SBS Transit Bus Service 81

SBS Transit Bus Service 81 is a trunk service plying between Tampines Int and looping at Serangoon Central, passing through Tampines East, Pasir Ris and Kovan. It has an express sector along the KPE and TPE between Pasir Ris Drive 12 and Tampines Rd.

Route Overview
Route	Tampines Bus Interchange ↺ Serangoon Central (Loop)
Passes Through	Tampines Ave 7, Pasir Ris Dr 1, Tampines Rd, Upp Serangoon Rd
Route Length	34.0 km
Travelling Time	92 – 140 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	Weekdays				Saturdays & Sundays / Public Holidays
	05:30 – 23:30				05:45 – 23:30
Departure Times from Serangoon Central (S’goon Stn Exit E)	Weekdays & Saturdays								Sundays / Public Holidays
	05:45 – 00:30								06:00 – 00:30
Operating Frequency
Loop Service	6:30am–8.30am			8.31am–4.59pm			5.00pm–7.00pm			After 7.00pm
Weekdays	10 – 11 mins			8 – 12 mins			8 – 15 mins			13 – 17 mins
Saturdays	11 – 12 mins			9 – 11 mins			10 – 16 mins			14 – 17 mins
Sundays / Public Holidays	11 – 13 mins			10 – 13 mins			11 – 16 mins			14 – 17 mins
Fare Information
Fare	Charges regular distance fares

Service 81 is an inter-town service, connecting the housing estates of Serangoon, Kovan, Pasir Ris and Tampines with an express sector along the Kallang – Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) and Tampines Expressway (TPE).

Service 53 also plies via Pasir Ris and Serangoon, but takes an alternate route through Hougang Ave 1. Good demand is also present between Tampines and Pasir Ris.

In 2011, this route was converted from a bi-directional trunk service to a loop service owing to lack of space in the new Serangoon Interchange.

MRT Stations Served

• EW2–DT32 Tampines
• DT33 Tampines East
• EW1 Pasir Ris
• NE13 Kovan
• NE12CC13 Serangoon

Special Departures

• Serangoon Central (S’goon Stn Exit B) → Tampines Int
  Weekdays: 05:45, 05:54, 06:03, 06:12, 06:21 & 00:30
  Saturdays: 05:45, 05:58, 06:11, 06:23 & 00:30
  Sundays & Public Holidays: 06:00, 06:17 & 00:30

Gallery

Poster Gallery

Operator History:

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

The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed under the Tampines Bus Package, in which the negotiated contract term was extended by an undisclosed number of years from 2024.

History:

• 1971 (11 Apr): Introduced between Upp Changi Ter and New Bridge Rd Ter under 1971 Bus Reorganisation
• 1972 (18 Jun): Amended to ply Bendemeer Rd towards New Bridge Rd Ter with the conversion of Serangoon Rd to one-way traffic
• 1974 (01 Oct): Serves merged bus stop outside Sri Srinivasa Perumal Tp along Serangoon Rd
• 1986 (11 May): Amended to skip Kuala Loyang Rd
• 1986 (01 Sep): Skips a pair of abolished bus stops along Tampines Rd to facilitate the construction of TPE
• 1986 (23 Dec): Serves merged bus stop along the new carriageway of Tampines Rd
• 1987 (06 Jun): Amended to the relocated New Bridge Rd Ter
• 1987 (20 Sep): Skips 6 pairs of abolished bus stops along Tampines Rd with the opening of TPE
• 1987 (27 Sep): Amended to ply the extended Eu Tong Sen St towards Upp Changi Rd Ter to facilitate the first stage of road expansion along New Bridge Rd
• 1987 (01 Nov): Amended to ply Eu Tong Sen St towards Upp Changi Rd Ter to facilitate the second stage of road expansion along New Bridge Rd
• 1987 (13 Dec): Serves new staggered bus stop opposite Peninsula Plaza along North Bridge Rd, skipping the bus stop outside St Andrew’s Cathedral
• 1988 (23 Oct): Extended to Tampines Int
• 1989 (29 Jan): Serves relocated bus stop opposite Sri Mariamman Tp along South Bridge Rd, skipping abolished bus stop opposite Jamae Mosque
• 1989 (30 Jul): Amended to ply Loyang Ave, Pasir Ris Dr 1 and Elias Rd, skipping Tampines Expressway (TPE)
• 1989 (28 Aug): Serves new pair of bus stops outside and opposite Pasir Ris Gardens along Elias Rd
• 1993 (11 Apr): Amended to ply Victoria St, Hill St and New Bridge Rd, skipping North Bridge Rd, South Bridge Rd and Neil Rd
• 1994: First bus from Tampines Int brought forward to 0530 hrs on weekdays
• 1996 (03 Sep): Amended to ply Pasir Ris Dr 12 and Pasir Ris Dr 1, skipping Elias Rd
• 1997 (07 Dec): Amended to ply Upp Pickering St, South Bridge Rd and Kreta Ayer Rd with the partial closure of New Bridge Rd to facilitate the construction of Chinatown MRT station on the North East MRT Line
• 1999 (10 Jul): Amended to ply Middle Rd and Victoria St, skipping Waterloo St, Stamford Rd and Bras Basah Rd
• 2002 (20 Apr): Amended back to ply the reinstated New Bridge Rd, skipping Upp Pickering St, South Bridge Rd and Kreta Ayer Rd
• 2002: Serves new pair of bus stops after Sommerville Rd and after Sunshine Lodge along Upp Serangoon Rd
• 2003 (20 Jun): Serves new pair of bus stops outside Potong Pasir Stn along Upp Serangoon Rd
• 2003 (27 Jul): Shortened to Serangoon Int and amended to ply Hougang Ave 3 and Upp Serangoon Rd under North East MRT Line Rationalisation Phase 2
• 2007 (23 Jun): Amended to ply Tampines Service Rd
• 2011 (03 Sep): Amended to loop at Serangoon Central with the opening of Serangoon Integrated Transport Hub
• 2012 (29 Apr): Serves new bus stop outside Blk 612 along Pasir Ris Dr 1
• 2017 (21 Aug): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus service (WAB)
• 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 (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

Past Routings

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