Tower Transit City Direct Service 656 is a Weekday Peak Hour City Direct service between Sembawang and the CBD, passing through Sembawang Drive, Bras Basah and Shenton Way. It is the sixth City Direct route introduced under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP).
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| Route Overview | ||||||||||||
Route  |
[AM]: Canberra Road (Blk 424A CP) → Shenton Way (Opp MAS Bldg) [PM]: Anson Road (Mapletree Anson) → Canberra Road (Blk 508 CP) |
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| Passes Through | Admiralty Link, Sembawang Dr, Dhoby Ghaut | |||||||||||
| Route Length | Towards Shenton Way: 28.3 km | Towards Canberra Rd: 28.6 km | ||||||||||
| Travelling Time | 64 – 79 mins | |||||||||||
| Operator Information | ||||||||||||
| BCM Route Package | Sembawang–Yishun Bus Package | |||||||||||
| Current Operator | Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd (Tower Transit Singapore) |
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| Current Depot | Mandai Bus Depot | |||||||||||
| Current Fleet | Single-deck & Double-deck buses | |||||||||||
| Operating Hours | ||||||||||||
| Departure Times from Canberra Rd |
Weekdays, except Public Holidays | |||||||||||
| 07:20 – 07:40 | ||||||||||||
| Departure Times from Anson Rd |
Weekdays, except Public Holidays | |||||||||||
| 18:10 – 18:25 | ||||||||||||
| Operating Frequency | ||||||||||||
| From Canberra Rd |
20 mins | |||||||||||
| From Anson Rd |
15 mins | |||||||||||
| Fare Information |
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| Fare | Charges express distance fares |
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City Direct Service 656 provides residents of Sembawang with greater connectivity to the CBD. 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 Sembawang Avenue and Dhoby Ghaut via SLE and CTE.
This is the sixth City Direct service to be introduced under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), providing 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.
Double deck buses are deployed in the morning towards Shenton Way, while single deck buses are deployed in the evening towards Canberra Road.
MRT Stations Served
- NS11 Sembawang
- NS24NE6CC1 Dhoby Ghaut
- DT21 Bencoolen
- CC2 Bras Basah
- CC3 Esplanade
- NS25EW13 City Hall
- NS26EW14 Raffles Place
- TE19 Shenton Way
- EW15 Tanjong Pagar
Departure Timings
Weekdays (except Public Holidays)
- Morning Peak from Canberra Road (Blk 424A CP):
07:20 & 07:40 - Evening Peak from Anson Road (Mapletree Anson):
18:10 & 18:25
Gallery (Tower Transit):
Gallery (Tower Transit / F1 Diversion):
Gallery (Loh Gim Chong Transport / SMRT Buses):
Poster Gallery:
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Operator History:
- 17 Feb 2014 – 14 Apr 2017: Loh Gim Chong Transport
- 17 Apr 2017 – 01 Oct 2021: SMRT Buses Ltd
- 03 Oct 2021 – Present: Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd
The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed in 2026 under the Sembawang–Yishun Bus Package.
History:
- 2014 (17 Feb): Introduced between Canberra Rd (Blk 424A CP) and Shenton Way (Opp MAS Bldg) during morning peak hours and between Anson Rd (Hub Synergy Pt) and Canberra Rd (Blk 508 CP) during evening peak hours as a peak hour one-directional service on weekdays under the BSEP. Operated under Contract VT387B
- 2015 (23 Mar): Serves new staggered bus stop outside Mapletree Anson along Anson Rd, skipping the bus stop outside Hub Synergy Pt
- 2017 (17 Apr): Operations transferred to SMRT Buses Ltd under the Sembawang–Yishun Bus Package
- 2020 (08 Apr – 01 Jun): Temporarily suspended due to Singapore COVID-19 Circuit Breaker Measures.
- 2020 (02 Jun): Start of regular double-decker bus operations for morning peak
- 2021 (03 Oct): Operations transferred to Tower Transit under the Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package
Changes in Departure Times:
| Effective Date | Morning Peak Timings | Evening Peak Timings |
| 17 Feb 2014 | 07:25 & 07:40 | 18:10 & 18:25 |
| 10 Mar 2014 | 07:20, 07:30 & 07:40 | 18:10 & 18:25 |
| 14 Jul 2014 | 07:20, 07:26, 07:34 & 07:40 | 18:10 & 18:25 |
| 17 Apr 2017 | 07:20, 07:30 & 07:40 | 18:10 & 18:25 |
| 02 Jun 2020 | 07:20 & 07:40 | 18:10 & 18:25 |
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Hi !!! I am new here ……..after reading all the comments here regarding bus 656 services…..it put me into thinking what would be an ideal solution for all concern. THERE IS CERTAINLY A GREAT NEED FOR OFFICE WORKERS FROM SEMBAWANG TO TRAVEL IN COMFORT ALL THE WAY TO CBD . Especially with such frequent rail disruptions——-precious time had been lost
My suggestion is ….would it be possible and feasible to cater to office workers in SEMBAWANG AREA A MORE PERMANENT SOLUTION like taking this coach service ON MONTHLY permanent basis ???? Passengers can pay monthly to ensure they got seats every time !!!!! SEATING MUST BE ASSURE TO EVERY PAYING PASSENGERS !!!!!!! And timing to fetch passengers will be flexible like waiting time within 10 mins in a special bus bay !!!!!
