SMRT Bus Service 980

SMRT Bus Service 980 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.

Route

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 12-metre Single Deck Bus: – Mercedes-Benz OC500LE – MAN NL323F
Departure Times from Sembawang	0555hrs – 2330hrs (Weekdays, Saturdays) 0600hrs – 2330hrs (Sundays/PHs)
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

Route Information

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. Calculate your bus fare using LTA’s fare calculator on MyTransport.sg here.

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

The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed in 2020 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): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus route (WAB)
• 2013: Service improvement under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP)
• 2018 (22 Apr): Start of Double-Decker Bus Deployments

Past Routings:

• Refer to this article
• 2006: Amended to present routing. No significant route changes since 2006.

External Links & References:

• TransitLink E-Guide

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