Further Bus Service Developments in Changi Airport (1985 – Present)
Due to persistently low ridership, peak hour Bus Service 57 between Buona Vista and Changi Airport PTB was eventually discontinued by SBS in 1987.
With the completion of Tampines New Town in the late 1980s, SBS launched 2 bus services to connect the new town with the CACC and Changi Airport PTB – Bus Service 29 in 1985 and Bus Service 27 in 1988.
In 1990, Terminal 2 of Changi Airport opened for passenger service. All existing bus services (24, 27, 149 & 390) were amended to serve the new PTB in Changi Airport T2, on top of the existing PTB in Changi Airport T1.
Under the Transitlink Integration Exercise, Bus Service 9 was shortened to Bedok from Geylang in 1992 to reduce its duplication with the East West Line (EWL). At the same time, Bus Service 27 had its route extended to Pasir Ris, providing greater accessibility between the new estate and the airport.
Under the final phase of the exercise, Bus Service 149, which operated between Toa Payoh and Changi Airport, was integrated with existing Bus Services 16 and 31. As a result, the former was extended from Marine Parade to Changi Airport, while the latter was extended from Kallang Park to Toa Payoh. At the same time, Bus Service 390 was also discontinued, officially marking the end of the first-generation airport bus services under SBS.
The discontinuation of Bus Service 390 led to some discontent among former commuters of the service, who appealed to SBS to reinstate the bus service. In response, SBS introduced a new peak hour one-directional semi-express Bus Service 16E the following month, which utilised express sectors along the East Coast Parkway (ECP) and skipped Marine Parade, Joo Chiat and Dakota completely. Bus Service 16E was eventually re-numbered to Bus Service 36 in 1997, and extended its route into Marine Parade and Marina Centre throughout the day in 1998.
Similar discontent was also expressed by commuters of Bus Service 29, which took a long detour via Upp Changi Rd North and Changi Village before entering the CACC. This was because when the service was first introduced in 1985, Loyang Avenue was still under construction, which meant that the bus service could only use Upp Changi Road North to get to CACC. To provide a faster journey for commuters, Bus Service 19 was introduced by SBS in 1994, taking the more direct Loyang Avenue to travel between Tampines and CACC and permanently replacing Bus Service 29, which was shortened to Changi Village at the same time.
With the opening of the Tampines Expressway (TPE) and the extension of the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) to the East in the late 1990s, more bus services were introduced to serve Changi Airport and Changi AirFreight Centre:
- Bus Service 53 was extended to Changi Airport from Hougang South via Pasir Ris on Sunday, 23 April 1995, permanently displacing the role of Bus Service 27 in Pasir Ris. On the following Monday (24 April 1995), Bus Service 34 was introduced as a day service between Bedok and Changi Airport, but took a different route from the defunct Bus Service 394.
- Bus Service 858 was extended to Changi Airport from Yishun on Sunday, 2 November 1997, becoming the first bus service by Trans-Island Bus Service (TIBS) to serve Changi Airport.
- Bus Service 27 was extended from Tampines to Sengkang on Sunday, 25 July 1999. It was later further extended to Hougang on Sunday, 29 December 2002.
- Bus Service 89 was introduced as a new service between Hougang, Sengkang, Pasir Ris and Changi AirFreight Centre from Sunday, 5 December 1999.
- Express Bus Service 506 was extended to Changi Airport from Bedok on Sunday, 3 September 2000, becoming the first and only Express bus service to serve Changi Airport.
- Bus Service 989 was introduced as a new service between Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Batok, Toa Payoh, Kallang Basin and Changi Airport from Sunday, 5 August 2001.
2 night buses also briefly operated in Changi Airport between 2000 and 2001 – Nite Owl Bus Service 36M to Orchard Road and NightRider Bus Service NR13 to Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal.
With the opening of Changi Airport MRT station along the Changi Airport Extension of the East West Line in 2002, Bus Services 34 and 506 were discontinued and reinstated back to Bedok respectively to reduce route duplication with the new MRT line. Bus Service 989 was also shortened to Lorong 1 Geylang and re-numbered to Bus Service 985 in 2003.
To improve accessibility to the developing Punggol New Town and complement existing demand in Tampines New Town, SBS Transit introduced a new Bus Service 34 from Sunday, 31 July 2005.
To provide faster journeys between Hougang, Sengkang and the Changi Airfreight Centre, SBS Transit introduced a new Fast Forward Bus Service 89e on Monday, 19 September 2005.
On Monday, 11 November 2007, Terminal 3 of Changi Airport opened for passenger service. All existing bus services (24, 27, 34, 36, 53 & 858) were amended to serve the new Passenger Terminal Building (PTB).
