Connectivity boost for Woodlands residents with new bus service

A trip from his home in Champions Way to Woodlands Polyclinic, where he has a medical appointment every three months, would have required Mr Jefri Mohamed to take two different bus services, transferring at Woodlands interchange.

- Kok Yufeng

But the new trunk service 967, which began operations on Jan 12, provides a more direct bus route for the 50-year-old, who has permanent disabilities owing to heart failure and a bout of cancer.

Other residents in the area told The Straits Times that the new bus service helps reduce their travel time and offers them another option when using public transport.

Operated by SMRT, the new bus service starts at Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange and plies Woodlands Avenue 3 and Woodlands Avenue 1, making a loop at Woodlands Drive 17.

It runs at intervals of 12 to 15 minutes, with the first bus leaving the interchange at 5.30am and the last bus at 12.30am. Six buses and 11 drivers have been deployed on the route for a start.

The new service is the latest in a series of bus routes launched under the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme. The initiative, announced in July 2024, aims to improve the bus network to better serve new housing developments and meet shifting travel patterns.

Up to $900 million will be spent over eight years to buy more buses, hire additional staff and build new infrastructure so these planned improvements can be made.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has said more bus routes are in the pipeline for both new and old towns.