In a public announcement by SMRT, a total of four shuttle bus services will be replacing train services which will be operating shorter hours on the weekends of January. The shuttle bus services will run between designated drop-off points at affected train stations and charge full regular train fares. Unlike previously, there will be no free train-replacement services:
“During the early closure, late opening and full-day closure of these stations, two shuttle bus services, Shuttle 7 and Shuttle 81, will be available for commuters travelling between Aljunied and Pasir Ris MRT stations, and between Tanah Merah and Changi Airport MRT stations respectively. These shuttle bus services will stop at pick-up and drop-off points near the affected MRT stations.”
Table by SMRT
By charging for train-replacement services, SMRT is expected to make an estimated S$10 million in revenue from the additional income. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has earlier gave SMRT the green light to charge commuters for the services.
The bus services are also expected to be slower, depending on traffic conditions, and more crowded as the affected stations are all in the island’s most populous region in the east.