[Defunct] SBS Transit Bus Service 170A

SBS Transit Bus Service 170A was a Short Trip Service variant of Bus Service 170.

The route operated between Queen Street Terminal and Woodlands Train Checkpoint at Woodlands Centre Road, duplicating the local sectors of Bus Service 170 without crossing the border. Previously an ad-hoc service, it was formally introduced on Sunday, 27 December 2015, and operated daily. It was converted to a bi-directional service on 1 April 2022 and fully replaces Service 170 temporarily between 1 April – 30 April 2022 after having been suspended from 19 May 2021 to 31 March 2022.

Service 170A was withdrawn on 1 May 2022 following the resumption of Service 170 to Johor Bahru. Service information was removed from the Land Transport Authority’s MyTransport.sg app on 1 May 2022.

Route Overview
Route	Queen Street Bus Terminal ↔ Woodlands Centre Road (Woodlands Train Checkpt)
Passes Through	Bt Timah Rd, Upp Bt Timah Rd / Dunearn Rd, Woodlands Rd
Route Length	Towards Woodlands Train Checkpoint: 23.5 km						Towards Queen St: 24.1 km
Travelling Time	65 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	Bukit Merah Bus Package
Former Operator	SBS Transit Ltd
Former Depot	Ulu Pandan Bus Depot (UPDEP)
Former Fleet	Single Deck Bus – Mercedes-Benz Citaro
Operating Hours
Departure Times from Queen Street	Daily
	05:20 – 00:10
Departure Times from Woodlands Centre Road (Woodlands Train Checkpoint)	Weekdays				Saturdays				Sundays / Public Holidays
	05:37 – 01:08				05:09 – 01:01				05:35 – 00:52
Operating Frequency
From Queen Street	6:30am–8.30am			8.31am–4.59pm			5.00pm–7.00pm			After 7.00pm
Mondays – Thursdays	19 – 21 mins			16 – 29 mins			21 mins			14 – 21 mins
Fridays	19 – 21 mins			19 – 30 mins			27 – 30 mins			14 – 28 mins
Saturdays	20 mins			18 – 29 mins			30 mins			13 – 30 mins
Sundays / Public Holidays	17 – 20 mins			16 – 29 mins			31 mins			15 – 31 mins
From Woodlands Ctr Rd	6:30am–8.30am			8.31am–4.59pm			5.00pm–7.00pm			After 7.00pm
Mondays – Thursdays	TBC			TBC			TBC			TBC
Fridays	TBC			TBC			TBC			TBC
Saturdays	TBC			TBC			TBC			TBC
Sundays / Public Holidays	TBC			TBC			TBC			TBC
Fare Information
Fare	Charges regular distance fares

Service 170A was a Short Trip Service variant of Bus Service 170, operating supplementary trips from Queen Street Bus Terminal to Woodlands Train Checkpoint without crossing the border into Johor Bahru. The route poster describes it as “to serve commuters’ travel needs better” — likely by improving headways and maintaining the reliability of Service 170’s local sectors without being affected by cross-border traffic conditions.

Despite the Downtown Line and the presence of duplicating bus routes along the Bukit Timah Road and Upper Bukit Timah Road corridors, the Land Transport Authority continued to keep Bus 170 reliable for commuters who need it. Formerly operating at irregular frequencies owing to congestion across the Causeway, dedicated buses on Service 170A would reliably ply the local sectors of Service 170 in both directions. Service 170A would terminate at Woodlands Centre Road (Woodlands Train Checkpoint) and then perform Service 170 back towards Queen Street Terminal.

‘Withdrawn’ in the early 2000s, there was no mention of Service 170A until its reappearance in 2014 as an ad-hoc service. Details were not published by SBS Transit although they operated on weekend evenings to ease the high demand between Little India and workers’ dormitories along Woodlands Road, using cross-border buses drawn from Service 170’s fleet.

The formal introduction of Service 170A was Sunday, 27 December 2015, when it was introduced as a full-day service, operating daily and alternating with Service 170 departures. The launch coincided with the opening of the Downtown Line (Stage 2) between Bukit Panjang and Bugis. Following the introduction of Service 170A, departures of Service 170 were reduced.

Bus Services 170, 170A & 170X towards Larkin, Woodlands Train Checkpoint & JB Sentral respectively regularly experiences a temporary route diversion along Woodlands Road, skipping Bus Stops 46021 – Bef W’Lands Ind Pk D St 2, 46031 – Kranji Lodge 1, 46041 – Opp Globalfoundries, and 46051 – Bef BKE due to traffic congestion. Refer to SBS Transit’s Twitter account for updates.