From Monday, 15 December 2014, Bus Service 35 was extended from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to serve the Airport Logistics Park of Singapore (ALPS) on weekdays and Saturdays under the BSEP, providing greater accessibility for more airport workers.
On Sunday, 22 October 2017, Terminal 4 of Changi Airport opened for passenger service. Three existing bus services (24, 34 & 36) were amended to serve the new PTB. At the same time, a new Bus Service 110 was also introduced, connecting all 4 PTBs in Changi Airport directly with Sengkang New Town.
After receiving feedback from Punggol residents about the long travel time between Punggol and Changi Airport by Bus Service 34, Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Transport and Member of Parliament (MP) for Punggol GRC, Sun Xueling, announced that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) was studying the launch of a new direct route between the new town and the airport. This new service was eventually introuced as Bus Service 44, operating a total of 18 trips (9 trips per direction) during peak hours on weekdays from Monday, 10 November 2025.
Summary of Further Bus Service Changes in Changi Airport (1985 – Present):
- 1985 (9 Jun): Launch of Bus Service 29 between Tampines and Changi Airport Cargo Cplx via Upp Changi Rd Nth
- 1986 (16 Feb): Route extension for Bus Service 390 to Holland Fringe Car Park
- 1987 (19 Apr): Discontinuation of Bus Service 57 (Buona Vista – Changi Airport PTB)
- 1988 (24 Jan): Launch of Bus Service 27 between Tampines and Changi Airport PTB
- 1989 (11 Jun): Route reversion for Bus Service 390 to loop at Orchard Rd
- 1990 (13 Oct): Opening of Changi Airport PTB 2
- 1992 (29 Nov):
- 1993 (5 Dec):
- Route extension for Bus Service 16 extended to Changi Airport
- Discontinuation of Bus Services 149 & 390
- 1994 (23 Jan):
- Launch of Bus Service 19 between Tampines and Changi Airport Cargo Cplx via Loyang Ave
- Permanent route cutback for Bus Service 29 to loop at Changi Village
- 1994 (31 Jan): Launch of peak hour one-directional Bus Service 16E between Bukit Merah and Changi Airport, skipping Old Airport Rd, Joo Chiat Rd & Marine Parade Rd
- 1995 (23 Apr):
- 1995 (24 Apr): Launch of Bus Service 34 between Bedok and Changi Airport on weekdays and Saturdays
- 1997 (2 Nov): Route extension for Bus Service 858 to Changi Airport
- 1997 (1 Dec): Re-numbering of peak hour one-directional Bus Service 16E to 36
- 1998 (6 Sep): Route amendment for Bus Service 36 to start from Changi Airport and loop at Tomlinson Rd via Marine Parade and Marina Ctr as a full day service
- 1999 (5 Dec): Launch of Bus Service 89 between Hougang, Sengkang, Pasir Ris and Changi Airport Cargo Cplx
- 2000 (10 Sep): Route extension for Express Bus Service 506 to Changi Airport
- 2000 (24 Nov): Launch of Nite Owl Bus Service 36M, plying the same route as Bus Service 36 during late nights on Fridays, Saturdays & eves of Public Holidays
- 2001 (9 Mar): Launch of NightRider Bus Service NR13 between Lor 1 Geylang and Changi Airport
- 2001 (5 Aug): Launch of Bus Service 989 between Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Batok and Changi Airport
- 2001 (1 Dec): Discontinuation of NightRider Bus Service NR13
- 2001 (7 Dec): Discontinuation of Nite Owl Bus Service 36M
- 2002 (15 Sep):
- Discontinuation of Bus Service 34
- Route cutback for Express Bus Service 506 to Bedok
- 2003 (27 Jul): Discontinuation of Bus Service 989
- 2005 (31 Jul): Launch of Bus Service 34 between Punggol, Tampines and Changi Airport
- 2005 (19 Sep): Launch of peak hour one-directional Fast Forward Bus Service 89e between Hougang, Sengkang, Pasir Ris and Changi AirFreight Ctr, skipping Pasir Ris New Town
- 2007 (11 Nov): Opening of Changi Airport PTB 3
- 2014 (15 Dec): Route extension for Bus Service 35 to Airport Logistics Park of Singapore (ALPS) under BSEP
- 2017 (22 Oct):
- 2024 (1 Dec): Route extension for Bus Service 110 to Buangkok
- 2025 (29 Jun): Route extension for Bus Service 34 to Punggol Coast
- 2025 (10 Nov): Launch of peak hour one-directional Bus Service 44 between Punggol Coast and Changi Airport under BCEP
