SMRT Bus Service 971

SMRT Bus Service 971 is a Peak Hour trunk service between Bukit Panjang Ring Road and Cecil Street / Anson Road, passing through Jelapang, Segar, Fajar, Pending, Petir Road, BKE/PIE, Orchard, Dhoby Ghaut and Bras Basah. The route replaces the former Express Bus Service 971E and commenced operations on 31 August 2020.

Route Overview
Route	[AM]: Bukit Panjang Ring Road (Blk 602) → Cecil Street (Prudential Tower) [PM]: Anson Road (Tanjong Pagar Stn Exit C) → Bukit Panjang Ring Road (Blk 541A CP)
Passes Through	Jelapang Rd, Fajar Rd, Segar Rd, Petir Rd, Scotts Rd, Orchard, Dhoby Ghaut, Bras Basah, Shenton Way
Route Length	Towards Cecil St: 23.3 km						Towards Bt Panjang Ring Rd: 21.6 km
Traveling Time	80 – 86 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	Choa Chu Kang – Bukit Panjang Bus Package
Current Operator	SMRT Buses Ltd
Current Depot	Kranji Bus Depot (KJDEP)
Current Fleet	12-metre Single Deck bus: – MAN A22						12-metre Double Deck bus: – MAN A95
Operating Hours
Departure Times from Bt Panjang Ring Rd	Weekdays, except Public Holidays
	06:15 – 08:30
Departure Times from Anson Rd	Weekdays, except Public Holidays
	18:05 – 19:35
Operating Frequency
From Bt Panjang Ring Rd	10 – 15 mins
From Anson Rd	15 mins
Fare Information
Fare	Charges regular distance fares

Renumbered from Express Bus Service 971E in August 2020 as a mitigation measure following the controversy over Bus 700 withdrawal and Bus 171 & 972 amendment, Bus Service 971 connects residential estates in Bukit Panjang and along Petir Road with the Central Business District along Shenton Way.

Changes as part of the renumbering include:

• Conversion of Express 971E to Trunk Bus Service 971
• Amendment of route to start/end at Bukit Panjang Ring Road instead of Bukit Panjang Temporary Bus Park
• Amendment of route to serve Pending Road & Petir Road
• Amended to serve all bus stops along Stevens Road & Bras Basah Road

The first bus timing from Bukit Panjang Ring Road (Blk 602) was originally announced to be at 6:30am in publicity posters and press releases on 14 Aug 2020. However, on 28 Aug 2020, the first bus timing from that stop was revised to 6:15am in an update posted by SMRT.

Departure Times

Weekdays, except Public Holidays:

• Morning Peak from Bukit Panjang Ring Road (Blk 602):
  06:15, 06:30, 06:45, 07:00, 07:10, 07:20, 07:30, 07:40, 07:50, 08:00, 08:15 & 08:30
  
• Evening Peak from Anson Road (Tanjong Pagar Stn Exit C):
  18:05, 18:20, 18:35, 18:50, 19:05, 19:20 & 19:35

MRT / LRT Stations Served

• BP13 Senja
• BP10 Fajar
• BP9 Bangkit
• BP8 Pending
• DT10 Stevens
• NS22 Orchard
• NS23 Somerset
• NS24NE6CC1 Dhoby Ghaut
• DT21 Bencoolen
• CC2 Bras Basah
• CC3 Esplanade
• EW13NS25 City Hall
• EW14NS26 Raffles Place
• EW15 Tanjong Pagar

Gallery:

Prior to 31 Aug 2020 – See Service 971E

Poster Gallery:

Operator History:

Prior to 31 Aug 2020 – See Service 971E

• 31 Aug 2020 onwards: SMRT Buses Ltd

The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed in 2023 under the Choa Chu Kang – Bukit Panjang Bus Package

History:

Prior to 31 Aug 2020 – See Service 971E

• 2020 (31 Aug): Renumbered from Express 971E and converted to peak-hour trunk bus service from Bukit Panjang Ring Road to Cecil Street during weekday peak hours & from Anson Road to Bukit Panjang Ring Road during weekday evening peak hours.
  Amended to ply Pending Road & Petir Road.
  Amended to serve all bus stops along Stevens Road and Bras Basah Road.

Past Routings

Reference

• Chee Hong Tat 徐芳达 – Facebook
• [Update] Service Announcement – Changes to bus services along Downtown Line 2 corridor – SMRT Corporation

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