SBS Transit Bus Service 65

SBS Transit Bus Service 65 is a trunk service plying between Tampines and HarbourFront, passing through Bedok Reservoir, MacPherson, Boon Keng, Rochor, Dhoby Ghaut, Orchard and Lower Delta Road.

Route Overview
Route	Tampines Bus Interchange ↔ HarbourFront Bus Interchange
Passes Through	Bedok Reservoir Rd, Ubi Ave 2, Circuit Rd, MacPherson Rd, Bendemeer Rd / Serangoon Rd, Orchard Rd, Lower Delta Rd
Route Length	Towards HarbourFront: 24.9 km						Towards Tampines: 24.2 km
Travelling Time	120 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	Tampines Bus Package
Current Operator	SBS Transit Ltd
Current Depot	Ulu Pandan Bus Depot (UPDEP) Bedok North Bus Depot (BNDEP)
Current Fleet	Double-deck buses
Operating Hours
Departure Times from Tampines	Daily
	05:30 – 23:30
Departure Times from HarbourFront	Daily
	05:30 – 00:00
Operating Frequency
From Tampines	6:30am–8.30am			8.31am–4.59pm			5.00pm–7.00pm			After 7.00pm
Mondays – Thursdays	8 – 12 mins			9 – 12 mins			12 – 13 mins			11 – 12 mins
Fridays	8 – 10 mins			10 – 11 mins			11 – 12 mins			10 – 12 mins
Saturdays	8 – 9 mins			9 – 14 mins			11 mins			10 – 11 mins
Sundays / Public Holidays	10 – 12 mins			8 – 16 mins			8 – 9 mins			7 – 10 mins
From HarbourFront	6:30am–8.30am			8.31am–4.59pm			5.00pm–7.00pm			After 7.00pm
Mondays – Thursdays	9 – 11 mins			9 – 12 mins			11 – 13 mins			9 – 13 mins
Fridays	10 mins			9 – 13 mins			10 – 11 mins			10 – 12 mins
Saturdays	9 – 10 mins			8 – 13 mins			10 – 12 mins			8 – 12 mins
Sundays / Public Holidays	8 – 11 mins			6 – 16 mins			9 – 10 mins			7 – 10 mins
Fare Information
Fare	Charges regular distance fares

Service 65 is a trunk route linking Tampines to HarbourFront, serving a wide range of residential and commercial areas. Its route provides access to housing estates around Bedok Reservoir, MacPherson, Bendemeer, and Lower Delta, while also connecting commuters to key city destinations including Little India, Jalan Besar, Rochor, Bencoolen, Dhoby Ghaut, Orchard, and HarbourFront.

Despite considerable overlap with the Downtown Line Stage 3, Service 65 remains popular. Commuters value the one-seat journey it offers, especially for inter-town and city-town trips, which eliminate the need for transfers. The service is favored by those traveling to destinations not directly served by DTL3, and serves as a crucial backup bnus route during rail disruptions affecting the DTL3.

Historical Background

Service 65 originated from the 1971 Bus Reorganisation, initially operating between Gagak Selari Barat (modern-day Jalan Bukit Merah) and MacPherson. Over the years, the route was gradually extended—southward to Lower Delta in 1980 and further extended in 1987 to both Tampines and World Trade Centre (now HarbourFront). Despite these extensions, much of its core catchment between Lower Delta and MacPherson has remained consistent since the 1970s.

Demand Patterns

Service 65 operates with a full fleet of double-deck buses, but single-deck buses are occasionally deployed.

Demand for Service 65 is consistently high throughout the day. The route serves both short-distance and long-distance commuters, with heavier demand from city-bound commuters during the mornings and residents returning to their neighbourhoods in the evenings. In addition, coverage of shopping hubs and recreational areas like Little India, Orchard Road, and HarbourFront make Service 65 a popular option for weekend and leisure travel.

