SMRT Bus Service 169

SMRT Bus Service 169 operates between Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchanges, passing through Republic Polytechnic, Woodlands Industrial Park, Yishun MRT and Upper Thomson Road.

New Short Trip Service 169B from Woodlands Int to Woodlands Ave 8 (Bef Admiralty Rd West) commences service on weekdays from 25 February 2019.

Technical Information
Route	Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange ↔ Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchange
Passes Through	Admiralty Rd West, Yishun Ave 2, Sembawang Rd, Upper Thomson
Route Length	23.7km (D1) | 23.0km (D2)
Travelling Time	80 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	Sembawang–Yishun Bus Package
Current Operator	SMRT Buses Ltd
Current Depot	Ang Mo Kio Bus Depot
Current Fleet	18-metre Articulated Bus – MAN A24 – Mercedes-Benz O405G 12-metre Double Deck Bus: – Alexander Dennis Enviro500 – MAN A95 12-metre Single Deck Bus: – MAN A22
Departure Times from Woodlands	0530hrs – 2345hrs (Daily)
Departure Times from Ang Mo Kio	0530hrs – 2345hrs (Daily)
Frequency	Direction 1	Direction 2
	0630 – 0830: 02 – 08 mins 0831 – 1659: 05 – 09 mins 1700 – 1900: 06 – 07 mins After 1900: 10 mins	0630 – 0830: 06 – 08 mins 0831 – 1659: 05 – 09 mins 1700 – 1900: 05 – 07 mins After 1900: 06 – 10 mins

Service 169 is both a residential and an industrial route, serving the housing estates of Woodlands, Yishun and Ang Mo Kio (and the private estates of Upper Thomson) with connections to Woodlands Regional, Yishun and Ang Mo Kio Town Centres. The route also serves Woodlands Industrial Park and various industries along Senoko and Admiralty Road West, providing connections to Woodlands and Yishun.

As an inter-town route, demand is moderate throughout the day. Peak hour demand is very high due to workers commuting to and from the industrial areas. The route operates a relatively large split-shift fleet along with the deployment of Short Trip Services 169A & 169B to cater for high passenger loading. Students of Republic Polytechnic (RP) also rely on the route to and from Woodlands Regional Interchange.

Formerly a Singapore Bus Service (SBS) route since the 1970s, the route was transferred to Trans-Island Bus Service (TIBS) in 1983 and has been operated by SMRT ever since. High capacity articulated / double-deck buses are deployed due to high demand during peak periods. SMRT’s Alexander Dennis Enviro500 double-deck buses appeared on the route since Oct 2014.

Fare: Charges basic distance fares. See Bus Fares.

MRT Stations Served

• NS9 Woodlands
• NS13 Yishun
• NS16 Ang Mo Kio

Short Trip Service

• Service 169A: Woodlands Temp Int → Yishun Ave 2 (Opp Yishun Stn)
  Weekdays: 0701hrs & 0718hrs
• Service 169B: Woodlands Temp Int → Woodlands Ave 8 (Bef Admiralty Rd West)
  Weekdays: 0702hrs & 0735hrs

Gallery

Operator History

• 1976 – 1983: Singapore Bus Services Ltd
• 1983 – 2004: Trans-Island Bus Services Ltd
• 2004 – Present: SMRT Buses Ltd

The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed in 2020 under the Sembawang – Yishun Bus Package.

History

• 1976 (23 Aug): Introduced between Admiralty Rd Ter and Sembawang Rd (Dieppe Barracks)
• 1977 (31 Jan): Extended to Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 Ter
• 1981 (05 Jul): Amended to Ang Mo Kio Central 2 Ter
• 1981 (29 Nov): Amended to Woodlands Int and amended to ply Admiralty Rd, skipping Marsiling Dr
• 1983 (10 Apr): Amended to Ang Mo Kio Int
• 1983 (05 Jun): Handed over to TIBS.
• 1996 (04 Feb): Amended to terminate at Woodlands Regional Interchange via Woodlands Ave 8, Ave 9 and Ave 2.
• 1996 (10 Mar): Amended to serve Yishun New Town via Yishun Ave 3 and Ave 2, and amended to ply Admiralty Rd East and Sembawang Rd instead of Canberra Rd, merging with Service 857.
• 2000: Calls at an additional bus stop opposite Blk 324 along Ang Mo Kio Ave 3
• 2002 (24 Mar): Amended to Ang Mo Kio Temp Int
• 2003: Calls at the bus stop outside Blk 923 along Yishun Ave 2, skipping the bus stop outside Northpoint Shop Ctr
• 2004 (10 May): Operated by SMRT Buses
• 2007 (28 Apr): Amended to Ang Mo Kio Integrated Transport Hub
• 2013: Service improvement under the BSEP scheme
• 2014 (01 Oct): Alexander Dennis Enviro500 double-deck buses introduced.
• 2015 (11 Oct): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus route (WAB)
• 2016 (12 Mar): Amended to Woodlands Temp Int
• 2018 (27 May): Calls at a new pair of bus stops along Canberra Link (Visionaire / Opp Visionaire)
• 2019 (25 Feb): New Short Trip 169B introduced

Past Routings:

• Refer to this article
• 1996: Amended to present routing. No significant route changes since 1996.

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