SMRT Bus Service 181

SMRT Bus Service 181 is a trunk route connecting residents of Jurong West Neighbourhoods 7, 8, and Wenya Estate to Boon Lay Interchange.

Service 181 will be 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 ↺ Jurong West Avenue 3 (Loop) [From 14 Jun 2026] Boon Lay Bus Interchange ↔ Tengah Bus Interchange
Passes Through	Jurong West St 64, Jurong West St 75
Route Length	6.5 km
Travelling Time	21 – 35 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	Jurong West Bus Package
Current Operator	SMRT Buses Ltd
Current Depot	Soon Lee Bus Depot
Current Fleet	Double-deck buses
Operating Hours [Till 13 Jun 2026]
Departure Times from Boon Lay	School Term Weekdays				Daily (except School Term Weekdays)
	06:00 – 06:24 & 07:51 – 00:40				06:00 – 00:40
	Service 181 does not operate when Service 181M is in operation.
Operating Hours [From 14 Jun 2026]
Departure Times from Boon Lay	Daily
	06:00 – 00:40
Departure Times from Tengah	Daily
	06:00 – 00:40
Operating Frequency
Loop Service	6.30am–8.30am			8.31am–4.59pm			5.00pm–7.00pm			After 7.00pm
Weekdays	7 – 9 mins			7 – 13 mins			7 – 8 mins			8 – 15 mins
Saturdays	12 – 14 mins			10 – 13 mins			10 – 12 mins			11 – 13 mins
Sundays / Public Holidays	15 – 20 mins			13 – 15 mins			13 – 14 mins			12 – 15 mins
Fare Information
Fare	Charges regular distance fares

Bus Service 181 is a trunk service that connects residents of Jurong West Neighbourhoods 7, 8, and Wenya Estate (Neighbourhood 2) to Boon Lay MRT/Bus Interchange. The route travels along Jurong West Street 64 and 75, then Jurong West Avenue 5 and 3, where it makes a U-turn at the end before returning to Boon Lay.

Although it operates entirely within the Jurong West area, Service 181 is 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.

On school term weekday mornings, from 6:30 am to 7:45 am, Service 181 is replaced by its route variant, Service 181M, which loops at Jurong West Street 23. This variant provides access to Corporation Primary School, which is otherwise only served by Bus Service 185. During this time, Service 181 does not operate while Service 181M is in service.

On the eve of public holidays, operating hours will be extended to align with the extended train service hours. Extended last bus timings will be provided by the operator closer to the affected day.

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 will enhance connectivity to Bulim Industrial Estate and inter-town connectivity between Jurong West and Tengah. In addition, Service 181M will operate 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

Schools & Community amenities served:

• Jurong Medical Centre / The Frontier Community Club
• Boon Lay Secondary School
• Westwood Primary School
• Gek Poh Shopping Centre
• Gek Poh Ville Community Club
• Jalan Bahar Park

MRT Station Served

• EW27 Boon Lay

Special Departures

[Till 13 Jun 2026]

• Jurong West Avenue 3 (Blk 276B) → Boon Lay Int
  Weekdays: 05:13, 05:21, 05:29, 05:37, 05:45, 05:53, 06:01 & 06:09
  Saturdays: 05:30, 05:45 & 06:00
  Sundays / Public Holidays: 05:30, 05:45 & 05:59

[From 14 Jun 2026]

• Jurong West Avenue 3 (Opp Blk 276B) → Boon Lay Int
  Weekdays: 05:15 till first bus from Tengah
  Saturdays & Sundays / Public Holidays: 05:30 till first bus from Tengah

Short Trip Service

[From 14 Jun 2026]

• Service 181A: Boon Lay Int → Jurong West Avenue 3 (Blk 276B)
  Weekday Evening Peak Hours

Route Variant

• Service 181M: Boon Lay Int ↺ Jurong West Street 23 (Loop)
  School Term Weekdays: 06:30 – 07:45
  [From 14 Jun 2026]
  School Term Weekdays: 06:30 – 08:00

Bus Service 181M operates during school term weekdays, plying an extended route to Jurong West Street 23.

Gallery:

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)