SBS Transit Bus Service 39 is a trunk service from Tampines Concourse to Yishun, passing through Pasir Ris, Punggol, Jalan Kayu, and Khatib.
| Route Overview | ||||||||||||
Route  |
Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange ↔ Yishun Bus Interchange | |||||||||||
| Passes Through | Tampines Ave 2, Pasir Ris Dr 1, Punggol Ctrl, Punggol Way, Jln Kayu, Yishun Ave 2 | |||||||||||
| Route Length | Towards Yishun: 26.6 km | Towards Tampines Concourse: 26.5 km | ||||||||||
| Travelling Time | 110 mins | |||||||||||
| Operator Information | ||||||||||||
| BCM Route Package | Tampines Bus Package | |||||||||||
| Current Operator | SBS Transit Ltd | |||||||||||
| Current Depot | Bedok North Bus Depot (BNDEP) | |||||||||||
| Current Fleet | Single-deck & Double-deck buses | |||||||||||
| Operating Hours | ||||||||||||
| Departure Times from Tampines Concourse |
Weekdays | Saturdays & Sundays / Public Holidays | ||||||||||
| 05:25 – 23:30 | 06:00 – 23:30 | |||||||||||
| Departure Times from Yishun |
Daily | |||||||||||
| 06:00 – 23:30 | ||||||||||||
| Operating Frequency | ||||||||||||
| From Tampines Concourse |
6:30am–8.30am | 8.31am–4.59pm | 5.00pm–7.00pm | After 7.00pm | ||||||||
| Weekdays | 9 – 11 mins | 12 – 15 mins | 10 – 16 mins | 15 – 17 mins | ||||||||
| Saturdays | 13 mins | 11 – 14 mins | 12 – 13 mins | 14 – 15 mins | ||||||||
| Sundays / Public Holidays | 12 – 14 mins | 12 – 14 mins | 13 – 16 mins | 15 – 16 mins | ||||||||
| From Yishun |
6:30am–8.30am | 8.31am–4.59pm | 5.00pm–7.00pm | After 7.00pm | ||||||||
| Weekdays | 10 – 11 mins | 10 – 15 mins | 10 mins | 11 – 15 mins | ||||||||
| Saturdays | 13 – 15 mins | 11 – 14 mins | 12 – 13 mins | 13 – 15 mins | ||||||||
| Sundays / Public Holidays | 13 mins | 13 – 14 mins | 14 – 16 mins | 15 – 16 mins | ||||||||
| Fare Information |
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| Fare | Charges regular distance fares |
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Service 39 is a trunk route linking the residential estates of Tampines, Pasir Ris, Punggol, and Yishun. From Tampines, it serves Avenues 5, 3, and 7 before entering Pasir Ris via Loyang Avenue. It then traverses Pasir Ris Drive 1 and Pasir Ris Industrial Drive 1, continuing straight through Punggol Central before entering the Tampines Expressway (TPE) via Punggol Way. It makes an intermediate stop at Jalan Kayu along its express sector before reaching Lentor Avenue and terminating in Yishun.
This route is one of three services, alongside Services 53 and 81, that fully serve the length of Pasir Ris Drive 1, the main east-west arterial road within Pasir Ris estate.
Historical Background
Service 39 was introduced on 17 August 2003 to connect Pasir Ris, Tampines, and Yishun via the TPE and SLE. Intermediate stops were later added at Jalan Kayu in 2004, and TPE (Punggol Road) in 2014, to enhance connectivity.
High-capacity double-deck buses were introduced on 2 June 2015 to meet growing demand. The Tampines terminus was relocated to Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange on 18 December 2016.
A significant amendment on 24 October 2021 saw the route amended to serve Punggol Central and Punggol Way, forming a Pasir Ris–Punggol sector parallel to the upcoming Cross Island Line Punggol Extension. While this change briefly caused controversy and increased travel time between Pasir Ris and Yishun, it introduced new connections for Punggol residents and became a popular commuting option.
To manage high demand along the Pasir Ris–Punggol–Jalan Kayu corridor, Short Trip Services 39A and 39B were introduced on 27 May 2024.
Demand Patterns
Despite featuring an express sector along the TPE, Service 39 primarily serves commuters travelling between Yishun and Punggol, where it offers a faster alternative to Service 117. It also provides a key connection between Pasir Ris and Punggol, taking a more direct route via Pasir Ris Industrial Drive 1 compared to Service 3.
For commuters between Yishun and Tampines or Pasir Ris, faster options exist, such as Service 969, which connects Yishun and Tampines directly, while Pasir Ris can be accessed via a transfer at TPE (Punggol Road).
By passing through the town centres of Tampines, Pasir Ris, Punggol, and Yishun, Service 39 also complements intra-town bus options within these estates and allows for transfers to the MRT network.
