SMRT Bus Service 181

SMRT Bus Service 181 is a trunk route connecting Boon Lay and Jurong West with Tengah new town via the Bulim precinct of the Jurong Innovation District.

Service 181 was extended to Tengah from 14 Jun 2026.
Service 181M will continue operating during School Term Weekday Mornings alongside Service 181.

Route Overview
Route	Boon Lay Bus Interchange ↔ Tengah Bus Interchange
Passes Through	Jurong West St 75, Jurong West Ave 5, Bulim Dr, Tengah Blvd
Route Length	Towards Tengah: 8.7 km						Towards Boon Lay: 8.4 km
Travelling Time	40 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	Jurong West Bus Package
Current Operator	SMRT Buses Ltd
Current Depot	Soon Lee Bus Depot
Current Fleet	Single-deck & Double-deck buses
Operating Hours
Departure Times from Boon Lay	Daily
	06:00 – 00:40
Departure Times from Tengah	Daily
	06:00 – 00:40
Operating Frequency
From Boon Lay	6:30am–8.30am			8.31am–4.59pm			5.00pm–7.00pm			After 7.00pm
Weekdays	9 – 10 mins			12 – 16 mins			9 – 12 mins			9 – 15 mins
Saturdays	13 mins			13 mins			14 – 18 mins			14 – 18 mins
Sundays / Public Holidays	14 mins			14 – 15 mins			15 mins			15 mins
From Tengah	6:30am–8.30am			8.31am–4.59pm			5.00pm–7.00pm			After 7.00pm
Weekdays	9 – 12 mins			12 – 16 mins			9 – 10 mins			10 – 15 mins
Saturdays	13 mins			13 – 15 mins			13 – 18 mins			15 – 18 mins
Sundays / Public Holidays	14 mins			14 – 15 mins			15 mins			15 mins
Fare Information
Fare	Charges regular distance fares

Bus Service 181 is a trunk service that connects Jurong West (Boon Lay) and Tengah. The route serves a residential sector in Jurong West, followed by the industrial area at Bulim and subsequently Tengah new town. There is an express sector between Bulim and Tengah via the Pan-Island Expressway, where Boon Lay bound buses would perform a U-Turn under the Bukit Batok Flyover due to the expressway Left-In-Left-Out exit to Tengah Blvd.

Previously entirely within the Jurong West area (from Boon Lay Int and looping at Jurong West Ave 3 by performing a U-Turn at the end of Jurong West Ave 3), Service 181 was classified as a trunk service since its launch in 2005 rather than a feeder service, possibly catering for a potential extension beyond Jurong West estate. Such an extension would only arrive in 2026, when it was extended to Tengah.

Extension to Tengah:

Planned Routing for Service 181 in Tengah (Image: Garden Waterfront II @ Tengah Travel Guide / LTA)

On 9 February 2026, the Land Transport Authority announced plans to extend Service 181 to Tengah Bus Interchange under the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme (BCEP). The route amendment was eventually announced for 14 June 2026.

The route amendment enhances connectivity to Bulim Industrial Estate and inter-town connectivity between Jurong West and Tengah. In addition, Service 181M operates concurrently with Service 181 during morning peak hours, with no change to its route.

With the extension to Tengah, there are future planned bus stops for Service 181. These are:

• 2 pairs of bus stops along Bulim Ave
• 1 pair of bus stop along Jurong West Ave 2
• 1 pair of bus stop along Tengah Blvd

MRT Station Served

• EW27 Boon Lay

Special Departures

• Jurong West Avenue 3 (Opp Blk 276B) → Boon Lay Int
  Weekdays: 05:15, 05:25, 05:35, 05:45, 05:55, 06:05, 06:15, 06:30, 06:50, 06:58, 07:08 & Evening Peak Hours
  Saturdays & Sundays / Public Holidays: 05:30 till first bus from Tengah (before 06:20)

Short Trip Service

• Service 181A: Boon Lay Int → Jurong West Avenue 3 (Blk 276B)
  Weekdays: 17:30 – 20:29

Route Variant

• Service 181M: Boon Lay Int ↺ Jurong West Street 23 (Loop)
  School Term Weekdays: 06:30 – 08:00

Bus Service 181M plies a modified route of Service 181 from Boon Lay to Jurong West Street 23, serving Corporation Pr Sch.

Gallery:

Bus 181 - SMRT Buses MAN A22 (SG1799K)

Bus 181 - SMRT Buses Volvo B9TL Wright (SBS3190R)

Bus 181 - SMRT Buses Volvo B9TL Wright (SBS3627Z)

Poster Gallery:

Poster for Service 181 Route Extension to Tengah

Tower Transit & SMRT Buses Combined Poster for Route Amendment due to Partial Closure of Jurong West St 75

SMRT Buses Poster for Jurong West Bus Package [1/2]

SMRT Buses Poster for Jurong West Bus Package [2/2]

Service 181 SBS Transit Poster

Operator History:

• 9 Jan 2005 – 31 Aug 2024: SBS Transit Ltd
• 1 Sep 2024 – Present: SMRT Buses Ltd

Route History:

• 2005 (09 Jan): Introduced between Boon Lay Int and Jurong West Ave 3 (Loop)
• 2006 (18 Jun): Amended to Boon Lay Temp Int
• 2008: Last bus extended to 0030 hrs daily
• 2008 (15 Jun): Serves new pair of bus stops outside Blk 670A and outside Blk 678D along Jurong West St 64
• 2009 (27 Dec): Amended to Boon Lay Integrated Transport Hub
• 2010 (18 Oct): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus route (WAB)
• 2013: Last bus extended to 0040 hrs daily
• 2024 (01 Sep): Operations transferred to SMRT Buses under the Jurong West Bus Package
• 2025 (07 Dec): Amended to ply Jurong West St 73 & Jurong West St 72 with the partial closure of Jurong West St 75 to facilitate the construction of Gek Poh MRT station on the Jurong Region Line.
• 2026 (14 Jun): Extended to Tengah and converted to a bi-directional service under the LTA’s Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme (BCEP).

Past Routings

Back to Bus Services
Back to Buses

Continued on Page 2 – Gallery

• Gallery (SBS Transit)