SMRT Express Service 971E

SMRT Express Service 971E is an Peak hour Express service between Bukit Panjang and Shenton Way, passing through PIE, Orchard and Bras Basah.

Bus Service 971E is wheelchair-accessible from 17 Sep 2017

Route:

• No boarding and alighting at Bt Panjang Temp Bus Pk.

Technical Information
Route	[AM]: Bukit Panjang Temporary Bus Park → Cecil Street (Prudential Tower) [PM]: Anson Road (International Plaza) → Bukit Panjang Temporary Bus Park
Passes Through	Jelapang Rd, Fajar Rd, Segar Rd, Scotts Rd, Orchard Rd, Shenton Way
Route Length	24.2 km (D1) | 21.5 km (D2)
Travelling Time	80 mins (AM Peak) | 81 mins (PM Peak)
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	18-metre Articulated Bus: – MAN A24 – Mercedes-Benz O405G 12-metre Double Deck Bus: – MAN A95 12-metre Single Deck Bus: – MAN A22
Departure Times from Bt Panjang Temp Bus Pk	0705hrs – 0745hrs (Weekdays, except Public Holidays)
Departure Times from Anson Rd	1805hrs – 1830hrs (Weekdays, except Public Holidays)
Frequency	Direction 1	Direction 2
	06 – 07 mins	10 – 15 mins

Route History

Introduced on 14th March 2011, Service 971E provides passengers in Bukit Panjang with alternative means of transport to the Orchard Road and Shenton Way. The limited rail connectivity in Bukit Panjang creates a lucrative opportunity for direct bus services to the city, and this service has received many additional buses since its inauguration, from just 2 morning departures to 7 morning and 3 evening departures in April 2013.

This service has two major competitors in Bukit Panjang, Premium 555 and Premium 722. Both offer direct services to Shenton Way but charge higher fares (given their Premium designation). Alternatively, Service 700 plies from Bukit Panjang to Shenton Way via Orchard, but the hassle of transferring buses may not appeal to many commuters.

The introduction of Service 972 under the BSEP scheme has taken much loading off this route by running parallel to it between Bukit Panjang and Dhoby Ghaut.

Despite the slightly higher express fares, many commuters prefer the direct express route to Shenton Way without the hassle of transferring buses. The route still enjoys high demand daily from passengers heading to Shenton Way.

As part of the opening of Bukit Panjang ITH, Bus Service 971E will start revenue service from Blk 602, Bt Panjang Ring Rd during morning peak and end its service at Blk 541A CP, Bt Panjang Ring Rd during the evening peak, skipping Jelebu Rd on both directions.

Departure times: 

• From Bt Panjang Ring Rd (Blk 602): 0710, 0717, 0724, 0731, 0738, 0744, 0750
• From Anson Road (Int’l Plaza): 1805, 1815, 1830

MRT / LRT Stations Served:

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

Fare: Charges regular distance-based express fares. See Bus Fares. Calculate your bus fare using LTA’s fare calculator on MyTransport.sg here.

Fleet: See above

Gallery:

Operator History:

• 2011 – Present: 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:

• 2011 (14 Mar): Introduced as a unidirectional AM peak hour service from Bukit Panjang to Cecil Street. Operates two trips on weekday mornings, at 7:30am and 7:45am. Charges Express fares under the Distance-Based Fare scheme.
• 2011 (Jun): 3rd AM Peak departure from Bukit Panjang
• 2011 (29 Aug): Introduction of two evening PM Peak trips from Anson Road to Bukit Panjang at 6:30pm and 6:45pm. One bendy bus slot for AM Peak.
• 2011 (Dec): 4th AM Peak departure from Bukit Panjang
• 2012 (Mar): Second bendy bus slot for AM Peak.
• 2012 (Sep): 5th AM Peak departure from Bukit Panjang
• 2012 (16 Dec): Amended to Bukit Panjang Temp Bus Pk
• 2012 (Dec): 6th AM Peak departure from Bukit Panjang
• 2013 (15 Apr): 7th AM Peak departure from Bukit Panjang and 3rd PM Peak departure from Anson Road
• 2015 (17 Aug): Calls at two new bus stops along Fajar Rd
• 2015 (07 Sep): Calls at a pair of new bus stops along Segar Rd
• 2017 (04 Sep): Truncated at Bukit Panjang Ring Rd as part of Bukit Panjang ITH Opening Route Amendments
• 2017 (17 Sep): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus route (WAB)
• 2018 (14 May): Start of regular Double-Decker Bus Deployments

Past Routings:

• Refer to this article
• 2017: No significant route changes since 2017.

————————————————————————————————————————————

External Links & References:

• TransitLink E-Guide

Back to Express Bus Services
Back to Bus Services