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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I hope 656 can add one more bus which is before the first bus 7:20am. Says 7:05 or 7:10am.
As some of us start work at 8:30am, but sometimes the bus arrived Shenton Way is already 8:25-8:30am. And the office is not just right beside the bus stop. Some need 5-10mins walking distance from bus stop.
Your kind considerations is much appreciated. Tq
morning trips have quickened under tts. the very first 656 bus completed the full trip in 55 minutes, of which 11 minutes were the OTA sector in Sembawang.
I would love to commute to work on bus 656 but the depature timing doesn’t fit. May I know if there is any intend to increase the number of trips and departure timing to 8am to 8.20am?
Thank you.
Seeing all the comments.I felt that Smrt failed to do a good job for everyone.A lot of people take the bus service so is so crowded.Having double deck is good but seriously thou,they have to stop using them so they can use them for the trunk,feeder etc. route and having three route instead of four is due the bus service they operate is a lot ,like SBS.Thou improvements can be made on this service I hope.