SINGAPORE – The free shuttle bus service for residents of Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC and Mountbatten will cease operations after its current contract ends on Nov 20.
Announcing this in a Facebook post on Oct 13, the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC and Mountbatten SMC said they decided not to extend the current contract beyond Nov 20 and will “redirect the resources in a more targeted manner”.
which began in July 2024
, will cease after about 16 months of operations.
The WeCare Shuttle Service plies seven routes for the residents of Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC’s five wards – Marine Parade, Kembangan, Geylang Serai, Braddell Heights and MacPherson – and Mountbatten SMC during off-peak hours from 10am to 4pm on weekdays, excluding public holidays.
The move comes after considering feedback received, as well as “other factors” in their latest review, said both constituencies, without elaborating.
They added: “We are mindful of how this may affect residents who are currently using the service. As such, we will soon be engaging affected residents and also share more about our next steps going forward.”
Noting that there were some residents who found the service useful for last-mile connections between places in their community and their homes at off-peak hours, the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC and Mountbatten SMC said they have been observing ridership patterns, while regularly soliciting feedback from residents. They include residents who enjoy using the service and those who have not tried it.
The service makes stops at markets, food centres and polyclinics, with routes planned based on residents’ feedback.
Within the first few weeks of the service’s launch, about 1,000 residents were reported to have taken the shuttle service each week.
Some routes had also been adjusted and stops added in January.
In April, Manpower Minister and then Marine Parade GRC MP Tan See Leng said a few of the routes were being utilised by residents on a very regular basis.
Dr Tan, who became an MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC after the General Election in May, added that they had found them helpful in getting to polyclinics, wet markets and hawker centres, as well as town council and Housing Board offices.
about $1 million a year to operate
, with the South East Community Development Council (CDC) having provided a one-off $200,000 seed grant to support the pilot scheme.
The remaining 80 per cent or so comes from donations raised by the CDC, and by the respective grassroots organisations, then Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Alvin Tan told Parliament in August 2024.
Opposition MPs had questioned in Parliament the
Government’s approach to equity and fairness in the use of taxpayer-funded grants
to run the service.
They had also asked why the MPs for the Marine Parade cluster were fronting the free shuttle, with their caricatures on one side of the buses.
Mr Tan had said featuring people and landmarks on the buses that are familiar to residents would help with identifying the vehicles. In addition to the drawings of the MPs’ faces, the shuttle buses also bear images of landmarks in the area, such as the Wisma Geylang Serai community hub.
