Bus Service 861M, operated by Tower Transit, is a morning peak supplementary bus service operating only during School Term Weekdays. It connects residential estates of East Canberra with Wellington Primary School, before terminating at Sembawang Bus Interchange.
Service 861M commences operation on Monday, 24 March 2025.
→ Sembawang Int
| Route Overview | ||||||||||||
Route  |
Canberra Way (Blk 120A) → Sembawang Bus Interchange |
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| Passes Through | Canberra St, Wellington Circle | |||||||||||
| Route Length | 3.6 km | |||||||||||
| Travelling Time | 23 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 | Double-deck buses | |||||||||||
| Operating Hours | ||||||||||||
| Departure Canberra Way (Blk 120A) |
School Term Weekdays (except Public Holidays) |
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| 06:45 & 07:00 | ||||||||||||
| Operating Frequency | ||||||||||||
| From Canberra Way |
15 mins | |||||||||||
| Fare Information |
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| Fare | Charges regular distance fares |
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Bus Service 861M primarily connects residential areas around East Canberra to Wellington Primary School and Sembawang MRT/Bus Interchange. This route operates only on school term weekdays, with two unidirectional trips operating in the morning.
From Sembawang Road, instead of plying Canberra Link towards Sembawang Int, the route detours via Montreal Link, Montreal Dr, Wellington Circle, and Canberra Rd—route sectors currently served by existing Service 882. It offers students a direct ride from East Canberra to Wellington Primary School, without having to transfer from Bus Services 883 or 861 to Bus Service 882 along Sembawang Road.
The route was first announced on 7 March 2025 in a Facebook Post by Ong Ye Kung, Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC.
MRT Station Served
- NS11 Sembawang
Departure Timings
- From Canberra Way (Blk 120A)
Weekdays (School Term): 06:45 & 07:00
Route Variant:
- Bus Service 861: Sembawang Bus Interchange ↺ Yishun Ring Road (Loop)
Daily
Gallery:
Poster Gallery:
Operator History:
- 24 Mar 2025 – Present: Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd
Route History:
- 2025 (24 Mar): Introduced from Canberra Way (Blk 120A) to Sembawang Bus Interchange as a morning peak hour supplementary service, operating on school term weekdays
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861M needs to extend to start from Sembawang Interchange and extend to loop at Khatib MRT but operate daily as 861
Think about the student and the parents.
With 861M they can have alt bus service to help them to go to school. At least we dont have to depend on 882 only.
‘M’ routes has evolved so much. First as only loop routes, then became bidirectional, and now unidirectional. This feels like the same case as 983M
Bro WHY?? Why get this service when you could amend the entire route!
I get that 861 is supposed to help 883, but why?? 883 is enough to handle Canberra, the demand is high but not FTD high. Plus, Montreal can get help with 861!
This is what I am thinking too! Why do we need 117, 883 and 861 to go the same route? Why not amend 861? What about the school dismissal time? LTA needs to give a lot more thought when designing bus routes.
I mean 181M has been operating like that for years and no one ever complained…
Think again
Everyone has been complaining about 181M. Everybody have been suggesting 181 merge into 181M in the future
We’ve been complaining, just that it’s not to the correct person