Yishun residents on Sept 15 welcomed the start of service 861, the first bus service under an initiative to improve public bus connectivity for those living in new developments and which is expected to cost up to $900 million.

Among those who tried out the new service on its first day were operations executive Ridzuan Danian and his wife, customer service executive Ashikin Chumino, who live in Yishun Street 42.

The couple, both 34, told The Straits Times that the new service lets them access the North-South MRT Line more easily. Previously, they were limited to Yishun MRT station, which is quite crowded during peak hours.

It also makes it easier to get to Ms Ashikin’s parents’ place, which is along the bus route, they added.

Service 861, which began operating at 5.30am on Sept 15, connects residents in Yishun East to Canberra and Khatib MRT stations.

Meant to improve last-mile connections for residents of Yishun and Sembawang, it also serves four schools as well as town amenities like Khatib Polyclinic.

The new service kicks off the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme, which the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced in July to meet greater demand for bus services stemming from the faster pace of housing development here in recent years.

The programme will see the authorities enhance the roll-out of bus services, so that earlier residents of new housing projects have access to public transport options without having to wait for more people to move in.

There will also be more peak-hour express bus services for those living farther from major transport nodes and more bus trips on certain routes under the programme, which is expected to cost up to $900 million over the next eight years.

Those who gave the new bus service a try on Sept 15 included Mr Derrick Goh, an MP for Nee Soon GRC. Mr Goh noted that the new service caters to residents living in newer developments in Yishun, such as Forest Spring, Meadow Spring, Casa Spring and Valley Spring, where residents have moved in over the last one or two years.

“Going forward, as more new flats are going to be built, I think more will be needed in terms of connectivity,” Mr Goh said.

By 2040, around 10,000 housing units will be ready in Chencharu, which is a new Housing Board development in Yishun bounded by Yishun Avenues 1 and 2 and Sembawang Road.

The first Build-To-Order project in Chencharu, consisting of 1,270 flats, was launched by HDB in June.

At the same time, the new service also helps older residents get to amenities like the polyclinic more easily, Mr Goh added.

Prior to the roll-out of bus service 861, residents relied mostly on service 801, which was introduced in 2022 and connects Yishun Avenue 1 with Yishun Bus Interchange.

But waits for the bus took up to 20 minutes on weekends, said Ms Felicia Hui, 35, who was also trialling the new service to get to Khatib MRT station with her husband.

Tower Transit Singapore, which runs the new service, said the bus will arrive in 10-minute intervals during peak hours, and intervals of up to 15 minutes during off-peak periods. The bus operator will work with LTA to adjust the frequency as things progress, said its spokesman.

Mr Goh said that grassroots volunteers have partnered LTA to show residents how to use smartphone apps to check bus arrival timings. LTA staff also join him during house visits to understand residents’ transport needs, he added.

Besides Yishun, other towns that will soon benefit from enhanced bus services are Punggol and Tampines. A City Direct Service for residents of Sumang in Punggol will start in October, while those living in Tampines North will from December get a more direct link to Tampines MRT station.

By end-2024, a bus service will be extended to connect residents in Toa Payoh East to the Thomson-East Coast and Circle lines at Caldecott MRT station. The LTA said that more of such adjustments will be made based on regular reviews of the bus network.

The launch of service 861 on Sept 15 drew more than 80 bus enthusiasts, who assembled at the bus stop outside Khatib MRT station at 11am. They had been invited by Tower Transit to catch a special bus ride that marked the start of the service.

Among the fans was 17-year-old Chow Tai Chong, a student living in Yishun East, who had already taken the first bus of the day from his home at 5.50am.

The bus fan said the new service gets him directly to Khatib and Canberra stations, while he previously had to change buses to reach either one. It also cuts his travelling time from 25 minutes to between 10 and 15 minutes.

Undergraduate Ong Jia Cheng, 21, made the trip to Sembawang Bus Interchange from his hostel at the National University of Singapore to try the route and capture videos for his social media channel.

He said a medium-distance trunk route like service 861 can be more useful than short-distance feeder services, because it can move people within the town while supporting those living in adjacent estates.

The service seemed quite well utilised on the morning of Sept 15, when he took the bus from Sembawang interchange towards Khatib MRT station, he added.

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