Express Bus Services

Express Bus Services are bus services that contain express sectors, by skipping bus stops or travelling by expressways, saving commuting time as compared to regular trunk services. These services charge Express fares as they provide shorter travel time or greater convenience compared to normal bus services plying similar routes.

More peak-hour express bus services will be introduced under the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme (BCEP) from July 2024.

Three main types of Express services exist. Full Day express services offer connections from housing estates to the City, or between housing estates. Limited-stop express services closely mirror their parent route but call at fewer bus stops along the way. Finally, CBD express services connect housing estates to the Central Business District (CBD) and operate only during peak hours. Some of these CBD express services are categorised as City Direct Bus Services.

Express Bus Services are not to be confused with designated trunk bus services with express sectors. Many trunk services plying the Tampines Expressway and Bukit Timah Expressway / Pan-Island Expressway corridors are designated as trunk routes rather than Express routes.

Fares: Fares for Express services follow the current distance-based fare scheme (DBF) for Express routes.

History of Express Services

The first-known express bus services began operating in 1997 under the 5xx numbering series. These services complemented the MRT network by providing journeys with comparable/faster journey time by using expressways, many of which serve between the City and housing districts.

From the above list, only Express Services 502, 506 and 518 survive today. Many were withdrawn as part of MRT Rationalization exercises (due to MRT duplication) or merged with existing routes by the year 2004.

History of Limited-stop Express Services

Singapore Bus Services’ first foray into limited-stop express services came on 28 July 1975 with the introduction of six Blue Arrow Services, numbered 301 to 306. Two new routes, 307 & 308, were added in 1976. These peak-hour services with flat fares were targeted at private residential areas with high car ownership, connecting them to the CBD with city-bound trips in the morning, and return trips in the evening. These services were gradually withdrawn due to low demand, or converted to trunk services. The last surviving route, Blue Arrow 301, was withdrawn on 6 November 1989.

In 2005, SBS Transit introduced a series of limited-stop express services branded as Fast-Forward routes, duplicating existing trunk bus routes with express sectors. These services operate during peak hours, calling only at stops with higher demand and skipping sections of the route for faster point-to-point travel. SMRT Buses introduced similar routes from 2006 to 2009.

History of CBD Express Services

Between 2010 and 2016, new express routes were introduced to connect housing estates to the Central Business District (CBD) during peak hours, competing alongside Premium Buses. Part of these services were introduced under the BSEP scheme, including City Direct routes.

Post-Bus Contracting Model

With the implementation of the Bus Contracting Model, LTA introduced several limited-stop express bus services alongside regular trunk services, operating at regular intervals daily. However, this proved to be costly to operate and the operating hours were reduced in February 2020, with the exception of Express 147e which was withdrawn and Express 43e which was introduced in September 2019 as a weekday peak-hour express service. Express 167e was withdrawn in December 2020, after operating for a little over 2 years.

Nomenclature and numbering of Express Bus Services (apart from 502, 506, 518) were formalised on 12 August 2018, discontinuing SBS Transit’s Fast-Forward branding.

In December 2021, Express 506 was amended to Serangoon Bus Interchange from Jurong East Bus Interchange, instead of Upper East Coast Bus Terminal as part of the Downtown Line 3 Bus Service Rationalisations.

Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme (BCEP)

With the launch of the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme (BCEP) on 30 July 2024, more peak-hour express bus services will be introduced.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

The point-to-point nature of express routes provides convenience and encourages commuters to rely on them rather than taking a train, reducing commuters’ reliance on the rail network and alternative means of road transport, like private cars and taxis. For bus operators, the decreased run-time of Express routes translates to fewer buses being deployed compared to an ordinary route over the same distance. Carrying passengers over longer distances at a time, reduces the strain of boarding and alighting activities at en-route stops, which take up a lot of time, especially during peak hours.

Cons:

While “Express” services incorporate express or limited-stop sectors, they may not offer significantly faster journey times, with Express services such as 854E duplicating their parent routes to a large extent but charging higher fares under the Express designation. Sometimes, commuters are forced to take Express services within their non-Express sectors as existing bus routes do not provide direct connections to their destination, or alternative bus routes would require multiple transfers between non-express bus services.

Former Express Services

References:

• Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Classifying Bus Service 502 as “Trunk” instead of Express Bus Service and Reviewing Higher Fares for Express Buses – Ministry of Transport

Back to Bus Services