Little India Bus Terminal

Little India Bus Terminal is a bus terminal that operates only on Sundays. Located near Little India MRT Station, it functions as a pick-up point for private buses (Little India Bus Services) ferrying foreign workers from Little India back to their dormitories.

The terminal comprises two separate buildings along Race Course Road.

Details:

Operating only on Sundays, Little India Bus Terminal is a purpose-built facility catering to Little India Bus Services, which are private buses ferrying migrant workers between the Little India district and dormitories across Singapore. The facility caters to the long-standing weekend congregation of the migrant Indian community in the Little India area.

The terminal comprises two main buildings at 3A and 5A Race Course Road, each housing 10 boarding berths. Passenger amenities are intentionally minimal, as each building primarily serves as a sheltered waiting area with delineated queue lines. There are no parking or layover facilities for buses, which instead pick up passengers directly from the adjacent roadside berths.

Portable toilets are deployed outside the terminal, with the nearest permanent washrooms located at Tekka Centre and Little India MRT Station. Prominent signage reminds commuters that bus operations cease after 9:00 PM every Sunday.

Conversion for Pickleball Activities

By early 2026, parts of Little India Bus Terminal will be converted into eight pickleball courts, and will be available for public use from Mondays to Saturdays.

The conversion is part of SportSG’s broader plan to expand Singapore’s pickleball infrastructure, and taps on existing infrastructure like the Little India Bus Terminal, which is currently underutilised outside of weekends. Modification works, which are expected to start in November 2025, will see some queue lanes redrawn and nets of at least 2.2m installed around the perimeter, to prevent stray balls from escaping onto the roads.

Main article: Little India Bus Terminal to be retrofitted for Pickleball Activities | Land Transport Guru

Background:

For decades, Little India has been a focal point for Singapore’s migrant Indian workforce, many of whom travel from dormitories located on the island’s fringes to gather, shop, and socialise in the district on weekends. To meet this recurring transport demand, private bus operators licensed by the Public Transport Council (PTC) have long provided point-to-point services on Sundays and Public Holidays linking dormitories to central pick-up areas around Bukit Timah Road, Tekka Lane, MacKenzie Road, and Hampshire Road.

Growing passenger volumes led to various operational challenges over the years. From 1 June 2008, Hampshire Road was converted into a one-way corridor on Sunday evenings to ease bus circulation. However, heavy congestion and crowding remained persistent issues, culminating in the Little India Riot on 8 December 2013, following the fatal accident involving a private bus and a 33-year-old Indian pedestrian at the junction of Race Course Road and Hampshire Road.

After the Committee of Inquiry (COI) findings in March 2014, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced infrastructure improvements in Little India to enhance safety and passenger comfort, including new sheltered boarding areas with fans.

Some of the precautionary measures taken after the riot included cutting down the operating hours of private buses from 2 pm to 11 pm, to 2 pm to 9 pm. These operating hours have remained in place to the present day. Bus operations on Public Holidays ended sometime in 2023/2024.

Construction & Layout

Phase 1: Tekka Lane Facility

Phase 1 of the terminal was built along Tekka Lane, adjacent to Race Course Road, under Contract RD287 – Passenger Facilities at Tekka Lane, awarded to CCECC Singapore Pte Ltd for S$3.58 million. Construction included a short one-way bus-only road connecting Tekka Lane with Race Course Road at the southern edge of the terminal, opposite Buffalo Road. The terminal opened in 2014.

Address: 3A Race Course Road, Singapore 219774

Phase 2: Hampshire Road Facility

Phase 2 of the terminal was built along Hampshire Road, opposite the LTA Headquarters, under Contract RP268C – Term Contract for Ad Hoc Repairs and Upgrading of Roads, Road Related Facilities and Road Structures (Central Sector), awarded to Eng Lam Contractors Co (Pte) Ltd for S$18.227 million. Spanning the length of the road between Rutland Road and Northumberland Road, the larger facility has room for 12 bus berths. Phase 2 opened in 2015.

Relocation of Phase 2 to Tekka Lane

In FY2022/2023, the LTA awarded Contract DE183 — Proposed Bus Facility Works, also to CCECC Singapore Pte Ltd, for the relocation of the Little India Bus Terminal (Phase 2). The redevelopment involved constructing a new terminal north of the existing Tekka Lane (Phase 1) facility, and the demolition of the Hampshire Road facility, to make way for the HDB Farrer Park Fields BTO project and Hampshire Road widening works.

The Hampshire Road facility officially ceased operations on 20 October 2024, with all affected services moved to the new terminal.

Address: 5A Race Course Road, Singapore 219775

Bus Services:

Bus Services are active from 2pm to 9pm on Sundays for return trips.

Gallery:

New Phase 2 (Jan 2025):

Phase 1 (Tekka Lane):

Old Phase 2 (Hampshire Road); Demolished

Phase 2

Phase 1 Expansion (Construction)

Old Map

External Links & References:

• Little India Bus Service (LIBS) Routes
• LTA to build more facilities at Little India bus pick-up areas – CNA
• LTA to make improvements to Little India bus-boarding areas – Todayonline
• More buses to ferry workers from Little India | The Straits Times (Jul 2014)
• Traffic Improvements in Little India – LTA

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