SBS Transit Bus Service 16M is a supplementary bus service operating between Bedok Interchange and Bukit Merah Interchange, passing through Marine Parade, Joo Chiat, Old Airport, Orchard Road, Tiong Bahru and Jalan Bukit Merah.
Operating as alternate trips of Service 16 during stipulated hours on Weekdays & Saturdays (except Public Holidays), Service 16M makes a detour along Bukit Merah Central & Jalan Bukit Merah, serving two additional pairs of bus stops.
Launched on 9 March 2020, Bus Service 16M is a supplementary route of Service 16 that makes a slight detour by plying Jalan Bukit Merah (outside Bukit Merah Town Centre) before entering Bukit Merah Central, thus serving two additional pairs of bus stops. During its stipulated operating hours on Mondays to Saturdays (excluding Public Holidays) as outlined above, Service 16M operates on alternate trips with Service 16.
Apart from increasing accessibility to nearby community amenities (such as Bukit Merah Community Centre and Bukit Merah Polyclinic), the route gives upstream commuters the option to alight at Jalan Bukit Merah, offering easy transfer to many other bus services plying the Jalan Bukit Merah corridor.
The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed in 2029 under the Bukit Merah Bus Package.
History
2020 (09 Mar): Introduced as a supplementary service between Bedok Integrated Transport Hub and Bukit Merah Int during mornings and afternoons on weekdays and mornings on Saturdays, plying an extended route of Service 16 via Jln Bukit Merah and Bukit Merah Ctrl. Wheelchair-accessible at launch.
2024 (08 Dec): Serves new merged bus stop outside Great World Stn Exit 3, skipping abolished bus stops outside The Trillium and Opp Great World City along Kim Seng Rd
Service 16/16M can route to this way instead:
Service 16 to ply from Bt Merah Int to Upp East Coast Ter (Operates on Weekday)
Service 16M to ply from Bt Merah Int to Bedok Bus Int (same route as current service 16 but operate on Weekends and Public Holiday)
The ‘M’ branding is only going to cause a lot of confusion and really isn’t necessary. Should have just made this a route amendment to 16 since it already duplicates 851 from Tiong Bahru MRT.
The amendment is kind of redundant imo. Bukit Merah town centre and Blk 1003 bus stop is only less than 5 mins walk away from the interchange and it doesn’t even benefit the industrial estates along Jalan Bukit Merah which till today lacks a direct bus connection to Redhill or Tiong Bahru MRT.
LTA should have at least considered amending 16 to serve the full stretch Jalan Bukit Merah until the Queensway junction > Alexandra Rd > Depot Rd > Henderson Rd > Bukit Merah Int OR Jalan Bukit Merah > Alexandra Rd > Telok Blangah Rd > HarbourFront Int. Either that or rerouting 14 to serve Tiong Bahru MRT and Zion Rd, skipping Delta Rd and River Valley Rd is a viable option too.
14 using Tiong Bahru and Zion Roads is more viable than having 16M.
Either that or 16 can skip Henderson Road altogether, instead passing through Redhill Close, Redhill Road, Lengkok Bahru, Jalan Bukit Merah and Bukit Merah Central like the old Route 50.
Service 16/16M can route to this way instead:
Service 16 to ply from Bt Merah Int to Upp East Coast Ter (Operates on Weekday)
Service 16M to ply from Bt Merah Int to Bedok Bus Int (same route as current service 16 but operate on Weekends and Public Holiday)
enough of amending svcs to UEC. its very crowded there alr with those additional svcs.
LTA just lazy to nego w/ MOT for a new svc, hence the route variant… Eg 901M 913M…
Just do Bt Merah loop at Orchard with 12-20 mins frequency will be enough,Weekdays operation only..
The ‘M’ branding is only going to cause a lot of confusion and really isn’t necessary. Should have just made this a route amendment to 16 since it already duplicates 851 from Tiong Bahru MRT.
The amendment is kind of redundant imo. Bukit Merah town centre and Blk 1003 bus stop is only less than 5 mins walk away from the interchange and it doesn’t even benefit the industrial estates along Jalan Bukit Merah which till today lacks a direct bus connection to Redhill or Tiong Bahru MRT.
LTA should have at least considered amending 16 to serve the full stretch Jalan Bukit Merah until the Queensway junction > Alexandra Rd > Depot Rd > Henderson Rd > Bukit Merah Int OR Jalan Bukit Merah > Alexandra Rd > Telok Blangah Rd > HarbourFront Int. Either that or rerouting 14 to serve Tiong Bahru MRT and Zion Rd, skipping Delta Rd and River Valley Rd is a viable option too.
14 using Tiong Bahru and Zion Roads is more viable than having 16M.
Either that or 16 can skip Henderson Road altogether, instead passing through Redhill Close, Redhill Road, Lengkok Bahru, Jalan Bukit Merah and Bukit Merah Central like the old Route 50.
Another wasted service hence the operating hours and days..This time i think SBST only lease a few A22s for sure..Others can use spare buses
See how the service routes 147e and it is empty bus service routes all the way
they remove 147e and add 16m
LTA really smart nowadays
Hope that it will integrate with service 16 and service 132 and 851 can amend to ply Jalan Bt Merah before going to Henderson Rd.
Actually, this is better:
https://routes.one/idea/1492