Tower Transit City Direct Bus Service 653

Tower Transit City Direct Service 653 is a Weekday Peak Hour City Direct service between Hume/Bukit Batok and the CBD, passing through PIE, AYE and Shenton Way. It is the third City Direct route introduced under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP).

Route Overview
Route	[AM]: Hume Avenue (Bef Summerhill) → Marina Boulevard (Marina Bay Financial Ctr) [PM]: Central Boulevard (Marina Bay Stn) → Hillview Avenue (Hillington Green Condo)
Passes Through	Hillview Ave, Bukit Batok East Ave 2/3, Anson Rd, Shenton Way
Route Length	Towards Marina Blvd: 21.8 km						Towards Hillview Ave: 21.5 km
Travelling Time	60 – 61 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	Bulim Bus Package
Current Operator	Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd (Tower Transit Singapore)
Current Depot	Bulim Bus Depot
Current Fleet	Double-deck buses
Operating Hours
Departure Times from Hume Ave	Weekdays, except Public Holidays
	07:15 – 07:48
Departure Times from Central Blvd	Weekdays, except Public Holidays
	18:15 – 18:30
Operating Frequency
From Hume Ave	6 – 10 mins
From Central Blvd	15 mins
Fare Information
Fare	Charges express distance fares

City Direct Service 653 provides residents of Hume and Bukit Batok with greater connectivity to the CBD. By running parallel to existing rail lines, the service provides a travel alternative for commuters who relied on the rail network and feeder buses to and from work. The route incorporates an express sector between Bukit Batok East Ave 3 and Shenton Way via PIE, Clementi Avenue 6 and AYE.

This is the third City Direct service to be introduced under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), and one of ten proposed City Direct bus routes to be progressively introduced until the 2nd Quarter of 2014. This provides more options for commuters using stretches of the existing rail lines that experience persistently high ridership, while the ongoing rail enhancement measures are being implemented.

MRT Stations Served

• DT3 Hillview
• NS27CE2TE20 Marina Bay
• DT17 Downtown
• TE19 Shenton Way
• EW15 Tanjong Pagar

Departure Timings

Weekdays (except Public Holidays)

• Morning Peak from Hume Avenue (Bef Summerhill):
  07:15, 07:25, 07:35 07:41 & 07:48
• Evening Peak from Central Boulevard (Marina Bay Stn):
  18:15 & 18:30

Gallery (Tower Transit):

Gallery (SMRT Buses):

Gallery (ComfortDelGro Bus):

Poster Gallery:

Operator History:

• 13 Jan 2014 – 12 Apr 2017: ComfortDelGro Bus Pte Ltd
• 13 Apr 2017 – 28 May 2021: SMRT Buses Ltd
• 29 May 2021 – Present: Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd

The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed in 2026 under the Bulim Bus Package.

Route History:

• 2014 (13 Jan): Introduced between Hume Ave (Bef Summerhill) and Marina Blvd (Marina Bay Financial Ctr) during morning peak hours and between Central Blvd (Aft Marina Stn Rd) and Hillview Ave (Hillington Green Condo) during evening peak hours as a peak hour one-directional service on weekdays under the BSEP. Operated under Contract VT387A.
• 2015 (23 Mar): Serves new staggered bus stop outside Mapletree Anson along Anson Rd, skipping the bus stop outside Hub Synergy Pt
• 2017 (13 Apr): Operations transferred to SMRT Buses Ltd under the Choa Chu Kang–Bukit Panjang Bus Package. Trip details revised. Double-Decker Buses deployed.
• 2020 (08 Apr – 01 Jun): Temporarily suspended due to Singapore COVID-19 Circuit Breaker Measures.
• 2021 (29 May): Operations transferred to Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd under the Bulim Bus Package
• 2024 (15 Apr): Additional morning peak trip added with changes to departure timings

Past Routings

Changes in Departure Times:

Back to Bus Services
Back to City Direct Services
Back to Bus Articles