SINGAPORE: SBS Transit announced on Monday (Nov 18) that beginning from Dec 9, there will be a new express feeder to bring a faster connection to the Tampines town centre and transport hub for residents in the Tampines North and Tampines West areas.
“Service 298X will serve selected bus stops along the regular route of its parent service, Service 298,” SBS said in a Facebook post.
It will serve 15 selected bus stops and operate on weekdays during peak periods, except public holidays. Regular feeder service fares apply. It starts and ends at the Tampines North Bus Interchange.
SBS Transit’s poster below provides more details concerning the express feeder.
Service 298X is being launched under the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme (BCEP), introduced last July by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
From 2024 to 2032, an additional S$900 million was allocated under the BCEP for buying new buses, improving infrastructure, and operating new bus services.
According to transportguru.net, the following are initiatives under BCEP for bus services:
The improvement of bus services to address changing travel patterns, the introduction of more peak-hour express bus services, speeding up the introduction of new bus services in new estates, and the introduction of “express feeder” bus services.
This new concept of express feeders was launched specifically for people far away from major transport nodes and town centres.
Express feeders take more direct routes with fewer intermediate stops than regular feeder bus service, meaning shorter travel time for these residents.
For example, Service 298X will only stop at a few bus stops along Tampines Ave 4 and Tampines Ctrl 1: Bus Stops 76559 and 76551 and Bus Stops 76149 and 76141.
Service 298X is Singapore’s first express feeder service.
A local Reddit user expressed relief at the announcement of Service 298X, saying that while the regular Service 298 takes a “huge” detour through older estates, the espresso feeder brings residents directly to the interchange.
“We have been asking for something to be done for the longest time,” they wrote, adding that as the buses are already full by the second or third stop out of Tampines North at peak hours, there’s no space for the older estates to board.
However, the commenter also wrote that the bus must pass through these areas because everyone gets down at Tampines Interchange.
The featured image above is from Land Transport Guru. /TISG
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