Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Evaluating Ridership Data of Express Feeder Bus Service 298X and Future Implementation for Trunk Bus Routes

Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Transport 

a.     what has been the ridership of the new express feeder Bus Service 298X compared to its parent Bus Service 298 since its introduction; and

b.     whether the Land Transport Authority will consider introducing express variants of trunk bus routes that will only call at selected bus stops along the route of the parent trunk bus service, instead of having this only for feeder bus services and, if not, why not.

Reply by Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat:

1.     Express feeder Service 298X was introduced less than a month ago on 9 December 2024 and its ridership has yet to stabilise.

2.     While express feeder services like Service 298X are a new service type introduced as part of the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme, express variants of trunk routes are not new. One example is Service 30e, which is an express variant of trunk Service 30, plying between Bedok and Pasir Panjang. Another example is Service 97e, an express variant of trunk Service 97 that plies between Jurong East and the Central Business District.