Main Article: Premium Bus Services
This article only covers premium bus services previously operated by SBS Transit and SMRT Buses before the Bus Contracting Model (BCM) from 2007 to 2017. For premium bus services run by private operators, as well as Bus Services LCS1 & LCS2 that serve the industrial developments in Loyang/Changi, click on the respective links to their articles.
Background:
In 2007, Singapore’s 2 main public bus operators then – SBS Transit and SMRT Buses – launched a series of premium services that mostly connected various residential areas around the island with the Central Business District (CBD) during peak hours on weekdays.
While premium services had mainly been offered by private bus operators in Singapore to complement direct links to educational institutions, factories, offices and private residential estates since the 1990s, the Public Transport Council (PTC) had opened up the premium bus market to the public bus operators in 2007, allowing them to offer similar services to better serve commuters.
During a time when there were only 3 MRT lines in Singapore, and non air-con buses were still operated by SBS Transit, premium bus services were marketed by both operators for commuters who are willing to pay slightly higher fares for comfortable, air-conditioned bus rides with guaranteed seating, as standing was prohibited on Premium services. These services would also make extensive use of expressways, providing faster peak hour journeys for commuters from the residential areas to the CBD.
Operational Details:
On Monday, 16 July 2007, SBS Transit introduced its 1st tranche of Premium services, consisting of 13 routes numbered between 532 and 545 (except 541) which connected the residential estates of Clementi, West Coast, Serangoon, Toa Payoh, Jurong West, Pasir Ris, Taman Jurong, Jurong East and Bedok with the offices in Robinson Road and Raffles Place. Fares for the 13 premium services were capped between $2.70 and $3.00, operating a single uni-directional trip from their respective residential estates to the CBD during morning peak hours on weekdays.
2 weeks later on Monday, 30 July 2007, SMRT Buses introduced its 1st 2 Premium services (530 & 531), which connected the private residential estates in River Valley and East Coast, as well as the public housing estate of Simei, to the offices in Raffles Place and Shenton Way.
Subsequently, SBS Transit rolled out 20 more Premium services in 3 tranches between Feb and Jun 2008, while SMRT Buses introduced 9 additional Premium services between Apr and Sep 2008. Due to the overwhelming demand for Premium Bus Service 531, SMRT Buses also added return trips from Anson Road to Simei Road during the evening peak period from Jun 2008.
In addition, SBS Transit also launched eight CityShopper services in Dec 2007, which provided direct links between residential estates and the shopping belt of Orchard Road/Marina Centre daily. Refer to our article on CityShopper services for more details on these routes.
Rationalisation & Discontinuation of SBST/SMRT Premium Bus Services:
In Jul 2008, 2 Premium services (537 & 540) serving the Jurong West and Taman Jurong areas, as well as 4 CityShopper services (551, 575, 577 & 580) serving Hougang, Bedok, Ang Mo Kio and West Coast were discontinued by SBS Transit due to persistent low ridership on these routes.
SMRT Buses also discontinued 2 Premium services (586 & 597) in 2009, citing low passenger demand and the availability of alternative travel routes.
In 2011, Premium Bus Service 549 was split into 2 routes by SBS Transit, following the launch of Premium Bus Service 761, providing faster journeys for residents along Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 to the CBD, while adding new links for residents along Ang Mo Kio Ave 2 and Ang Mo Kio Ave 3.
With the announcement of the Bus Contracting Model (BCM) by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in early 2014, SBS Transit handed over the operations of 8 of its premium bus services to private operators between Aug 2014 and Jul 2015, marking the start of the end of public bus operators’ involvement in the operations of Premium services, since these routes would not be run by them under the BCM. The mass handover of Premium services to private operators would continue into 2016 & 2017, with the last Premium bus service under SBS Transit discontinued after Friday, 31 Mar 2017.
