LTA U-turns on decision to stop bus service 167; route to be retained with 30-minute intervals

SINGAPORE - From Dec 17, bus service 167, which plies a route between Sembawang and Bukit Merah via Upper Thomson and the Orchard area, will operate at 30-minute intervals, after the Land Transport Authority (LTA) reversed its decision to stop the service.

This came after objections from commuters who bemoaned the loss of a direct bus route connecting northern Singapore to the city and the inconvenience of having to make multiple transfers.

LTA said on Nov 28 it had decided to retain service 167 for now, citing the need to allow more time for commuters to adjust and try new routes.

The U-turn came less than two weeks after it said on Nov 17 that

service 167 would cease from Dec 10

as part of a slew of changes to bus routes running parallel to segments of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL).

LTA said then the changes were being made as ridership for some bus services, including 167, had fallen by 30 per cent to 40 per cent.

At the same time, average weekday ridership on the TEL climbed from 60,000 in October 2022 to 160,000 in February, then 177,000 in October.

Discontinuing 167 and making other adjustments to bus services were deemed the most optimal ways to reallocate finite resources, given the sustained reduction in demand and availability of other alternatives, LTA added.

It earlier reduced 167’s frequency when it observed lower demand after the opening of the third stage of the TEL in November 2022. At present, the bus service operates at a frequency of between 11 and 20 minutes.

LTA said changes to services 75, 162, 162M, 121 and 859 that were meant to take place from Dec 10 will be delayed until Dec 17.

The frequency of service 980, which serves a similar sector between Sembawang and Novena as service 167, will still be increased, even though 167 will stay for now, LTA added.

Despite its U-turn on service 167, LTA said it is not always possible to preserve every direct bus connection.

“As new transport options such as the TEL and other MRT lines become available, and when Singaporeans move into new estates and workplaces, new bus services will be required for these new routes,” it said.

“LTA will continue to review our bus network... so that we can serve the travelling needs of commuters from all parts of Singapore.”

Among the changes announced on Nov 17 was that services 162 and 162M will be combined into a single service and its route shortened to a loop between Yio Chu Kang Bus Interchange and Sin Ming Drive.

Service 75 will be shortened to terminate at Bukit Merah Bus Interchange instead of Marina Centre Bus Terminal.

Meanwhile, service 121 will operate from Shenton Way Bus Terminal instead of Kampong Bahru Bus Terminal, and ply Cantonment Link, Cantonment Road, Anson Road and Shenton Way to maintain connectivity between Outram Park MRT station and residential estates in the Cantonment area.

LTA said it looked at the availability of alternative transport options in reviewing bus services 75, 162, 162M and 167.

This included the TEL, which is a faster travel option for many commuters after accounting for waiting times and time taken for transfers, it added.

The authority said it ensured alternative bus routes remained available. These included services 196 and 970 for service 75; services 54, 143, 166 and 980 for services 162 and 162M; and services 143, 166, 196 and 980 for service 167.

It added that segments of the routes with stronger demand or unique connectivity were also retained.

For instance, service 859 will be amended to ply Canberra Link and Sembawang Road in place of service 167. “With these changes, most affected commuters will still have both MRT and bus options,” LTA added.

Mr Kiwi Lim, a real estate agent who lives in Tanjong Pagar, said he was grateful for LTA’s decision to retain service 167.

The 49-year-old started an online petition on Nov 21 urging the authority to do so.

In the petition signed by more than 760 people, he said 167 and 75 are lifelines for Tanjong Pagar, Everton Park and Spottiswoode Park residents, especially the elderly, and the changes would cause significant inconvenience.

While he was relieved that LTA changed its mind, Mr Lim said there was a feeling among residents that the decision to operate 167 at 30-minute intervals could be to reduce demand and justify the removal of the service down the road.

Security officer Mohd Shahid Mohd Sharif, 43, takes 167 daily from Chong Pang to get to work in Raffles Place. He is glad LTA listened to the public’s pleas.

“I’m so happy to hear 167 is continuing for now, hopefully for years to come,” he said.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak, MP for the Canberra division of Sembawang GRC, is also happy that LTA considered feedback from his residents and changed course on service 167, which he used to take as a student in the 1970s.

He said LTA had already done quite a bit to improve connectivity for Sembawang residents, including opening the TEL and injecting more capacity to bus services such as 169.

“That is why spending and subsidies for public transport have been rising,” he added. “Within that context, we support the rationalisation of services... but doing it in a way that minimises impact and inconvenience to our residents.”

Mr Glenc Soh, 24, who lives in Ang Mo Kio, hopes LTA will also consider keeping 162M, which he said is one of the few public transport options available at night after MRT services on the North-South Line end around 12.15am in the Orchard and Dhoby Ghaut areas.

Otherwise, the food delivery rider, who often works late in the city, hopes train services can be extended to make up for the loss of service.

“For 162M, the last bus is around 12.45am, and on weekends, it is even later, around 1am. So there are many people who end work late who are able to catch the bus home,” said Mr Soh.

“The other option is private-hire rides, which are very expensive nowadays.”