3 new bus services in Toa Payoh, Tampines and Whampoa to be rolled out by June

SINGAPORE – Three new bus services that will ply the estates of Tampines, Whampoa and Toa Payoh will be launched by June, under a bus service enhancement programme to better connect residents to transport nodes and key amenities.

These services are being rolled out under

a $900 million initiative to improve public bus connectivity

launched in July 2024.

Service 299 will operate daily between Tampines North Bus Interchange and Tampines Street 96 from April 27, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a statement on April 7.

This will provide residents with a direct connection to the interchange and key amenities, such as Our Tampines Hub, and call at bus stops at Tampines MRT station, St Hilda’s Secondary School and Temasek Polytechnic.

In a Facebook post on April 7, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said the introduction of service 299 will benefit residents of the new housing developments in Tampines South, taking them to Tampines Bus Interchange and MRT station, and amenities in the town centre.

The other new service is 21X, which will operate between Whampoa and Novena from April 28. The service will provide a faster connection to Novena MRT station for residents in the Whampoa area, LTA said.

The loop service will start and end at St Michael’s Bus Terminal, with stops along Jalan Bahagia, Kim Keat Road, Thomson Road – where Novena MRT station is located – and Jalan Tenteram. It will supplement service 21 and serve selected stops, LTA added.

Service 21X will operate on weekdays, excluding public holidays, during the morning and evening peak periods.

Both services 299 and 21X will be operated by SBS Transit.

The third new service, 230M, will serve residents of Kim Keat Avenue. The route will take them to Toa Payoh Bus Interchange and MRT station, LTA said.

Mr Chee, an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, said the introduction of service 230M will make it more convenient for Kim Keat Avenue residents to travel to Toa Payoh Bus Interchange and MRT station.

The launch of the service is based on feedback from residents and fellow Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Saktiandi Supaat, Mr Chee said.

LTA also announced additional trips on City Direct service 671 between Sengkang and the Central Business District, and adjustments to an existing service, 292, to ply Tampines Street 11 in both directions.

It said the adjustments to services 671 and 292 will be made by June. Service 230M is expected to be rolled out around the same time. More details will be shared closer to the implementation of these changes, LTA added.

Residents living in these areas mostly welcomed the new services, although some suggested further improvements.

Tampines North resident Elliszuwani Mohamad Ali, 27, said the new service 299 may shorten the time needed to travel between her home and Tampines MRT station.

The journey, which covers four stops, currently takes close to 10 minutes on existing bus services 129 and 298. In comparison, the nurse will be able to reach Tampines MRT station in just one stop on the new service 299.

But Ms Elliszuwani pointed out that service 299 does not go into Tampines Bus Interchange, and the route for pedestrians to get to the MRT station or bus interchange is not completely sheltered.

Ms Rene Koh, 50, agreed, adding that the bus stops near Tampines MRT station – which the new service 299 will call at – are “too small” and cannot adequately shelter passengers from heavy rain.

Whampoa resident Jeffrey Lim, 60, said the supplementary bus service 21X would be very helpful for residents in the area, especially the elderly, as it could potentially reduce the time taken to travel to Novena MRT station.

The restaurant manager said he currently prefers taking other buses that ply more direct routes to the MRT station, instead of the existing service 21, which loops around the Whampoa estate.

He hopes the new service 21X will cut down the current journey time of 20 minutes, as the number of bus stops has been reduced.

The authority said it will continue to spend its resources “prudently” as it continues to grow the bus network.

“LTA will monitor travel patterns and feedback from the community, and adjust bus services as needed to serve commuters across different parts of Singapore.”

So far, 11 new services have been launched under the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme since July 2024 to improve connectivity to estates across the island, Mr Chee noted.

Services 299 and 21X are among the first of 15 bus services that will be added in 2025.

A total of 43 existing services have also been enhanced, Mr Chee noted, by increasing the frequency of bus trips or expanding their coverage.