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Singapore late-night bus services to restart with private company venture

New services to cost S$4.50 a ride; will pass through CBD, Clarke Quay and newer estates

A&S Transit bus parked beside an orange bus stop in Singapore at night
A&S Transit bus parked beside a bus stop at night in Singapore (Photo: A&S Transit/Facebook)

SINGAPORE — Private bus charter company A&S Transit will be launching two new night bus services – named NS-1 and NS-2 - from Friday (27 January).

The company said that the new services will fill the gap previously occupied by NightRider and Nite Owl buses - services which were suspended in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 circuit break period and later discontinued in June 2022.

Operational routes and timings

Both services will start from the bus stop opposite the MAS Building in Shenton Way.

NS-1 will pass through the Central Business District (CBD), Clarke Quay, River Valley, Orchard Road and Little India, stopping at public bus stops along the way.

It will then pass through Ang Mo Kio and Sengkang before ending in Punggol, at the bus stop near Samudera LRT station.

Route map of NS-1 bus service
NS-1 bus service route map (Photo: A&S Transit/Facebook)

NS-2 will also pass through the CBD, Clarke Quay and Orchard Road, before hitting bus stops in Newton, Yishun and Sembawang.

The service will end in Woodlands at the bus stop outside Woodlands Train Checkpoint.

Route map of NS-2 bus service
NS-2 bus service route map (Photo: A&S Transit/Facebook)

Both services will operate at 45-minute intervals, with the first bus leaving Shenton Way at 11.30pm and the last bus leaving at 2.30am. More bus trips may be scheduled on the eve of public holidays.

A flat fee of $4.50 will be charged for passengers using EZ-Link cards. Customers paying by cash will be charged $5, and will need to provide the exact amount to the bus driver.

Seating capacity, manpower and reasons for decided routes

Both NS-1 and NS-2 services will be served by three diesel buses that A&S Transit acquired from SMRT in 2021.

Each bus has a seating capacity of 43 passengers. No standing passengers are allowed. A total of 10 bus drivers will be deployed to operate the two services.

An A&S Transit spokesman said the company had done prior research before deciding on the two new routes. The decided routes are targeted at newer estates with a potential of higher demand while still serving less accessible areas.

Future plans and propositions

Despite fuel and manpower costs rising by 70 per cent due to inflation, A&S Transit expects to break even within six months.

The company hopes to hire more young bus captains specifically for these two new bus services.

“We still have much to learn and improve upon, as this is our first foray into night bus services,” said its spokesman. “We hope to gather more insights on what the public is looking for in night bus services and to introduce more routes in future."

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