Tengah is getting two new bus services on the same day. The Land Transport Authority announced on 20 September 2026 that it will introduce three new bus services and enhance two existing ones under the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme (BCEP), and two of the new routes already have a firm start date: Services 873, 873M and 874 all begin on Sunday, 25 October 2026.
> Quick view: What: new bus Services 873, 873M and 874 from Tengah, plus Service 968 for Woodlands · When: 873, 873M and 874 from Sunday 25 October 2026; 968 not yet dated · Where: Tengah, Bukit Batok, Hillview, Choa Chu Kang and Woodlands · Cost: normal bus fares, no surcharge
Service 874: Tengah to Choa Chu Kang MRT
Service 874 runs as a loop, Tengah Int to Choa Chu Kang Avenues 1 and 4 to Choa Chu Kang MRT, and it is the one that finally gives Tengah a direct bus to Lot One and the Choa Chu Kang transport node. It leaves Tengah Bus Interchange along Tengah Park Avenue, picks up Bukit Batok Road and Brickland Road, then works through Choa Chu Kang Avenues 6, 1, 3 and 4 before looping at the station and coming back the same way.
| Service 874 | Detail |
|---|---|
| Route | Tengah Int to CCK Ave 1 and 4 to Choa Chu Kang MRT (Loop) |
| Starts | Sunday, 25 October 2026 |
| Calling stops | 24, plus Tengah Interchange at both ends |
| From Tengah Bus Interchange | 5.15am to 12 midnight, all days |
| From opp Choa Chu Kang Stn (stop 44531) | 5.15am to 1am, all days |
| Operator | Tower Transit |
Along the way it passes Sunshine Place, Concord Primary School, Chua Chu Kang Primary School and Bukit Panjang Government High School, so it doubles as a school bus route for a stretch of Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4.
The detail worth circling: the last bus from the Choa Chu Kang side leaves at 1am, a full hour after the last one out of Tengah at midnight. If you are coming home late from Choa Chu Kang MRT or Lot One, you have an extra hour of margin. Going the other way, you do not.
Services 873 and 873M: Tengah to Bukit Gombak, Hume and Hillview
These two run as a pair, and LTA's own poster spells out the catch: Service 873 and Service 873M operate on alternate trips.
| Service | Route | From Tengah Bus Interchange |
|---|---|---|
| 873 | Tengah Int to Bt Gombak MRT to Hume MRT (Loop) | 5.30am to 11.30pm, all days |
| 873M | Tengah Int to Bt Gombak MRT to Bt Batok St 52 (Loop) | 5.45am to 11.15pm, all days |
Service 873 is the long one. It runs Tengah to Bukit Gombak MRT, then out along Bukit Batok East Avenue 2 to Hillview Avenue, Hume Avenue and Upper Bukit Timah Road, serving Hume MRT, Hillview MRT, HillV2 and The Rail Mall before heading back. Service 873M covers the shared Tengah to Bukit Gombak leg, then turns back at Bukit Batok Street 52.
Because they alternate, only every second bus is a 873 that goes all the way to Hillview. The combined frequency out of Tengah looks generous on paper; the frequency to Hume and Hillview is effectively half of it. Check the number on the bus, not just the queue.
Both routes serve Dunearn Secondary School, HomeTeamNS Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak Stadium on the shared section.
What the two Tengah services actually unlock
Put together, 873, 873M and 874 connect Tengah to two MRT lines rather than one:
- North-South Line at Choa Chu Kang (Service 874) and Bukit Gombak (873 and 873M)
- Downtown Line at Hume and Hillview (Service 873 only)
Choa Chu Kang also gives you the Bukit Panjang LRT, so Service 874 opens up the LRT loop for Tengah residents without a transfer at Bukit Panjang.
Woodlands: Service 968 for the RTS Link
The third new service is Service 968, which LTA says is being introduced to support the opening of the RTS Link Woodlands North station. It will run from Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange, connecting residents to Woodlands North, Woodlands South and Admiralty MRT stations.
There is no start date. LTA has not published the route map, the operating hours or the fares for 968, saying only that more details will be shared closer to the implementation date. Treat it as confirmed but unscheduled.
Already running: Service 381 to Punggol Coast
One of the two enhancements is not upcoming at all, it has been live since 13 September 2026. Service 381 has been extended from Punggol East to Punggol Coast, giving more residents a direct ride to the Punggol Coast Integrated Transport Hub and the amenities around it: Punggol Coast MRT station, Punggol Coast Mall and the SIT campus, with Punggol Polyclinic en route.
The other enhancement: LTA will add more trips to City Direct Service 674 (the peak-period Tengah to CBD express via the AYE) and to Service 861, to add capacity and cut waiting times. Details for both are still to come.
Shuttle buses shadowing the Jurong Region Line, 2027
LTA also confirmed it will introduce interim shuttle buses for Jurong Region Line commuters from mid to end 2027, ahead of JRL Stage 1 opening. The shuttles will broadly follow the JRL route and connect commuters to key station locations, with fewer stops for shorter journey times.
For context on why an interim service is needed at all: LTA said in March 2026 that, based on construction progress, an additional six months were required, so JRL Stage 1 will open around mid-2028 rather than the original end-2027 target. The shuttle buses are the stopgap for that delay.
The programme behind it
The BCEP launched in July 2024. LTA says that since then it has introduced 37 new and extended bus services and enhanced 76 existing services through extra capacity or wider coverage, and that about 311,000 commuters benefit from BCEP enhancements every day. For a sense of the pace: in February 2026 the same programme counted 27 new and extended services, 62 enhanced ones and about 244,000 daily commuters.
What it means for you
- Tengah residents: mark 25 October. Service 874 is your direct link to Choa Chu Kang MRT and Lot One; 873 is your direct link to the Downtown Line at Hillview and Hume. Remember that only alternate 873 trips go the full distance.
- Late-night travellers: Service 874 runs from the Choa Chu Kang side until 1am, which is the most useful single fact in this announcement.
- Bukit Batok and Hillview residents: 873 is a new cross-town option to Bukit Gombak and Tengah that does not exist today.
- Woodlands residents: Service 968 is coming with the RTS Link Woodlands North station, but nothing is bookable or plannable yet.
- Punggol residents: Service 381 already reaches Punggol Coast, since 13 September.
Fares are ordinary distance-based bus fares. Route details, operating hours and bus stop codes are set by LTA and the operator and can change, so check the LTA news release or Tower Transit before you plan a trip. Tower Transit Customer Care is on 1800-248-0950, 7.30am to 1am.
Related
- SimplyGo's Morning Pre-Peak Discount Failed on 20 and 21 August
- Apple Pay Express Transit on the MRT and LRT
- WTS9 Cross-Border Bus: Changi Airport to Johor Bahru
- New Land Transport Bill: PMD and E-Bike Battery Rules
- BTO vs Resale vs EC in Singapore
*Source: Land Transport Authority news release "Improved Bus Connectivity for Commuters with More Services and Enhancements", 20 September 2026, and its Annex A and Annex B; JRL Stage 1 timeline from LTA's March 2026 release on the next phase of rail development. Routes, timings and dates are set by LTA and the bus operator and can change. Cover image: LTA official Service 873 and Service 874 publicity posters (Annex B).*
