ONE.MOTORING - Full-day Bus Lanes

In This Section

Extension of Full-Day Bus Lane Scheme
Faster Bus Journeys with Bus Lanes
Normal and Full-Day Bus Lanes
Operation Hours for Normal and Full-Day Bus Lanes
Vehicles Allowed in Bus Lanes
Do's and Don'ts in Bus Lanes during Restricted Hours
List of Location with Extended Full-Day Bus Lane Scheme
On-board Bus Lane Enforcement Video Cameras
Penalty
Related Information

Launched in 1974, the bus lane scheme gives buses priority on the roads, enabling the buses to enter and exit stops more smoothly and providing faster rides for commuters. To further improve bus speeds and promote the use of public transport, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) launched the full-day bus lane scheme along Orchard Road in October 2005.

Surveys conducted showed that the most important aspects of the bus journey for commuters are waiting time and travelling time. As buses are more efficient carriers of commuters, with a higher number of passengers per unit road space as compared to other vehicles such as cars, it is necessary to give priority to buses so that more commuters reach their destinations on time. For instance, a single-deck bus can carry 130 people versus an average of 88 cars required to carry the same number of people.

Extension of Full-Day Bus Lane Scheme

Since the implementation of the full-day bus lane scheme in Orchard Road, average bus speeds have improved, with non-peak bus speeds increasing by 10% on weekdays, and 23% on Saturdays. Following its success, LTA is implementing the full-day bus lane scheme at more areas.

From 2 June 2008, full-day bus lanes were extended to 11 new locations in the CBD. From 28 July 2008, the normal bus lanes on three stretches along Orchard Road, Orchard Boulevard and Serangoon Road will also be converted to full-day bus lanes. Both with the aim of ensuring that buses will be able to give commuters a faster and smoother journey with less interruption on the road.

The full-day bus lane scheme operates from 7.30am to 8pm on all weekdays and Saturdays, except public holidays.

Faster Bus Journeys with Bus Lanes

Along the 5 stretches in the city at Eu Tong Sen Street, Somerset Road, Victoria Street, Hill Street and Bras Basah Road where full-day bus lanes were implemented in 2007, we have seen improvement in bus speeds by as much as about 12%.

Feedback received from bus commuters and bus captains also show that they have experienced faster bus journeys on stretches with dedicated bus lanes.

The improved bus travelling speeds help make the bus commute a more attractive and pleasant option and encourages more commuters to take public transport.

Normal and Full-Day Bus Lanes

Operation Hours for Normal and Full-Day Bus Lanes

Days	Operation Hours for Normal Bus Lanes	Operation Hours for Full-Day Bus Lanes
Mondays to Fridays	7.30am to 9.30am 5.00pm to 8.00pm	7.30am to 8.00pm
Saturdays	Not applicable	7.30am to 8.00pm
Sundays and Public Holidays	Not applicable	Not applicable

Vehicles Allowed in Bus Lanes

Other vehicles are not allowed to drive on the bus lane except emergency service and police vehicles. Non-scheduled buses such as school and factory buses may also use the bus lane. However, they are not allowed to stop, pick up or let their passengers alight along bus lanes.

Do's and Don'ts in Bus Lanes during Restricted Hours

Do keep out of the bus lanes

Do filter in and turn left at the dotted bus lanes only

Do not stop, pick up or let passengers alight along bus lanes

List of Location with Extended Full-Day Bus Lane Scheme

Road Name	Start	End
Bencoolen Street	Rochor Road	Bras Basah Road
Bras Basah Road	Prinsep Street	Beach Road
Collyer Quay	Fullerton Road	Marina Boulevard
Eu Tong Seng Street	Outram Road	River Valley Road, towards Kallang Road
Fullerton Road	Esplanade Drive	Collyer Quay
Grange Road	Somerset Road	Devonshire Road
Hill Street	Stamford Road	River Valley Road
Hill Street	River Valley Road	Stamford Road
Jalan Besar**	Kelantan Road	Rochor Canal Road
Kallang Road (towards City)**	Geylang Road	Victoria Bridge
Kallang Road (towards Geylang)**	Horne Road	Sims Avenue
New Bridge Road	River Valley Road	Upper Cross Street
North Bridge Road**	Crawford Street	Rochor Road
North Bridge Road	Rochor Road	Parliament Place
Orchard Boulevard*	Grange Road	Paterson Road
Orchard Road*	Orange Grove Road	Anguilia Park
Orchard Road	Scotts Road	Handy Road
Penang Road / Somerset Road	Clemenceau Ave	Orchard Turn
Robinson Road	Maxwell Road	Finlayson Green
Serangoon Road*	Buffalo Road	Balestier Road
Shenton Way	Boon Tat Street	Maxwell Road
South Bridge Road	Circular Road	Cross Street
Victoria Street	Rochor Road	Stamford Road
Victoria Street	Bras Basah Road	Lavender Street, towards Kallang Road
Victoria Street (towards City)**	Victoria Bridge	Rochor Road

* From 28 July 2008
** From 11 August 2008

On-board Bus Lane Enforcement Video Cameras

To ensure that the bus lane scheme remain effective in improving travel time for buses, LTA introduced the use of on-board bus lane enforcement cameras from 2 June 2008 onwards.

Ninety buses across 12 SBS Transit bus services that ply along routes with bus lanes will be fitted with video cameras which will be used to record bus lane infringements. The cameras will work in tandem with the current warden scheme and ensure that bus lanes remain clear during operating hours.

This system requires little intervention by the driver as the video is set to continuously monitor the road in front of the bus. The video camera also allows LTA officers to assess the circumstances more accurately if motorists are caught on video infringing bus lanes.

LTA will review the use of cameras and extend them to more bus services, if they prove to be effective in keeping the bus lanes clear for bus travel.

"To make public transport a competitive option to the car, we must continue to improve the travel experience of public transport commuters. We want to encourage more people to choose public transport as a travel mode during peak hours to reduce congestion on the roads. Thus, we hope motorists will appreciate and understand the rationale behind our measures and help us give priority to buses," said Mr Yam Ah Mee, Chief Executive, Land Transport Authority.

Penalty

Rule 8 of the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Rules - Driving or leaving vehicle in bus lane during restricted hours:

Composition fine of $130
Up to a maximum Court fine of $1,000 or 3 months of imprisonment (if the offence is not compounded and offender is convicted in Court for the first time)