutheran Twrs Farrer Rd

41029 Opp Botanic Gdns Stn CC19DT9 Dunearn Rd

41019 Aft Kheam Hock Rd Dunearn Rd

40099 Aft Dunkirk Ave Dunearn Rd

40231 Raffles Town Club DT10TE11 Whitley Rd

51091 Opp Catholic JC PIE

51101 Bef Thomson Flyover PIE

52071 Trellis Twrs Jln Toa Payoh

52181 Opp Toa Payoh Stn NS19 Lor 2 Toa Payoh

52231 Blk 79C Toa Payoh Ctrl

52271 Jackson Sq Lor 4 Toa Payoh

52369 Blk 237 Lor 6 Toa Payoh

52051 Blk 147 Braddell Rd

52061 BCA Academy Braddell Rd

66061 Aft Lynwood Gr Braddell Rd

66071 Opp PUB Recreation Club Braddell Rd

66081 Opp S'pore Power Trg Inst Braddell Rd

62111 Aft Sommerville Rd Upp S'goon Rd

62121 Aft Wolskel Rd Upp S'goon Rd

62131 Serangoon Stn Exit H NE12CC13 Upp S'goon Rd

62141 Opp Blk 1 Upp S'goon Rd

63011 Opp Upp S'Goon Shop Ctr Upp S'goon Rd

63021 The Helping Hand Upp S'goon Rd

63031 Kovan Stn Exit B NE13 Upp S'goon Rd

63041 Opp Glad Tidings Ch Upp S'goon Rd

63051 Opp Blk 370 Upp S'goon Rd

63061 Opp Blk 25 Upp S'goon Rd

64011 Naung Residence Upp S'goon Rd

64009 Hougang Ctrl Int NE14 Hougang Ctrl

64009 Hougang Ctrl Int B4 NE14 Hougang Ctrl

64019 Blk 302 Upp S'goon Rd

63069 Blk 25 Upp S'goon Rd

63059 Blk 22 Upp S'goon Rd

63049 Glad Tidings Ch Upp S'goon Rd

63039 Kovan Stn Exit C NE13 Upp S'goon Rd

63029 Opp The Helping Hand Upp S'goon Rd

63019 Aft Upp S'Goon Shop Ctr Upp S'goon Rd

62149 Forest Woods Upp S'goon Rd

62139 Serangoon Stn Exit A/Blk 413 NE12CC13 Upp S'goon Rd

62129 Blk 403 Upp S'goon Rd

62119 Aft Sunshine Lodge Upp S'goon Rd

66089 S'pore Power Trg Inst Braddell Rd

66079 PUB Recreation Club Braddell Rd

66069 Bef Braddell Flyover Braddell Rd

52069 Comfortdelgro Corp Ltd Braddell Rd

52059 Blk 219 Braddell Rd

52361 Blk 1 Lor 6 Toa Payoh

52279 Blk 56 Lor 4 Toa Payoh

52239 Blk 177 Toa Payoh Ctrl

52189 Toa Payoh Stn NS19 Lor 2 Toa Payoh

52079 Opp Trellis Twrs Jln Toa Payoh

51099 Catholic JC Whitley Rd

40249 St. Joseph'S Instn Whitley Rd

40239 Bef Stevens Stn Exit 4 DT10TE11 Whitley Rd

40091 Bef Lewis Rd Bt Timah Rd

41011 NUS Bt Timah Campus Bt Timah Rd

41021 Botanic Gdns Stn CC19DT9 Bt Timah Rd

41119 Opp Lutheran Twrs Farrer Rd

41109 Opp St. Margaret's Sec Sch Farrer Rd

11119 Farrer Rd Stn Exit A CC20 Farrer Rd

11109 Spanish Village Farrer Rd

11099 Opp Leedon Green Farrer Rd

11089 Opp Holland Hill Lodge Queensway

11079 Opp Blk 95 Queensway

11069 Queensway Sec Sch Queensway

11059 Queenstown Polyclinic Queensway

11049 Opp Blessed Sacrament Ch Queensway

11039 Blk 19 Queensway

11029 Blk 166/Aft Mei Chin Rd Queensway

11019 Bef Blk 2 Jln Bt Merah

10139 Blk 1 Jln Bt Merah

10119 Opp Pacific Tech Ctr Jln Bt Merah

10651 Blk 161 Bt Merah Ctrl

10009 Bt Merah Int Bt Merah Ctrl

Route Overview
Route	Bukit Merah Bus Interchange ↔ Hougang Central Bus Interchange
Passes Through	Jln Bt Merah, Queensway, Farrer Rd, Dunearn Rd / Bt Timah Rd, Lor 2 Toa Payoh, Braddell Rd, Upp Serangoon Rd
Route Length	Towards Hougang Ctrl: 20.1 km						Towards Bukit Merah: 20.3 km
Travelling Time	75 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	Sengkang–Hougang Bus Package
Current Operator	SBS Transit Ltd
Current Depot	Hougang Bus Depot (HGDEP)
