(Defunct) SBS Transit CityBuzz Services

Introduction:

SBS Transit CityBuzz services (C1, C2 & C3) were introduced on Monday, 13 December 2004, with the objective of bringing commuters, mainly tourists, around the various tourist destinations in the City. Three routes were operated, namely the Orchard Route (C1), Chinatown Route (C2) and Little India Route (C3). All services started from Bus Stop 02061 (Opp Marina Sq) and terminated at Bus Stop 02051 (Opp The Oriental S’pore).

Mr Ong Boon Leong, then-Chief Operating Officer (COO) of SBS Transit, said, “CityBuzz will appeal most to tourists as they get to experience the ‘must-see’ areas of Singapore in the most economical way. For the locals, CityBuzz is an alternative mode of transport for travelling within the city besides the existing bus services. The locals can also be buzzed by the sights and sounds of Singapore’s cultural diversity.”

All Citybuzz services were semi-express, which meant that they only called at specific stops along the route travelled instead of all bus stops. Commuters did not need to press the bus stopping buzzer when they intended to alight at the next stop, as Bus Captains would play a chime to indicate the various stops along the route, similar to the concept of a monorail.

Operational Details:

Citybuzz services operated between 10:00 and 22:00 daily, at frequencies of 10 to 15 minutes. Customised bus stop pole plates and plastic destination signs onboard buses featured the drawing of a bee (dubbed the ‘friendly bee’), identical to that used for the header of this article, for ease of distinction. The then brand-new Volvo B10TL double-decker buses from Bedok North Depot were deployed on these routes.

The services charged a flat fare of $1.00, payable by cash or EZ-Link card. A $5 Citybuzz Pass (later increased to $6 from 1 May 2006) offered unlimited travel on Citybuzz Services for a day, and could be purchased from all Transitlink Ticket Offices, the Singapore Visitors Centre at Orchard Road, from Bus Captains onboard CityBuzz Services or authorised Travel Agents.

In October 2005, CityBuzz services were enhanced to serve additional bus stops in the City for greater accessibility:

• Service C1: Paterson Road (outside Paterson Lodge) & Orchard Road (opposite Meritus Mandarin Singapore)
• Service C2: Kreta Ayer Road (opposite Block 333)
• Service C3: Serangoon Road (outside Block 663)

Due to low demand, all CityBuzz Services were discontinued from Monday, 1 January 2007. Their last day of service was on Sunday, 31 December 2006.

Routes:

• Service C1: Marina Ctr Ter ↺ Orchard
• Service C2: Marina Ctr Ter ↺ Chinatown
• Service C3: Marina Ctr Ter ↺ Little India

Bus Service C1 (13 Dec 2004 – 31 Dec 2006)

No Boarding/Alighting: No boarding and alighting at Marina Ctr Ter.

Bus Service C2 (13 Dec 2004 – 31 Dec 2006)

No Boarding/Alighting: No boarding and alighting at Marina Ctr Ter.

Bus Service C3 (13 Dec 2004 – 31 Dec 2006)

No Boarding/Alighting: No boarding and alighting at Marina Ctr Ter.

Gallery:

External Links & References:

• SBS Transit Citybuzz Services : SGWiki
• SBS Transit flyers

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