SMRT Bus Service 972M is a route variant of Service 972, operating from Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange and looping at Orchard Road, passing through Bukit Panjang Estate, Petir Road and Newton MRT. Following the controversy over Bus 700 withdrawal and Bus 171 & 972 amendment, Service 972M was introduced as a mitigation measure to retain connectivity along Dunearn Road and Scotts Road. The route was originally intended to be the amended route of Service 972 itself.
↺ Orchard Rd (Loop)
| Route Overview | ||||||||||||
Route  |
Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange ↺ Orchard Road (Loop) | |||||||||||
| Passes Through | Senja Rd, Jelapang Rd, Segar Rd, Fajar Rd, Petir Rd, BKE/PIE, Dunearn Rd / Bukit Timah Rd, Scotts Rd, Orchard, Dhoby Ghaut | |||||||||||
| Route Length | 42.8 km | |||||||||||
| Travelling Time | 140 mins | |||||||||||
| Operator Information | ||||||||||||
| BCM Route Package | Choa Chu Kang–Bukit Panjang Bus Package | |||||||||||
| Current Operator | SMRT Buses Ltd | |||||||||||
| Current Depot | Gali Batu Bus Depot | |||||||||||
| Current Fleet | Single-deck & Double-deck buses |
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| Operating Hours | ||||||||||||
| Departure Times from Bt Panjang |
Daily | |||||||||||
| 05:45 – 22:50 | ||||||||||||
| Operating Frequency | ||||||||||||
| 6:30am–8.30am | 8.31am–4.59pm | 5.00pm–7.00pm | After 7.00pm | |||||||||
| Loop Service | 8 – 10 mins | 12 – 18 mins | 9 – 11 mins | 24 – 25 mins | ||||||||
| Fare Information |
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| Fare | Charges regular distance fares |
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Service 972M was introduced to retain connectivity for commuters along Dunearn Road and Scotts Road, following the withdrawal of Services 700 & 700A in August 2020.
The routing for Service 972M was originally presented as a route amendment for Service 972 that took effect from 16 August 2020. However, these plans were met with strong negative feedback from Bukit Panjang residents who relied heavily on Service 972 as a direct bus service to the city via the Expressway, citing higher fares (due to the longer distance travelled via Newton MRT), and resulting in longer travelling time, partly contributed by known congestion issues around Dunearn Rd / Bukit Timah Rd and Newton Circus. (Main article: Controversy over Bus 700 withdrawal and Bus 171 & 972 amendment)
Following discussions with the Members of Parliament for Bukit Panjang, the Land Transport Authority as well as the Ministry of Transport, Service 972M was introduced as a mitigation measure, while the route of Service 972 remains unchanged.
In April 2022, Service 972M was amended to serve Petir Road, skipping Bukit Panjang Road with the withdrawal of Service 971.
MRT / LRT Stations Served:
- DT1–BP6 Bukit Panjang
- BP13 Senja
- BP10 Fajar
- BP9 Bangkit
- BP8 Pending
- DT10TE11 Stevens
- NS21–DT11 Newton
- NS22TE14 Orchard
- NS23 Somerset
- NS24NE6CC1 Dhoby Ghaut
Special Departures:
- Penang Rd (Dhoby Ghaut Stn Exit B) → Bukit Panjang Int
Weekdays: 18:44
- Petir Rd (Dairy Farm Mall) → Bukit Panjang Int
Weekdays: 06:45, 07:00 & 07:20
Route Variant:
- Service 972: Bukit Panjang Int ↺ Orchard Road (Loop)
Daily, via Bukit Panjang Road & Stevens Road
Gallery:
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:
- 30 Aug 2020 – Present: SMRT Buses Ltd
Route History:
- 2020 (30 Aug): Introduced from Bukit Panjang to Orchard Road (Loop) via Newton MRT as part of the mitigation measures in response to planned bus route changes along the Downtown Line 2 Corridor. Wheelchair-accessible at launch.
- 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; Amended to ply Pending Rd, Petir Rd and Dairy Farm Rd, replacing the deleted sectors of Service 971, skipping Bt Panjang Rd
- 2023 (08 Jan): Temporarily skips the bus stop outside Newton Stn Exit B along Scotts Rd due to upgrading works
- 2023 (27 Aug): Resumes serving the bus stop outside Newton Stn Exit B along Scotts Rd after completion of upgrading works
Reference
- Chee Hong Tat 徐芳达 – Facebook
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they should undo 971’s withdrawal, and renumber 972M into 971. To make it more different than 972, 971 can follow its old route from orchard road to shenton way and also be extended to HarbourFront Int. As for 972 maybe an extension to Marina centre ter will do. after all, LTA did say they want to shorten bus runtimes, and 972/972M have long runtimes of over 2 hours.
This post is a copy of what I have posted on the Service 972 page, however I am also posting it here since it also concerns 972M.
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! 🙂
972M should really be renumbered 700, as 700 is much more familiar to BPJ residents then something like 972M. Furthermore, the similarity of the numbers of 972 and 972M could lead to unnecessary confusion, which numbering 972M as 700 would eliminate.