[Defunct] Chinatown Direct Bus Services

Chinatown Direct Services were special bus services operated by SBS Transit that connected selected residential estates to and from Chinatown. Introduced on 21 January 2005, Chinatown Direct services are targeted at senior citizens. They ply between suburban residential areas and Chinatown via the expressways, providing direct bus connections to Chinatown without the hassle of transferring between different modes of transport.

Three Chinatown Direct services have been introduced: CT8 from Ang Mo Kio, CT18 from Bedok and CT28 from Clementi. Service numbers all end with the auspicious number 8, meaning prosperity in Chinese. Destination plates are also colour-coded for easy recognition and also have auspicious dragon motifs to signify good luck.

Introductory fares started from $1, regardless of the mode of payment (card or cash), comparatively cheaper compared to taking a feeder bus and transferring to the rail network. For a limited time period, yellow bus tickets were issued for easy recognition as opposed to the usual white tickets. Operating hours of the three new services were from 10am to 5pm on weekdays, and from 10am to 10pm on weekends and public holidays.

Due to low demand, CT28 was converted to operate only during the Lunar New Year period from July 2008. With the onset of the electronic display era, plastic destination plates are being phased out, and such colored destination plates are now a rarity. Newer electronic destination signages do not use special formatting for Chinatown Direct services. Fares have also increased since their introduction, however they still retain their flat-fare mode of payment.

CT28 was withdrawn as part of the transition to the Bus Contracting Model in September 2016.

The remaining Chinatown Direct bus services were suspended at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic from 15 April 2020, and further suspended till further notice when Singapore exited the Circuit Breaker period on 1 June 2020. Chinatown Direct services were formally withdrawn on 30 June 2022.

List of Chinatown Direct Routes:

To date, only three Chinatown Direct services have been introduced by SBS Transit. They are:

Fares:

Fares for Chinatown Direct services are based on flat-fares, regardless of mode of payment (card or cash).

Fares before the Aug 2014 revision were: Adult fare – $1.90, Child / Student / Senior Citizen fares – $1.05.

Operating Hours:

Chinatown Direct services operate from around 10am to 5pm on weekdays, and from 10am to 10pm on weekends and public holidays.

Closer to the Chinese New Year period, service hours will be extended.

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