SMRT Bus Service 972 is a trunk service operating from Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange and looping at Orchard Road, passing through Jelapang, Segar, Fajar, Bangkit and Stevens Road. The route is a key link between Bukit Panjang estate and the City areas, plying express along the BKE and PIE between Bukit Panjang and Whitley Road. The route was launched on 17 November 2013 as the 15th bus service to be introduced under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP).
↺ Orchard Rd (Loop)
| Route Overview | ||||||||||||
Route  |
Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange ↺ Orchard Road (Loop) | |||||||||||
| Passes Through | Senja Rd, Jelapang Rd, Segar Rd, Fajar Rd, BKE/PIE, Stevens Rd, Orchard, Dhoby Ghaut | |||||||||||
| Route Length | 40.3 km | |||||||||||
| Travelling Time | 125 mins | |||||||||||
| Operator Information | ||||||||||||
| BCM Route Package | Choa Chu Kang–Bukit Panjang Bus Package | |||||||||||
| Current Operator | SMRT Buses Ltd | |||||||||||
| Current Depot | Gali Batu Bus Depot |
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| Current Fleet | Single-deck & Double-deck buses | |||||||||||
| Operating Hours | ||||||||||||
| Departure Times from Bukit Panjang |
Weekdays |
Saturdays | Sundays / Public Holidays | |||||||||
| 05:30 – 22:59 | 05:30 – 23:06 | 05:30 – 22:45 | ||||||||||
| From 23:18 – 23:35 on Weekdays, from 23:20 – 23:35 on Saturdays and from 23:01 – 23:35 on Sundays / Public Holidays, buses departing from Bt Panjang Int operates as Service 972A, terminating at Orchard Rd (Dhoby Ghaut Stn) | ||||||||||||
| Operating Frequency | ||||||||||||
| Loop Service | 6:30am–8.30am | 8.31am–4.59pm | 5.00pm–7.00pm | After 7.00pm | ||||||||
| Weekdays | 4 – 11 mins | 8 – 16 mins | 5 – 9 mins | 11 – 19 mins | ||||||||
| Fare Information |
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| Fare | Charges regular distance fares |
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Service 972 is a popular trunk route for residents of Bukit Panjang, bringing about greater connectivity to the Stevens, Orchard and Dhoby Ghaut areas in the City. Launched on 17 November 2013 as the fifteenth bus service under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), the route incorporates an express sector between Bukit Panjang Road and Whitley Road via the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) and the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE).
By offering a direct, full-day bus route between the northern parts of Bukit Panjang estate (Neighborhoods 4, 5 and 6) and the Orchard Road shopping belt, the route provides a travel alternative for commuters who previously relied on other bus routes to and from the City, such as Service 190, 960 & 700/700A (prior to its withdrawal). It also opened up new links within the Bukit Panjang estate, plying a combination of the route of both Feeders 920 and 922, and connecting the inner estates directly to the popular transfer hubs of Blk 183 / Blk 604 (prior to the opening of Bukit Panjang Int) and Blk 223 / Blk 270 along Bukit Panjang Road for convenient transfers to many other bus services.
As a result of its popularity with residents, demand for the route is very high throughout most of the day. SMRT’s very first double-decker buses were launched Bus Service 972 on 13 July 2014 with three Alexander Dennis Enviro500 buses, which grew to a full fleet of over 20 double-deck buses by January 2015, making it SMRT’s first ever full-double-deck bus service. On 14 June 2015, the route was amended into Senja Road and Senja Link to increase its catchment area within the estate.
Additional special departures were added on Weekday mornings from 03 Apr 2017, starting from Opp Bangkit Stn to Bukit Panjang. Previously, with no mid-route departures, the first bus towards Bukit Panjang would arrive past 7am after looping at the City.
Following the controversy over Bus 700 withdrawal and Bus 171 & 972 amendment in August 2020, route variant Service 972M was introduced to ply the originally planned amended route of Service 972 via Newton MRT.
MRT / LRT Stations Served:
- DT1–BP6 Bukit Panjang
- BP13 Senja
- BP12 Jelapang
- BP10 Fajar
- BP9 Bangkit
- DT10TE11 Stevens
- NS22TE14 Orchard
- NS23 Somerset
- NS24NE6CC1 Dhoby Ghaut
Special Departures:
- Bukit Panjang Ring Rd (Opp Bangkit Stn) → Bukit Panjang Int
Weekdays: 06:35 & 06:50
Short Trip Service:
- Service 972A: Bukit Panjang Int → Orchard Road (Dhoby Ghaut Stn)
Weekdays: 23:18 – 23:35
Saturdays: 23:20 – 23:35
Sundays / Public Holidays: 23:01 – 23:35
Route Variant:
- Service 972M: Bukit Panjang Int ↺ Orchard Road (Loop)
Daily, via Petir Road & Newton MRT
Gallery (Buses):
Poster Gallery:
![[Withdrawn Poster] Bus 972: Route Amendment to Newton MRT](https://landtransportguru.net/web/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Aug20_Service-972-Amendment-1447x2048.jpg)
Operator History:
- 2013 – Present: SMRT Buses Ltd
Route History:
- 2013 (17 Nov): Introduced from Bukit Panjang to Bencoolen Street (Loop) under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP).
