SMRT City Direct Bus Service 656

SMRT City Direct Service 656 is a Weekday Peak Hour City Direct service between Sembawang and the CBD, passing through Sembawang Drive, Bras Basah and Shenton Way. It is the sixth City Direct route introduced under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP).

With the deployment of Double Decker buses from 2 June 2020, Morning Peak timings for City Direct 656 will be adjusted.

Route Overview
Route	[AM]: Canberra Road (Blk 424A CP) → Shenton Way (Opp MAS Bldg) [PM]: Anson Road (Mapletree Anson) → Canberra Road (Blk 508 CP)
Passes Through	Admiralty Link, Sembawang Dr, Dhoby Ghaut
Route Length	Towards Shenton Way: 28.3 km						Towards Canberra Rd: 28.6 km
Traveling Time	64 – 79 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	TBC
Current Operator	SMRT Buses Ltd
Current Depot	Ang Mo Kio Bus Depot (AMDEP)
Current Fleet	12-metre Double Deck Buses – MAN A95 12-metre Single Deck Buses – MAN A22
Operating Hours
Departure Times from Canberra Rd	Weekdays, except Public Holidays
	07:20 – 07:40
Departure Times from Anson Rd	Weekdays, except Public Holidays
	18:10 – 18:25
Operating Frequency
From Canberra Rd	20 mins
From Anson Rd	15 mins
Fare Information
Fare	Charges express distance fares

City Direct Service 656 provides residents of Sembawang with greater connectivity to the CBD. Running parallel to existing rail lines, the service provides a travel alternative for commuters who relied on the rail network and feeder buses to and from work. The route incorporates an express sector between Sembawang Avenue and Dhoby Ghaut via SLE and CTE.

This is the sixth City Direct service to be introduced under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), providing more options for commuters using stretches of the existing rail lines that experience persistently high ridership, while the ongoing rail enhancement measures are being implemented.

MRT Stations Served

• NS11 Sembawang
• NS24NE6CC1 Dhoby Ghaut
• DT21 Bencoolen
• CC2 Bras Basah
• CC3 Esplanade
• NS25EW13 City Hall
• NS26EW14 Raffles Place
• EW15 Tanjong Pagar

Departure Timings

Weekdays (except Public Holidays)

• Morning Peak from Canberra Road (Blk 424A CP):
  07:20 & 07:40
• Evening Peak from Anson Road (Mapletree Anson):
  18:10 & 18:25

Gallery:

Poster Gallery:

Operator History:

• 17 Feb 2014 – 14 Apr 2017: Loh Gim Chong Transport
• 17 Apr 2017 onward: SMRT Buses Ltd

History:

• 2014 (17 Feb): Introduced between Canberra Rd (Blk 424A CP) and Shenton Way (Opp MAS Bldg) during morning peak hours and between Anson Rd (Hub Synergy Pt) and Canberra Rd (Blk 508 CP) during evening peak hours as a peak hour one-directional service on weekdays under the BSEP.
• 2015 (23 Mar): Serves new bus stop (03241) instead of (03222) along Anson Rd
• 2017 (20 Nov): Start of non-regular double-decker bus operations
• 2020 (08 Apr – 01 Jun): Temporarily suspended due to Singapore COVID-19 Circuit Breaker Measures.
• 2020 (02 Jun): Start of regular double-decker bus operations for morning peak

Past Routings

Changes in Departure Times:

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