SINGAPORE: The Marine Parade free shuttle bus service, launched in July 2024 as a one-year pilot project, will cease operations when its contract ends on 20 November 2025, according to a Facebook post by Marine Parade grassroots organisations on 13 October 2025.
The organisers stated that after reviewing ridership feedback and resource allocation, they had decided not to extend the service, saying funds would instead be channelled “in a more targeted manner”.
“We are mindful of how this may affect residents who are currently using the service,” the post said. “We will soon be engaging affected residents and share more about our next steps going forward.”
A year-long pilot with mixed usage
The free shuttle bus project served residents of the former Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC), MacPherson, and Mountbatten constituencies.
The pilot cost around S$1 million to operate, with S$200,000 contributed by a seed grant from the South East Community Development Council (CDC) and the remainder funded through donations, according to then-Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Alvin Tan.
At the time of launch, the grassroots organisations reported “steady usage across most routes”.
Adjustments were made in January 2025 to optimise operations, and the contract was subsequently extended to the current end date.
“We are heartened that residents found the service useful for last-mile connections between their neighbourhoods and community nodes during off-peak hours,” the statement added.
Political debate over bus designs
Despite its community-oriented goals, the shuttle service attracted controversy after Workers’ Party (WP) Member of Parliament Gerald Giam questioned the appearance of caricatures of PAP MPs on the buses.
During a 7 August 2024 parliamentary sitting, Giam argued that the use of such imagery blurred the line between public services and political promotion.
“Why are Grassroots Advisors who are also People’s Action Party Members of Parliament fronting this service, for example, having their caricatures painted on the side of the buses… when public transport should be provided by the Government through the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and its operators?” he asked.
In response, Alvin Tan clarified that the bus designs included “local landmarks familiar to residents”, such as Wisma Geylang Serai and Old Airport Road Hawker Centre, alongside caricatures of MPs to help residents “identify the buses”.
Then-Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong also defended the design in a written reply, noting that it mirrored other grassroots programmes that display banners featuring their advisors.
Former Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong later commented on social media, questioning the inclusion of politicians’ faces, writing wryly, “I can understand how buildings can be landmarks—are faces landmarks too?”
Questions over ridership and value
Some residents have since raised concerns about low ridership, with anecdotal reports of near-empty buses during several time slots.
Critics questioned whether the pilot achieved its intended outcomes in addressing “last-mile” transport gaps.
Grassroots organisers said they “regularly soliciting feedback” from users and non-users alike to guide future community initiatives.
While the service’s discontinuation may inconvenience some residents, organisers emphasised that the resources would be repurposed to other community support schemes.
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