Route Information:
| Service | Route | Launch Date | Withdrawal / Handover* Date | Remarks |
| 529 | Yio Chu Kang ↺ Lentor Loop | 1 Jun 2009 | 3 Jan 2017 | Operated an identical route to Bus Service 825 on Saturday afternoons |
| 530 | River Valley Rd → Shenton Way | 30 Jul 2007 | 29 Aug 2016* | |
| 531 | Simei Rd → Shenton Way (AM) | 30 Jul 2007 | 29 Aug 2016* | Replaced by City Direct 664 (in Simei only) |
| Anson Rd → Simei Rd (PM) | 23 Jun 2008 | |||
| 532 | Clementi Ave 4 → Fullerton Rd | 16 Jul 2007 | 11 Aug 2014* | Partially replaced by City Direct 667 |
| 533 | Teban Gdns Rd → Fullerton Rd | 16 Jul 2007 | 15 Aug 2016* | Partially replaced by City Direct 655 |
| 534 | Yio Chu Kang Rd → Fullerton Rd | 16 Jul 2007 | 29 Aug 2016* | |
| 535 | Lor 8 Toa Payoh → Fullerton Rd | 16 Jul 2007 | 28 Nov 2016 | |
| 536 | Jurong West St 91 → Fullerton Rd | 16 Jul 2007 | 15 Aug 2016* | |
| 537 | Jurong West Ave 5 → Fullerton Rd | 16 Jul 2007 | 21 Jul 2008 | |
| 538 | Pasir Ris Dr 3 → Fullerton Rd | 16 Jul 2007 | 15 Aug 2016* | |
| 539 | Pasir Ris Dr 4 → Fullerton Rd | 16 Jul 2007 | 26 Sep 2016* | |
| 540 | Yuan Ching Rd → Fullerton Rd | 16 Jul 2007 | 21 Jul 2008 | |
| 542 | Jurong West Ave 1 → Fullerton Rd | 16 Jul 2007 | 22 Feb 2016* | Replaced by City Direct 657 |
| 543 | Jurong East Ave 1 → Fullerton Rd | 16 Jul 2007 | 29 Feb 2016* | Replaced by City Direct 657 |
| 544 | Bedok Nth Rd → Fullerton Rd | 16 Jul 2007 | 3 Jan 2017* | Partially replaced by City Direct 659 |
| 545 | Bedok Nth Ave 4 → Fullerton Rd | 16 Jul 2007 | 3 Jan 2017* | Partially replaced by City Direct 659 |
| 546 | Geylang Bahru → Shenton Way | 4 Apr 2008 | 29 Aug 2016 | |
| 548 | Ang Mo Kio Ave 5 → Fullerton Rd | 25 Feb 2008 | 13 Jul 2015* | Partially replaced by City Direct 668 |
| 549 | Ang Mo Kio St 61 → Fullerton Rd | 25 Feb 2008 | 3 Oct 2016* | Partially replaced by City Direct 652 |
| 550 | Rivervale Dr → Fullerton Rd | 25 Feb 2008 | 13 Jul 2015* | Partially replaced by City Direct 654 |
| 552 | Tampines St 45 → Fullerton Rd | 21 Apr 2008 | 3 Jan 2017* | Partially replaced by City Direct 664 |
| 553 | Tampines Ave 9 → Fullerton Rd | 21 Apr 2008 | 3 Jan 2017* | Partially replaced by City Direct 664 |
| 554 | Tampines Ave 4 → Fullerton Rd | 21 Apr 2008 | 29 Aug 2016* | Partially replaced by Express 513 |
| 555 | Bt Panjang Ring Rd → Fullerton Rd | 25 Feb 2008 | 3 Apr 2017 | |
| 556 | Choa Chu Kang Nth 7 → Fullerton Rd | 25 Feb 2008 | 15 Sep 2014* | Partially replaced by City Direct 662 |
| 557 | Choa Chu Kang Ave 3 → Fullerton Rd | 25 Feb 2008 | 15 Sep 2014* | Partially replaced by Express 982E |
| 558 | Yishun Ring Rd → Fullerton Rd | 21 Apr 2008 | 25 Aug 2014* | Partially replaced by City Direct 670 |
| 559 | Yishun Ave 11 → Fullerton Rd | 21 Apr 2008 | 1 Sep 2014* | Partially replaced by City Direct 663 & Express 850E |
| 560 | Pandan Valley → Fullerton Rd | 30 Jun 2008 | 26 Sep 2016* | |
| 561 | Upp Aljunied Rd → Fullerton Rd | 30 Jun 2008 | 14 Nov 2016 | |
| 563 | Bt Timah Rd → Fullerton Rd | 30 Jun 2008 | 29 Aug 2016 | |
| 564 | Farrer Rd → Fullerton Rd | 30 Jun 2008 | 15 Aug 2016* | |
| 565 | Ah Hood Rd → Fullerton Rd | 30 Jun 2008 | 29 Aug 2016* | |
| 566 | Meyer Rd → Fullerton Rd | 30 Jun 2008 | 4 Aug 2014* | |
| 569 | Punggol Ctrl → Fullerton Rd | 25 Feb 2008 | 18 Jan 2016* | Partially replaced by City Direct 666 |
| 585 | Bedok Reservoir Rd → Fullerton Rd | 21 Apr 2008 | 3 Jan 2017* | Partially replaced by City Direct 658 |
| 586 | Bt Panjang Ring Rd → Jurong East | 8 Sep 2008 | 6 Feb 2009 | |
| 587 | Woodlands Ring Rd → Shenton Way | 30 Jun 2008 | 28 Nov 2016 | Partially replaced by City Direct 665 & Express 951E |
| 588 | Sin Ming Ave → Shenton Way | 30 Jun 2008 | 29 Aug 2016* | |
| 589 | Sunset Way → Fullerton Rd | 8 Sep 2008 | 1 Mar 2017 | |
| 590 | Choa Chu Kang Cres → Shenton Way | 8 Sep 2008 | 3 Jan 2017* | Partially replaced by City Direct 662 |
| 597 | Lor 2 Toa Payoh → Shenton Way | 8 Sep 2008 | 16 Nov 2009 | |
| 598 | Petir Rd → Shenton Way | 8 Sep 2008 | 19 Dec 2016 | |
| 599 | Hougang St 51 → Shenton Way | 8 Sep 2008 | 29 Aug 2016* | Partially replaced by City Direct 672 |
| 761 | Ang Mo Kio Ave 2 → Fullerton Rd | 17 Jan 2011 | 3 Oct 2016* |
