New trunk service 967 in Woodlands starts operations

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.

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.

Ms Nur Eliyana, who lives near Marsiling MRT station, decided to try service 967 as it stops in Woodlands Street 41, where her in-laws live.

Before the launch of the new service, the 40-year-old, who works as a purchaser at a shipping company, would typically take 15 minutes to walk to her in-laws’ home.

She said she will consider taking the bus in future.

“This route also goes directly to the Woodlands Health Campus, so it will be useful for me,” she said.

To mark the start of the bus service, a launch event was held on Jan 12 at Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange. Certificates and memorabilia were given out to more than 100 attendees, including throngs of bus enthusiasts.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MPs Zaqy Mohamad and Hany Soh said the new route will especially benefit those living in Woodgrove, where there is limited public transport connectivity.

“Many residents have been requesting this service for some time,” said Mr Zaqy, who is also Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower.

Woodgrove is a division of Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, bounded by Woodlands Avenue 3, Woodlands Avenue 4, Woodlands Avenue 7, Mandai Road and the Bukit Timah Expressway.

For residents of Marsiling ward, which Mr Zaqy represents, service 967 will provide greater accessibility to medical care, as it stops near Woodlands Polyclinic and the Woodlands Health Campus, which opened in July 2024.

“That’s one of the major factors why this service is very useful,” he said.

Ms Soh, who represents Woodgrove ward, said some of her residents have elderly parents living in Marsiling and Admiralty.

Previously, they had to transfer between two bus services, even though Woodlands Avenue 1 offers a straight route between these places.

Before Jan 12, the Woodgrove estate near Woodlands Avenue 1 was primarily served by services 912, 912B and 913M. Service 912M, which plied Woodlands Avenue 1 during weekday peak periods, was discontinued on Jan 10 in tandem with the launch of service 967.

Ms Soh said service 967 will improve public transport connections to several schools in her ward, bringing greater convenience for families with young children. The new service also stops at amenities such as the Woodgrove Community Centre and Marsiling Mall.

When asked if other parts of the constituency’s public bus network could be improved, Mr Zaqy said one area he is looking at is how traffic jams near Woodlands Checkpoint have impacted some of the feeder bus services.

Ms Soh pointed to previous questions she had filed in Parliament, including one on Jan 7 about whether LTA would consider starting a new dedicated feeder service between the checkpoint and Woodlands interchange.

In response, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said there is still sufficient capacity on the six bus services that currently operate between the checkpoint and the Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub.

With more housing projects coming up in Marsiling and Woodgrove, Mr Zaqy said he expects the demographics in the two estates to change, which means bus service requirements will change too.

Upcoming Build-To-Order projects there include the 1,540-unit Woodgrove Ascent and the 1,127-unit Woodgrove Edge.