New shuttle bus service to serve residents in Marine Parade GRC, MacPherson, Mountbatten

SINGAPORE - A new shuttle bus service will be rolled out from July 8 to connect residents living in areas such as Marine Parade and Joo Chiat to amenities including MRT stations, polyclinics and hawker centres.

The free service will ply the roads from 10am to 4pm on weekdays, excluding public holidays, and serve residents in Marine Parade GRC, MacPherson and Mountbatten.

Each of the seven wards in these constituencies will be served by one shuttle bus, which can seat 22 passengers and will arrive at intervals of about one hour – the time it takes for the buses to complete their route.

The initiative, which will be reviewed after one year, is by the People’s Association and MPs of Marine Parade GRC, MacPherson and Mountbatten.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong said the aim is to improve connectivity for residents in the various constituencies.

The bus routes and stops were planned based on feedback from residents garnered through engagements such as dialogues and walkabouts, he added.

“Even with a very widespread (transport) system of public buses and MRTs, there is sometimes a gap, and that gap can translate into something that is quite difficult, especially if you are a senior,” said Mr Tong, who is MP for the Joo Chiat ward of Marine Parade GRC.

Each route makes five to seven stops at places frequently visited by residents like polyclinics, as well as destinations that seniors and individuals with mobility issues might find hard to reach because of walking distance, he said.

The shuttle service in Joo Chiat, for instance, will include stops at Eunos Polyclinic, Marine Terrace MRT station, which opened on June 23 along with six other Thomson-East Coast Line stations, and Kembangan MRT station.

A signboard will be placed at all stops along the routes so that residents can identify them.

Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said that besides improving accessibility to different areas, the initiative aims to encourage social connectivity among elderly residents, given Singapore’s ageing population.

“In terms of productive longevity, it is about getting our elderly residents out of their houses (and to) build relationships and social spheres around them,” said Dr Tan, who is MP for Marine Parade in the GRC.

Stops located on more than one route will allow residents to transfer between services so that they can travel to different constituencies. For instance, Eunos Polyclinic is a stop on four of the seven routes.

From June 30, residents can register for the service via the app TongTar Riders, which will generate a barcode that they must scan upon boarding a bus.

Residents can register for the service via the app TongTar Riders, which will generate a barcode that they must scan upon boarding a bus. ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN

During registration, residents must use their postal codes to verify that they live in eligible constituencies.

They can also register for a physical card – for tapping a card reader upon boarding the bus – at nine community centres or clubs.

These are Braddell Heights Community Club, Geylang Serai Community Club, Joo Chiat Community Club, Kampong Ubi Community Centre, Katong Community Centre, MacPherson Community Club, Marine Parade Community Club, Mountbatten Community Centre and Siglap South Community Centre.

Residents can register for a physical card -- for tapping a card reader upon boarding the bus -- at nine community centres or clubs. ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN

The app will display the real-time location of the buses and the amount of time they will take to reach a stop.

A colour-coded system will signal how crowded buses are – with green indicating a high number of vacant seats. Amber means the bus is moderately filled, while red means most seats are taken.

While residents will get priority for the buses, non-residents, such as those who are the caregivers of residents, may be allowed to board the buses, depending on factors like the availability of seats.

Retiree Noeline Gomes, who lives in Kembangan-Chai Chee, said she plans to use the service to explore stops along the route for leisure.

Retiree Maggie Cheng, 73, who lives in Geylang Serai, said the shuttle bus will make visits to Eunos Polyclinic more convenient and save time. She would otherwise have to spend 20 minutes walking there, as no buses go from her home to the clinic.

“I hope next time, they extend (the operating hours of the service),” she said.