Mode of Operation

Prior to 1 April 2022:

A full trip of Service 170A from Queen Street Terminal to Woodlands Centre Road (Woodlands Train Checkpoint) takes about one hour, and all passengers must alight at the terminating stop. The bus will then proceed to the next stop, Woodlands Centre Road (Blk 25), and begin its return journey towards Queen Street Terminal, operating as Service 170. For Bus Captains, 170A would be more of a loop service with little time to rest at the looping point.

Service 170A buses and their drivers operate independently of Service 170 despite the many similarities. Their buses do not cross the border, and as such, are able to use non-cross-border buses such as Mercedes-Benz Citaros. As such, local bus drivers can be deployed to Service 170A (SBS Transit is known to roster Malaysian drivers on cross-border services). Departures from Queen Street Terminal are staggered with its parent Service 170 to space buses apart.

2021 withdrawal / suspension amid COVID-19 pandemic

On 19 May 2021, Bus Service 170A abruptly ceased to operate, with no official notice issued by operator SBS Transit. The route suspension was initially believed to be temporary, due to Singapore’s transition to stricter safe distancing measures as part of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) (16 May to 13 June 2021). However, all route information pertaining to Service 170A was removed from the SBS Transit website, Land Transport Authority website & the Land Transport Authority MyTransport.sg app on 30 May 2021. This confirmed the withdrawal of the service.

At the time, due to the Malaysia Movement Control Order, Service 170 had been plying the same route as Service 170A since 18 March 2020, looping at Woodlands Centre Road.

On 19 June 2021, Service 170A route information was restored on the SBS Transit website, Land Transport Authority website & the Land Transport Authority MyTransport.sg app.

2022 Resumption & Withdrawal

On 1 April 2022, Service 170A resumed service and was converted to a bi-directional service. Meanwhile, Service 170 was suspended from 1 April 2022 till 30 April 2022 as public bus services were not able to commence on the same day as the reopening of Land Borders between Singapore and Malaysia.

Subsequently, the service was withdrawn on 1 May 2022, with route information pertaining to Service 170A was removed from the SBS Transit website, Land Transport Authority website & the Land Transport Authority MyTransport.sg app on 1 May 2022.

The last day of operation for Service 170A was on 30 April 2022.

MRT/LRT Stations Served:

• EW12DT14 Bugis
• DT13 Rochor
• NE7DT12 Little India
• NS21–DT11 Newton
• DT10 Stevens
• CC19DT9 Botanic Gardens
• DT8 Tan Kah Kee
• DT7 Sixth Avenue
• DT6 King Albert Park
• DT5 Beauty World
• DT3 Hillview
• DT2 Cashew
• DT1–BP6 Bukit Panjang
• NS7 Kranji

Special Departures:

• Woodlands Road (Opp Kranji Stn) → Woodlands Centre Road (Woodlands Train Checkpt)
  Weekdays: From 05:30 till about 06:10
  Saturdays & Sundays / Public Holidays: From 05:30 till about 06:00

Parent Service

• Service 170: Queen Street Terminal ↔ Larkin Bus Terminal
  Daily, cross border service

Route Variant

• Service 170X: Kranji MRT ↺ JB Sentral Ter (Loop)
  Daily, cross border service

Gallery:

Poster Gallery:

Operator History:

• 27 December 2015 – 30 April 2022: SBS Transit Ltd

History:

• 2015 (27 Dec): Officially introduced from Queen St Ter to Woodlands Centre Rd (Woodlands Train Checkpt)
• 2016 (11 Dec): Serves new bus stop opposite Blk 635A along Woodlands Rd
• 2017 (28 May): Skips abolished bus stop opposite Mandai Rd along Woodlands Rd
• 2017 (21 Aug): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus route (WAB)
• 2018 (28 Oct): Serves temporary co-sharing bus stop outside Newton FC along Bukit Timah Rd
• 2018 (18 Nov): Start of operations under Bukit Merah Bus Package (Tendered Contract)
• 2019 (24 Feb): Serves reinstated bus stop Bef Winstedt Rd along Bukit Timah Rd
• 2021 (19 May) – 2022 (31 Mar): Temporary suspended
• 2022 (01 Apr): Resumed service to replace the temporary suspended Service 170 and converted to a bi-directional service
• 2022 (01 May): Service withdrawn

Route History

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