SMRT Bus Service 980Â is a trunk route between Sembawang Interchange and Lorong 1 Geylang Terminal, passing through Admiralty Drive, Sembawang Road, Upper Thomson, Thomson, Kampong Java, Little India, Middle Road and Beach Road.
Bus Service 980 is affected by Temporary Merging of Bus Stops 51031 & 51041 along Thomson Road from 8 November 2020.







Technical Information | ||
Route ![]() |
Sembawang Bus Interchange ↔ Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal |
|
Passes Through | Admiralty Dr, Sembawang Rd, Upper Thomson, Thomson, Kg Java, Little India, Middle Rd, Beach Rd | |
Route Length | 25.4km (D1) | 24.7km (D2) | |
Travelling Time | 80 mins | |
Operator Information | ||
BCM Route Package | Sembawang – Yishun Bus Package | |
Current Operator | SMRT Buses Ltd | |
Current Depot | Ang Mo Kio Bus Depot (AMDEP) | |
Current Fleet | 12-metre Double Deck Bus: – Alexander Dennis Enviro500 – MAN A95 12-metre Single Deck Bus: – MAN A22 – Mercedes-Benz Citaro – Mercedes-Benz OC500LE |
|
Departure Times from Sembawang |
0555hrs – 2330hrs (Weekdays, Saturdays) 0600hrs – 2330hrs (Sundays/PHs) |
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Departure Times from Lor 1 Geylang |
0600hrs – 2330hrs (Daily) | |
Frequency | Direction 1 | Direction 2 |
0630-0830: 11 – 15 mins 0831-1659: 13 – 16 mins 1700-1900: 13 – 16 mins After 1900: 15 – 16 mins |
0630-0830: 11 – 15 mins 0831-1659: 12 – 16 mins 1700-1900: 13 – 16 mins After 1900: 14 – 15 mins |
Service 980 is an inter-town trunk route linking housing estates around Sembawang and Yishun, and the suburban areas of Upper Thomson and Thomson, providing connections to the City areas of Novena, Rochor Canal, Middle Road and Beach Road. Along with Service 167, it serves nearly the full stretch of Sembawang Road / Upper Thomson Road / Thomson Road, connecting to the city, and complements Service 166 between Upper Thomson and Rochor Canal.
Demand for this route remains moderate to low throughout the day owing to the presence of duplicate routes and low-density developments along much of its route. As such, the route plays a largely supplementary role and operates at low frequencies throughout the day.
Formerly a Singapore Bus Service (SBS) route since the 1970s (then known as Service 160), the route was transferred to Trans-Island Bus Service (TIBS) in 1983, renumbered Service 980 in 1998 and has been operated by SMRT ever since.
MRT Stations Served:
- NS11 Sembawang
- CC17 Caldecott
- NS20 Novena
- NE7DT12 Little India
- DT13 Rochor
- EW12DT14 Bugis
- EW10 Kallang
Fare: Charges basic distance fares. See Bus Fares.
Gallery:
Operator History:
- 1970s – 1973: United Bus Company Pte Ltd
- 1973 – 2000: Singapore Bus Services Ltd
- 2000 – 2004: Trans-Island Bus Services Ltd
- 2004 – Present: SMRT Buses Ltd
- (~September 2021) onwards: Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd
Operations for this route would be transferred to Tower Transit in 2021 as part of the Sembawang – Yishun Bus Package.
The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed in 2026 under the Sembawang – Yishun Bus Package.
History:
- 1970 (11 Apr): Original route as Service 160, plying Admiralty Rd West (Canberra Gate) – Crawford St. Handed to TIBS in 1983 (03 Apr)
- 1998 (27 Dec): Renumbered Service 980, and plying Admiralty Rd West – Geylang Lorong 1 Ter after closure of Crawford St Ter
- 2005 (20 Nov): Amended to Sembawang interchange via Sembawang Vista, Sembawang Drive and Sembawang Avenue.
- 2006 (03 Dec): Extended to ply along Admiralty Drive and Canberra Road
- 2012 (15 Nov):Â Designated wheelchair-accessible bus route (WAB)
- 2013:Â Service improvement under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP)
- 2018 (22 Apr): Start of Double-Decker Bus Deployments
- 2019 (22 Dec): Calls at a new bus stop along Upper Thomson Road
- 2020 (08 Nov): Bus Stop 51041 temporarily merged with Bus Stop 51031 along Thomson Road to facilitate construction of North-South Corridor
Past Routings:
- Refer to this article
- 2006: Amended to present routing. No significant route changes since 2006.
Majority park @ Yishun Temporary Interchange while the balance park @ Ang Mo Kio Depot.
Today took SG1805B on 980 today , look like possible man A22 euro 6 in the future
This morning my mom ride on 980..a young driver drove off when my mom have not even sat herself fully at the 2nd bus seat..She hit herself against the pole before she sat down..I hope you guys train your driver to judge on the age of old folks, make sure they sat down and not get themselve hurt..Old folks can not afford to fall..my mom is already 75 yrs old age.
LOL😂😂