Link to Press Release

SBS Transit (Singapore) recently announced a route change to Bus Service 14 which currently operates from Clementi Interchange to Bedok Interchange, passing by multiple schools along Dover Road. The route change includes the skipping of the bus stops of the schools along Dover Road.

I feel that the announced route change does not help the commuters at Buona Vista MRT station greatly, as announced in the press release, yet it brings great inconvenience to the residents and students living and studying along Dover Road and Dover Avenue.

Firstly, the amendment to the current Service 14 will not substantially benefit commuters at Buona Vista MRT and the immediate vicinity. Many of the stops covered by Service 14 are already covered by other buses stopping at Buona Vista. These include Service 32, 111, 147 and 196. Most commuters that will benefit from the route change can already take a direct bus from Buona Vista Station, and thus will not greatly benefit from this change.

Conversely, all the skipped bus stops do not have an alternative bus route for travel to significant portions of the east of Singapore. Commuters in the affected area lose a direct bus to East Coast Road (from 92109 to 94079), Bedok Road, New Upp Changi Road and Tanah Merah MRT station. Route 14 is also only one of the 2 routes going to Clementi MRT, compared to being 1 of the 6 bus routes going to Clementi MRT from Buona Vista.

These changes to Service 14 may cause more parents to send their children to school by private transport daily, worsening the already atrocious jam along Dover Road in the morning and afternoon. Given that 6 schools will have bus stops skipped, this will leave hundreds more cars travelling to the Dover Road area, going against the government's vision of a Car-Lite Singapore.

Case Study - A regular commuter from Buona Vista Stn Exit D and Opp ACS Boarding School both want to take the bus to Telok Kurau. Without service 14, the BNV commuter can still use direct bus 32, while the ACS commuter has to take 196 and then change bus to get there.

Since there are already several bus services along North Buona Vista road heading towards Buona Vista MRT station (92, 95, 200), the amendment will only further duplicate the existing services and worsen the already horrendous jam at Buona Vista Station during the morning/evening peak.

Due to the above reasons, I don't believe that the route switch is justified and that it has more detriments than advantages.

Thank you for reading this!