Current Fleet	Single-deck & Double-deck buses
Operating Hours
Departure Times from Bukit Merah	Daily
	06:00 – 00:00
Departure Times from Hougang Central	Daily
	05:30 – 23:45
Operating Frequency
From Bukit Merah	6:30am–8.30am			8.31am–4.59pm			5.00pm–7.00pm			After 7.00pm
Weekdays	12 – 14 mins			11 – 15 mins			9 – 11 mins			15 – 18 mins
Saturdays	10 – 13 mins			12 – 14 mins			14 mins			15 – 17 mins
Sundays / Public Holidays	12 – 13 mins			14 – 15 mins			15 mins			15 – 16 mins
From Hougang Central	6:30am–8.30am			8.31am–4.59pm			5.00pm–7.00pm			After 7.00pm
Weekdays	10 – 15 mins			13 – 15 mins			13 – 14 mins			17 – 18 mins
Saturdays	9 – 12 mins			12 – 15 mins			14 – 15 mins			15 – 16 mins
Sundays / Public Holidays	12 – 13 mins			13 – 15 mins			14 – 16 mins			15 – 16 mins
Fare Information
Fare	Charges regular distance fares

Service 153 serves as a inter-town route connecting the residential estates of Bukit Merah, Queenstown, Farrer, Toa Payoh, Serangoon and Hougang, providing a quick route between these estates. Demand is moderate throughout the day owing to inter-town connections, and increased during the peak hours.

MRT Stations Served

• NE14 Hougang
• NE13 Kovan
• NE12CC13 Serangoon
• NS19 Toa Payoh
• DT10TE11 Stevens
• CC19DT9 Botanic Gardens
• CC20 Farrer Road

Special Departures

• Lorong 2 Toa Payoh (Opp Toa Payoh Stn) → Hougang Ctrl Int
  Weekdays: 05:30, 05:45, 06:03 & 06:20
  Saturdays: 05:45, 06:00 & 06:15
  Sundays / Public Holidays: 06:05 & 06:18
• Braddell Road (Blk 219) → Bt Merah Int
  Weekdays: 05:20, 05:32 & 05:44
  Saturdays: 05:20, 05:31 & 05:42
  Sundays / Public Holidays: 05:20 & 05:36

Gallery

Poster Gallery

Operator History

• 1971 – 1973: United Bus Company Pte Ltd
• 1973 – 2001: Singapore Bus Services Ltd
• 2001 – Present: SBS Transit Ltd

The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed under the Sengkang–Hougang Bus Package, in which the negotiated contract term was extended by an undisclosed number of years from 2024.

History

• 1971 (11 Apr): Introduced between Lor 1 Toa Payoh Ter and Jln Bt Merah Ter under 1971 Bus Reorganisation
• 1971 (02 Aug): Amended to Toa Payoh Town Ctr Ter
• 1973 (01 Nov): Operated by Singapore Bus Service (SBS)
• 1979 (23 Dec): Amended to Bt Merah Central Ter
• 1980 (28 Sep): Amended to Bt Merah Int
• 1983 (26 Dec): Integrated with Service 156 and extended to Upp Serangoon Rd Ter
• 1992 (29 Mar): Amended to ply Bt Merah Central
• 1994 (17 Dec): Amended to Hougang Central Int
• 1998 (24 May): Amended to Hougang Central Temp Int
• 2001 (20 May): Amended back to Hougang Central Int
• 2002: Serves new pair of bus stops after Sommerville Rd and after Sunshine Lodge along Upp Serangoon Rd
• 2004: Skips abolished bus stop outside Nanyang Pr Sch along Farrer Rd
• 2011 (04 Sep): Serves new bus stop outside Botanic Gdns Stn along Bt Timah Rd
• 2015 (28 Sep): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus service (WAB)
• 2024 (11 Mar): First bus timing at Opp Toa Payoh Stn along Lor 2 Toa Payoh towards Hougang Ctrl Int brought forward to 5:30am on weekdays

Past Routings

Back to Bus Services
Back to Bus Articles