- 2014 (02 Mar): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus service (WAB)
- 2015 (14 Jun): Amended to Senja Road / Link, skipping a pair of bus stops along Bt Panjang Ring Rd and calling at 4 pairs of bus stops along Senja Rd & Link
- 2015 (12 Jul): First bus brought forward from 06:00 to 05:30 daily
- 2015 (16 Aug): Serves 2 new bus stops between Blks 443A and 443B and outside Blk 442D along Fajar Rd
- 2015 (06 Sep): Serves new pair of bus stops outside and opposite Blk 635C along Senja Rd; Serves new pair of bus stops outside Blk 548B and outside Blk 547C along Segar Rd
- 2015 (27 Dec): Serves the bus stop opposite Blk 183 along Bt Panjang Rd, skipping the bus stop outside Blk 604 as part of DTL2 Bukit Panjang Bus Service Enhancements
- 2016 (11 Dec): Skips removed bus stop outside SMU along Bencoolen St
- 2017 (03 Apr): Additional special departures from Opp Bangkit Stn to Bukit Panjang on Weekday Mornings.
- 2017 (04 Sep): Amended to Bt Panjang Integrated Transport Hub
- 2020 (03 Aug): Announced to be amended to ply Bt Timah Rd / Dunearn Rd and Scotts Rd, skipping Stevens Rd from 16 Aug 2020
- 2020 (13 Aug): Planned route amendment on 16 Aug 2020 announced to be cancelled
- 2022 (03 Apr): Amended to Bukit Panjang Ring Rd & skipping Senja Link towards Orchard Road due to the conversion of part of Senja Road and Senja Link to one-way traffic
Minor Events
Soft Launch:
The service debuted on Sunday, 17 November 2013, where a soft launch was carried out at Greenridge Shopping Center at 8:30am, hosted together with a community brisk walk. SMB3088M was the first bus deployed, departing Bukit Panjang at 6am. The service utilized a full fleet of MAN A22 buses.
SMRT Enviro500 MMC Launch:
SMRT’s Alexander Dennis Enviro500 made their debut on revenue service on Sunday, 13 Jul 2014 on Service 972. Three units, namely SMB3501L (972TQ01) , SMB3502J (972AP07) and SMB3503G (972TQ02) were put on service. SMB3502J was withdrawn in the morning following an electrical fault leading to bus breakdown, but returned in the afternoon.
SMB3502J is the first Enviro500 MMC in revenue service, departing Bukit Panjng Temporary Bus Park at around 7:00am in the morning.
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I feel like Service 972 and 972M could be enhanced to terminate at Lorong 1 Geylang and Shenton Way respectively.
Service 972: Bukit Panjang Interchange – Lorong 1 Geylang Terminal
Current route from Bukit Panjang, Prinsep Street, Selegie Road, Serangoon Road, Lavender Street, Kallang Bahru, Boon Keng Road, Upper Boon Keng Road, Lorong 1 Geylang, Geylang Road, Lorong 1 Geylang Terminal
Lorong 1 Geylang Terminal, Lorong 1 Geylang, Upper Boon Keng Road, Boon Keng Road, Kallang Bahru, Lavender Street, Jalan Besar, Bencoolen Street, Current Route to Bukit Panjang
Service 700 (Renumbered from Service 972M): Bukit Panjang Interchange – Shenton Way Terminal
Current route from Bukit Panjang, Bras Basah Road, Nicoll Highway, Esplanade Drive, Fullerton Road, Collyer Quay, Raffles Quay, Shenton Way, Shenton Way Terminal
Shenton Way Terminal, Prince Edward Road, Shenton Way, Palmer Road, Anson Road, Cecil Street, Collyer Quay, Fullerton Road, Esplanade Drive, Stamford Road, Current route to Bukit Panjang
This proposal has several key advantages. For both services, an extension in the city would allow them to have proper termini on both sides, which would not only better driver welfare but also reduce bus bunching, which the services are currently very prone to.
For 972, an extension to Lorong 1 Geylang would help to alleviate the extreme overcrowding that Service 67 faces in between Little India and Kallang MRT, with even double decker buses getting fully loaded at the first bus stop in Little India on Sundays and Public Holidays. Furthermore, it would also create a link from Little India to the DTL via Bendemeer Station, and form another link from Orchard to the eastern EWL as an alternative to Service 7 and Service 175.
For 972M/700, extending 972M to Shenton Way and renumbering it as Service 700 would create a link in between Bukit Panjang and the CBD, allowing Bukit Panjang residents to easily reach the their workplaces, while numbering it as 700 would not only pay homage to the famous service that Bukit Panjang residents are familiar with, but also better differentiate it from Service 972, which could be confusing for many. Furthermore, the routing of 700 in the city would help to assist 167, which only runs on 30-minute frequencies after TEL rationalisation. This routing was previously served by 162, 167 and the old 700, all of which have now been rationalised.
Feel free to leave any feedback and comments below! 🙂
The slow bus service. Opps, all are slow bus service
187,75,184,972M,973,700/A,963,966,960
Catering to passenger demand haha