MRT / LRT Stations Served
- EW2–DT32 Tampines
- DT33 Tampines East
- EW1 Pasir Ris
- NE17PTC Punggol
- PW7 Soo Teck
- NS14 Khatib
- NS13 Yishun
Special Departures
- Pasir Ris Drive 1 (Blk 156) → Yishun Int
Saturdays: 05:50 & 06:04 - Pasir Ris Central (Opp Pasir Ris Stn Exit B) → Yishun Int
Weekdays: 06:55 & 07:20 - Jalan Kayu (Bef Seletar Camp G) → Tampines Concourse Int
Weekdays: 18:25, 19:00 & 19:20 - Punggol Way (Blk 220C) → Tampines Concourse Int
Weekdays: 06:15, 07:07 & 07:58 - Punggol Central (Blk 649) → Tampines Concourse Int
Weekdays: 06:15
Short Trip Service:
- Service 39A: Pasir Ris Central (Opp Pasir Ris Stn Exit B) → Jalan Kayu (Aft Seletar Camp G)
Weekdays (Except Public Holidays): 06:17 – 06:57 & 17:34 – 18:26 - Service 39B: Punggol Way (Blk 220C) → Pasir Ris Central (Pasir Ris Stn Exit B)
Weekdays (Except Public Holidays): 06:08 & 06:37
Gallery (Buses):
Poster Gallery:
Operator History:
- 17 Aug 2003 – Present: SBS Transit Ltd
History:
- 2003 (17 Aug): Introduced between Tampines Int and Yishun Int (Tampines ↔ Yishun)
- 2004 (25 Jul): Amended to ply Jln Kayu in both directions
- 2004: First bus from Tampines Int brought forward to 0545 hrs on weekdays
- 2006: First bus from Tampines Int brought forward to 0530 hrs on weekdays
- 2011 (27 Jun): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus service (WAB)
- 2012 (29 Apr): Serves new bus stop outside Blk 612 along Pasir Ris Dr 1
- 2014 (05 Oct): Serves a pair of new bus stops at Tampines Expressway (Punggol Road) Bus Interchange
- 2015 (14 Mar): Amended to Yishun Temp Int
- 2016 (18 Dec): Extended to Tampines Concourse Int (Tampines Concourse ↔ Yishun)
- 2017 (21 Oct): Serves new pair of bus stops outside Tampines East Stn along Tampines Ave 2
- 2019 (08 Sep): Amended to Yishun Integrated Transport Hub
- 2021 (24 Oct): Amended to Pasir Ris Ind Dr 1, Punggol Ctrl and Punggol Way, skipping Pasir Ris Dr 12 and a portion of TPE
- 2022 (30 Oct): Amended to ply Pasir Ris St 12 and Pasir Ris St 11 with the partial closure of Pasir Ris Dr 1 to facilitate the construction of Pasir Ris East MRT station on the Cross Island MRT Line
- 2023 (16 Jan): First bus timing at Bus Stop 65261 – Blk 649, Punggol Central towards Tampines Concourse Int brought forward to 6:15 am on weekdays
- 2023 (27 Mar): First bus timing at Bus Stop 65439 – Blk 220C, Punggol Way towards Tampines Concourse Int brought forward to 6:15 am on weekdays
- 2023 (08 Oct): Amended to ply Pasir Ris Ctrl and Pasir Ris Dr 8 with the partial closure of Pasir Ris Dr 1 to facilitate the construction of Pasir Ris MRT station on the Cross Island MRT Line
- 2024 (27 May): First bus timing from Tampines Concourse Int brought forward from 5:30 am to 5:25 am on weekdays
- 2024 (24 Nov): Serves a new pair of bus stops outside and opp UMC along Pasir Ris Ind Dr 1
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Shld have came out with 39e/168e/969e.
39e prob can skip punggol and jalan kayu and express until pasir ris drive 1. 969e could have skipped bus stops along gambas ave/TPE and tampines until tamp int. Potentially helps with avoiding the delays
I just realized this bus connects Pasir Ris MRT station of the East West Line to Khatib MRT station of the North South Line.
Effectively, the EWL, bus route 39 and the NSL forms the round island route via public transport.
And to avoid route duplication at the western part of Singapore, can actually take 974 from Choa Chu Kang to Joo Koon and 182 from Joo Koon to Tuas Link.
Singapore’s round island route via public transport. I really wonder how long this will take. Probably 2-3 hours. Nonetheless, the transport fare would probably be less than 10 SGD. 😊
For going to Pasir Ris, Yishun and Tampines, I will be taking bus 39 instead of bus services 3 and 85.
I can have enhanced connectivity within these towns.
Yeah. Fast link from my house to punggol compared to Bus Service 3.
I am curious how much extra time does it take to travel from Pasir Ris to Yishun due to the amendment, especially during peak hour
Was on board 39 from Pasir Ris to Khatib quite a few times, calculated that it will take 39 an additional 7 – 20 minutes for the service to go from these two points post amendment compared to pre-amendment, depending on whether the time taken is during peak hours or not.
30 mins through punggol alone
Thanks for the input. I have personally taken it once from Pasir Ris MRT to Khatib on Sunday evening. The bus was a single deck and the bus was very full. It took more than 20 mins in Punggol itself. It seems that SBS did not increase the number of double-deck buses and the frequency before and after the amendment (Based on my very limited sample size, please correct me if I am wrong). I would expect a longer traveling time during peak hours as I took 117M on a Friday evening from Punggol Interchange and it took a whole 15 mins to enter TPE due to the bad traffic.
I never understood the need for 16M and 117M when they can amend bus 39 to add a whole lot of traveling time (16M and 117M only added about 5 mins). There are also alternatives should they do an amendment on 16 (851) and 117 (103) just like what they did for 39. (I might have commented on this quite a few times but the amendment of 39 just convinced me even more)
Hope Service 39 can move back to Tampines Bus Interchange to fill the vacancy taken up by service 22 and will use berth B3 at the eastern side of the Interchange. What is the purpose of having a bus Interchange with only one bus service which is Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange which is closing down soon?