MRT Stations Served

• EW2–DT32 Tampines
• DT31 Tampines West
• DT27 Ubi
• CC10DT26 MacPherson
• DT25 Mattar
• NE9 Boon Keng
• NE8 Farrer Park
• DT22 Jalan Besar
• DT21 Bencoolen
• NS24NE6CC1 Dhoby Ghaut
• NS23 Somerset
• NS22TE14 Orchard
• NE1CC29 HarbourFront

Special Departures

• Ubi Ave 2 (Blk 3019) → Tampines Int
  Weekdays: 06:00 & 06:12
  Saturdays: 06:00 & 06:10
  

Gallery

Poster Gallery

Operator History:

• 1971 – 1973: Amalgamated Bus Company Pte Ltd
• 1973 – 2001: Singapore Bus Services Ltd
• 2001 – Present: SBS Transit Ltd

History:

• 1971 (11 Apr): Introduced between Gagak Selari Barat Ter and MacPherson Ter under 1971 Bus Reorganisation, operated by Amalgamated Bus Co. (ABC) (Jln Bt Merah ↔ MacPherson)
• 1972 (18 Jun): Amended to ply Bendemeer Rd towards Gagak Selari Barat Ter with the conversion of Serangoon Rd to one-way traffic
• 1973 (11 Mar): Amended to ply Hoot Kiam Rd towards MacPherson Ter with the conversion of Irwell Bank Rd to one-way traffic
• 1973 (01 Nov): Operated by Singapore Bus Service (SBS)
• 1974 (24 Feb): Amended to ply Grange Rd and Orchard Blvd towards Jln Bt Merah Ter with the conversion of Orchard Rd to one-way traffic
• 1974 (01 Oct): Serves new bus stop outside Nan Hwa Girls’ High Sch along Bencoolen St; Serves merged bus stop outside Sri Srinivasa Perumal Tp along Serangoon Rd
• 1980 (06 Apr): Amended to Lower Delta Ter (Lower Delta ↔ MacPherson)
• 1987 (12 Apr): Extended to Tampines Ter and World Trade Ctr Ter (HarbourFront ↔ Tampines)
• 1987 (29 Nov): Amended to Tampines Int
• 1988 (23 Oct): Skips a pair of bus stops outside and opposite Tampines Stadium along Tampines Ave 5
• 1992 (19 Jul): Amended to ply Orchard Lk due to the closure of Grange Rd to facilitate road expansion works
• 1997: Serves an additional pair of bus stops outside and opposite Tampines Stadium along Tampines Ave 5
• 1999: Serves a new pair of bus stops outside and opposite The Clearwater Condo along Bedok Reservoir Rd
• 2002: Serves new bus stop outside Mutiara Crest along River Valley Rd, skipping the bus stop outside Mutiara View
• 2002: Serves a new pair of bus stops opposite and between Blks 731 and 734 along Bedok Reservoir Rd
• 2002 (07 Jul): Skips the bus stop opposite Mandarin Singapore along Orchard Rd
• 2005 (02 Jul): Amended to ply Grange Rd with the partial closure of Somerset Rd
• 2006 (29 Oct): Serves new bus stop outside VivoCity along Telok Blangah Rd
• 2008 (07 Dec): Skips the bus stop opposite Temenggong D Mosque along Telok Blangah Rd
• 2009 (22 Nov): Serves a new pair of bus stops outside and opposite MacPherson Stn along Circuit Link
• 2011 (26 Jun): Amended to ply Lor Bengkok with the closure of Circuit Link to facilitate the construction of MacPherson MRT station on the Downtown MRT Line
• 2011 (16 Oct): Amended to ply Middle Rd with the partial closure of Bencoolen St to facilitate the construction of Bencoolen MRT station on the Downtown MRT Line
• 2014 (23 Mar): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus service (WAB)
• 2016 (16 Oct): Amended to ply the reinstated Circuit Link, skipping Lor Bengkok
• 2016 (11 Dec): Amended to ply the reinstated Bencoolen St, skipping Middle Rd, Selegie Rd, Prinsep St and Bras Basah Rd
• 2017 (12 Feb): Serves a new pair of bus stops before and after Ubi Rd 3 along Ubi Ave 2
• 2021 (12 Dec): Amended to ply Tampines Ave 4, skipping Tampines Ave 1 to cover lost sectors of Service 22 as part of the Downtown Line 3 Bus Service Rationalisation

Past Routings

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