*Operations transferred to private bus operators on the indicated dates
History of Premium Bus Services under SBST/SMRT:
- 2007 (16 Jul): Launch of 13 Premium Services (532, 533, 534, 535, 536, 537, 538, 539, 540, 542, 543, 544 & 545) by SBS Transit
- 2007 (30 Jul): Launch of Premium Services 530 & 531 by SMRT Buses
- 2008 (25 Feb): Launch of 7 Premium Services (548, 549, 550, 555, 556, 557 & 569) by SBS Transit
- 2008 (4 Apr): Launch of Premium Service 546 by SMRT Buses
- 2008 (21 Apr): Launch of 6 Premium Services (552, 553, 554, 558, 559 & 585) by SBS Transit
- 2008 (23 Jun): Implementation of evening peak trips on Premium Service 531
- 2008 (30 Jun):
- Launch of 6 Premium Services (560, 561, 563, 564, 565 & 566) by SBS Transit
- Launch of Premium Services 587 & 588 by SMRT Buses
- 2008 (21 Jul): Discontinuation of Premium Services 537 & 540 by SBS Transit
- 2008 (8 Sep): Launch of 8 Premium Services (586, 587, 588, 589, 590, 597, 598 & 599) by SMRT Buses
- 2009 (6 Feb): Discontinuation of Premium Service 586 by SMRT Buses
- 2009 (1 Jun): Launch of Premium Service 529 by SMRT Buses, serving Lentor estate after the operations of Service 825 on Saturdays
- 2009 (5 Oct): Route amendment for 21 Premium Services (532, 533, 534, 535, 536, 542, 543, 548, 549, 550, 555, 556, 557, 558, 559, 560, 561, 563, 564, 565 & 569) to Cecil St instead of Robinson Rd
- 2009 (16 Nov): Discontinuation of Premium Service 597 by SMRT Buses
- 2011 (17 Jan):
- Launch of Premium Service 761 by SBS Transit
- Route amendment for Premium Service 549 to Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 instead of Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
- 2014 (4 Aug): Handover of Premium Service 566 to Commute Solutions
- 2014 (11 Aug): Handover of Premium Service 532 to Commute Solutions
- 2014 (25 Aug): Handover of Premium Service 558 to Commute Solutions
- 2014 (1 Sep): Handover of Premium Service 559 to Commute Solutions
- 2014 (15 Sep): Handover of Premium Services 556 & 557 to Commute Solutions
- 2015 (13 Jul):
- Handover of Premium Service 548 to Aedge Holdings
- Handover of Premium Service 550 to City Bus Services
- 2016 (18 Jan): Handover of Premium Service 569 to Aedge Holdings
- 2016 (22 Feb): Handover of Premium Service 542 to Aedge Holdings
- 2016 (29 Feb): Handover of Premium Service 543 to Aedge Holdings
- 2016 (15 Aug):
- Handover of Premium Services 533 & 536 to Aedge Holdings
- Handover of Premium Service 564 to Commute Solutions
- 2016 (29 Aug):
- Handover of Premium Service 530 to EML Transport
- Handover of Premium Services 531 & 588 to Commute Solutions
- Handover of Premium Services 534 & 565 to City Transit
- Handover of Premium Service 538 to Aedge Holdings
- Discontinuation of Premium Service 546 by SMRT Buses
- Handover of Premium Service 554 to Tan Bus Transport
- Discontinuation of Premium Service 563 by SBS Transit
- Handover of Premium Service 599 to Xing Sheng Transport Service
- 2016 (26 Sep): Handover of Premium Services 539 & 560 to Commute Solutions
- 2016 (3 Oct): Handover of Premium Services 549 & 761 to Commute Solutions
- 2016 (14 Nov): Discontinuation of Premium Service 561 by SBS Transit
- 2016 (28 Nov):
- Discontinuation of Premium Service 535 by SBS Transit
- Discontinuation of Premium Service 587 by SMRT Buses
- 2016 (19 Dec): Discontinuation of Premium Service 598 by SMRT Buses
- 2017 (3 Jan):
- Discontinuation of Premium Service 529 by SMRT Buses
- Handover of Premium Services 544, 552, 585 & 590 to Commute Solutions
- Handover of Premium Services 545 & 553 to APT Travel
- 2017 (1 Mar): Discontinuation of Premium Service 589 by SMRT Buses
- 2017 (3 Apr): Discontinuation of Premium Service 555 by SBS Transit
Gallery:
Poster Gallery:
External Links & References:
- [Access with Wayback Machine] SBS Transit: ComfortDelGro Launches Premium Services (16 Jul 2007)
- [Access with Wayback Machine] SBS Transit: ComfortDelGro Introduces Eight More Premium Services (22 Feb 2008)
- [Access with Wayback Machine] SBS Transit: SBS Transit Introduces Six More Premium Buses (18 Apr 2008)
- [Access with Wayback Machine] SBS Transit: SBS Transit Introduces Six More Premium Buses (30 Jun 2008)
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