The planned removal of key bus services in Bukit Panjang – including the only two linking the area to the city – has touched a raw nerve among residents.
From Aug 16, bus services 700 and 700A – which link Bukit Panjang to areas such as Orchard, Bras Basah and Shenton Way – will stop plying, while service 171 – which links Yishun to Marina Centre and passes Bukit Panjang – will be shortened.
Service 972 – which links Bukit Panjang to Orchard Road – will be re-routed to Newton MRT station.
The changes to these services, which ply along the MRT Downtown Line – which runs from Bukit Panjang to Expo in the east – were announced by operator SMRT on Monday afternoon (Aug 3).
Since Monday, three petitions have been put up to halt the planned changes. As of Tuesday afternoon, they have garnered more than 1,000 names.
Members of Parliament have weighed in on the issue, which has drawn more than 400 comments and been shared more than 900 times on Facebook as of Tuesday afternoon.
Bukit Panjang MP Liang Eng Hwa said on Facebook that he was “very disappointed” that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has decided to go ahead with the changes, which he described as drastic.
“We have been engaging LTA to find alternative solutions that will balance accessibility concerns for residents and optimal routes for bus service providers,” Mr Liang added. “Unfortunately, the bus planners at LTA are not open to our alternative suggestions. I am saddened that they have no regard on how these changes will impact our residents’ lives.