Paying monthly ONE WAY OR TWO WAYS can be consider…..and if this method is possible……then MORE COACHES CAN BE ADDED !!!!!!
This is just a suggestion………….
No one can deny that this change is a downgrade in term of level of comfort. What used to be a comfy bus ride with fully paded chair with head rest has now been changed to not-even-as-good-as-SBS kinda chair..
Comfort level aside (though it has been solely responsible for my gloomy morning mood since 17 April 2017 and neck pain, remember no headrest..), the timeliness of bus arrival is no where near as good as the previous operator.. It has been just a lil over a week of operation but being one of the two leading bus operators here, passengers will expect a smooth transition.
Eg. Previously the last bus leaving the last stop in Sembawang will reach anytime between 7.50 to 7.55am but now it is anywhere between 7.55am and 8.10am! Leaving passengers in a very uncomfortable position on whether to ditch the idea of continuing waiting for the bus or savage whatever time left to take the train to work on the assumption that it has left.. 5 mins makes a lot of difference in the morning rush hrs and how i used to be 5-10 mins early for work now changed to 5-10min late since the change!
On 25 April, the last bus leaving CBD shd be at 6.25 pm at the first stop but the bus only arrived close to 6.35pm! Having waited for abt 10mins, i assumed ive missed the bus and walked towards the mrt.. only to see the bus drove past later on..
Buck up and have a lil bit more control or else let the other professionals do the work..
I deny. (“No one” is a strong term by the way) Once the next operator takes over, you would have wished it was the previous operator. If you believe each operator is worse one after another, then what’s the point of introducing Premium or City Direct buses?
Well..mind englightening me in what way the level of comfort is an upgrade or near on par.. ?
Nah.. if the next operator maintains or up the standard, why would i want to forcefully believe its worse than the previous.. Im being realistic rather than pessimistic here.. Oh well, each his own opinion..Anyway its a First world problem..Hopefully everything runs smoothly from now on..
Though i do not understand how my “believe each operator is worse one after another” (which is not the case), has any bearing on “the point of introducing Premium or City Direct buses”… My thoughts above are just to compare the two operators and not comparing the pros and cons of City Direct.. Im all for City direct/Premium service.. Kudos for the idea and initiative..! ?
I do think that the service has suffered a lapse in quality after the change of transport operators both from the level of comfort as a commuter as well as the frequency and the punctuality of the bus arrivals. I was also able to monitor the buses via the app so that I can get an idea on the bus arrivals.
It is most unfortunate because I do enjoy the rides more previously and I suspect our comments here will not amount to much. If you do take this matter to heart, please voice it out in the SMRT facebook page or on a more public forum.
Thanks.
Hi, since SMRT took over,the bus is almost full even on the 3rd stop. Many are unhappy including myself. Previously MY bus used to accommodate to all with seats and 4 timings in the morning instead of 3. It used to be maximum of 15 inline to board the bus but now it’s more than 30. Please help to look into the matter and expedite as soon as possible. A double decker is a good idea.
Hi, today is my 2nd day taking bus 656 under SMRT.
I have been taking this bus 656 since it started under MY Bus. This service has sure provided a lot of convenience to us commuters working in Shenton way, another reason is because it has sufficient seats to accommodate a lot of us not having to squeeze into the mrt hence we are willing to pay slightly higher price. However, I realize that since SMRT has taken over the operation of this bus service, the size of the bus has also shrink and the timing is lesser by one. In this way, a lot of commuters could not board the bus and also have not seats even if they manage to board. We hope that maybe you can change the bus to a double-decker bus like 951E (as it is also a city direct bus and it used to be a single deck but now has change to a double deck to accommodate more people). We hope you can consider our option and maybe if possible to increase one more timing if possible earlier as some of us start work at 8.30am and by the time the bus arrive at UOE Bayfront bus-stop, the bus queue is already very long and the bus has to take very long for passengers to go down. Hopefully our comments can be responded and the commuters will be more happy to take this bus.
Hopefully SMRT can increase at least one trip timing or upgrade to one or two double-deckers. Be hopeful.
Thank you for providing the 656 service. The first bus arrived at the second bus stop at 729am today, instead of 722/723am (first bus should start at 720). Many people now have the option of flexi work timings. Will it be possible to start the first bus earlier please perhaps at 710 instead of squeezing all 4 buses to arrive between 10-15 mins of each other? That way people can go in office earlier and leave earlier, giving commuters a more varied option. The first bus was also packed full to the brim with people standing till the front. I’m sure if the bus comes earlier this problem can be solved. Thank you.