SMRT Bus Service 961 is a trunk route between Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange and Lorong 1 Geylang Terminal, passing through Woodlands Road, Upper Bukit Timah, Bukit Merah, Chinatown, City Hall, Beach Road and Kallang Bahru.
On Sundays and Public Holidays, Service 961M plies an alternative route serving Marina Centre in both directions.
961
| Route Overview | ||||||||||||
Route  |
Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange ↔ Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal | |||||||||||
| Passes Through | Woodlands Ave 3, Woodlands Rd, Upp Bukit Timah Rd, Dunearn Rd / Bukit Timah Rd, Farrer Rd, Queensway, Jln Bukit Merah, Eu Tong Sen St / New Bridge Rd, Beach Rd | |||||||||||
| Route Length | Towards Lor 1 Geylang: 35.7 km |
Towards Woodlands: 35.4 km |
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| Travelling Time | 110 mins | |||||||||||
| Operator Information | ||||||||||||
| BCM Route Package | Woodlands Bus Package | |||||||||||
| Current Operator | SMRT Buses Ltd | |||||||||||
| Current Depot | Woodlands Bus Depot (WLDEP) | |||||||||||
| Current Fleet | Single-deck & Double-deck buses | |||||||||||
| Operating Hours | ||||||||||||
| Departure Times from Woodlands (Temp Bus Int) |
Weekdays & Saturdays (except Public Holidays) |
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| 05:30 – 23:30 | ||||||||||||
| Departure Times from Lor 1 Geylang |
Weekdays & Saturdays (except Public Holidays) | |||||||||||
| 06:00 – 23:30 | ||||||||||||
| Operating Frequency | ||||||||||||
| 6:30am–8.30am | 8.31am–4.59pm | 5.00pm–7.00pm | After 7.00pm | |||||||||
| From Woodlands (Temp Bus Int) |
7 – 11 mins | 7 – 15 mins | 11 – 15 mins | 12 – 15 mins | ||||||||
| From Lor 1 Geylang |
11 – 13 mins | 8 – 13 mins | 8 – 12 mins | 11 – 16 mins | ||||||||
| Fare Information |
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| Fare | Charges regular distance fares |
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Service 961 is a lengthy inter-town route connecting the housing estates of Woodlands, Bukit Panjang, Farrer and Bukit Merah, with the suburban areas of Upper Bukit Timah, Bukit Timah and Bendemeer, and with the City areas of Chinatown, Clarke Quay, City Hall and Beach Road. Much of its demand comes from shuttling commuters between various points of its long route, and is a notably popular connection between the Bukit Merah and Bukit Timah areas.
On Sundays and Public Holidays, Service 961M operates with an alternative route serving the Marina Centre area in both directions, on Raffles Boulevard and Raffles Avenue.
MRT/LRT Stations Served:
- NS9TE2 Woodlands
- NS8 Marsiling
- NS7 Kranji
- DT1–BP6 Bukit Panjang
- DT2 Cashew
- DT3 Hillview
- DT5 Beauty World
- DT6 King Albert Park
- DT7 Sixth Avenue
- DT8 Tan Kah Kee
- CC20 Farrer Road
- EW16NE3TE17 Outram Park
- NE4DT19 Chinatown
- NE5 Clarke Quay
- EW13NS25 City Hall
- CC3 Esplanade
- DT23 Bendemeer
- EW10 Kallang
Special Departures
- Upp Cross St (Opp Hong Lim Cplx) → Woodlands Temp Int
Weekdays: 05:40, 05:53 & 06:06
Saturdays: 05:40, 05:51, 06:02 & 06:12
Route Variant
- Service 961M: Woodlands Temp Int ↔ Lorong 1 Geylang Ter, via Raffles Ave
Sundays / Public Holidays only
Gallery
Poster Gallery
Operator History:
- 1998 – 2004: Trans-Island Bus Services Ltd
- 2004 – Present: SMRT Buses Ltd
The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed in 2026 under the Woodlands Bus Package.
History:
- 1998 (28 Dec): Re-numbered from Service 181 as a service between Woodlands Reg Int and Lor 1 Geylang Ter, operating on weekdays and Saturdays only
- 1999 (10 Jul): Amended to ply Parliament Pl, St. Andrew’s Rd and Beach Rd, skipping Hill St and Bras Basah Rd
- 1999 (26 Dec): Amended to ply Lavender St, Kallang Bahru and Boon Keng Rd under Bukit Panjang LRT Rationalisation, replacing the deleted sectors of Service 5
- 2002 (20 Apr): Amended to ply Upp Cross St and the reinstated New Bridge Rd, skipping South Bridge Rd, Neil Rd and Cantonment Rd
- 2004: Skips abolished bus stop outside Nanyang Pr Sch along Farrer Rd
- 2004 (27 Apr): Amended to ply Geylang Rd, Kallang Rd and Sims Ave towards Woodlands Reg Int with the temporary conversion of Lor 1 Geylang to a one-way road
- 2004 (06 Dec): Amended to ply the reinstated Lor 1 Geylang towards Woodlands Reg Int, skipping Geylang Rd, Kallang Rd and Sims Ave
- 2010 (23 May): Skips temporarily abolished bus stop outside Assumption Voc Inst along Upp Bt Timah Rd to facilitate the construction of Cashew MRT station along the Downtown MRT Line
- 2013 (29 Dec): Serves new bus stop outside Outram Pk Stn along New Bridge Rd
- 2014 (02 Mar): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus service (WAB)
- 2015 (01 Mar): Serves reinstated bus stop outside Assumption Pathway Sch along Upp Bt Timah Rd
- 2016 (12 Mar): Amended to Woodlands Temp Int
- 2016 (11 Dec): Serves new bus stop opposite Blk 635A along Woodlands Rd
- 2017 (28 May): Skips abolished bus stop opposite Mandai Rd along Woodlands Rd
- 2017 (26 Nov): Serves the bus stop after Hospital Dr along Eu Tong Sen St, skipping abolished bus stop before Hospital Dr along Kg Bahru Rd
- 2018 (10 Jun): Serves new bus stop before Yew Tee Flyover along Woodlands Rd
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Bus 961 operating during peak hours 7:30am to 9:30am should only have a 5 to 7 mins gap, at bus stop # 05069. It is always packed with people waiting for bus 961 or bus 147.
Currently, the worst timing interval at above 10min occurred between 8: 35 am to 9 :05 am at bus stop number 05069 (Outram MRT Station Exit 4).
80% of those taking this bus or SBS bus#147 are alighting at Bukit Merah Central to Opp. Bukit Merah Secondary School (bus stop # 10101).
We hope the management to take action on this feedback.