A new free community shuttle bus service will begin Jul. 8, catering to residents in the Marine Parade Cluster.

The new service will run through all seven districts of the Marine Parade Cluster — Mountbatten, MacPherson, Geylang Serai, Marine Parade, Kembangan-Chai Chee, Braddell Heights, and Joo Chiat.

It was launched on Jun. 30 by the advisers of the Marine Parade GRC, MacPherson SMC and Mountbatten SMC.

The service was designed to "enhance accessibility and connectivity for residents", particularly the elderly, by providing direct access to essential amenities like polyclinics, markets, hawker centres, MRT stations, and heartland businesses.

"Given the strong demand and potential benefits for the residents, it is expected that over half a million rides will be taken on this community driven initiative over the one-year pilot," said the People's Association and South East Community Development Council in a press release on Jun. 30.

Seven routes

The shuttle service will run during off-peak hours on Mondays through Fridays from 10am to 4pm, excluding public holidays.

There will be seven routes, with five or six stops per route.

The frequency of the buses ranges from 45 to 75 minutes per loop.

As this service is for Marine Parade Cluster Residents only, residents can register by downloading the TongTar Riders app and signing up for the WeCare Shuttle Bus Service.

The app will generate a barcode that verifies users as Marine Parade Cluster residents, which must be scanned when boarding a bus.

The app can also be used to track the bus's real-time location. Residents are told to be at the pick-up points five to seven minutes before, and actual times may vary due to traffic conditions.

Residents can also register for a physical card for the shuttle bus at nine community centres (CCs): Braddell Heights CC, Geylang Serai CC, Joo Chiat CC, Kampong Ubi CC, Katong CC, MacPherson CC, Marine Parade CC, Mountbatten CC, and Siglap South CC.

Reservation for the service began on Jun. 30.

Joo Chiat Member of Parliament (MP) Edwin Tong shared that they planned the routes with the residents' convenience in mind while "balancing the efficient use of resources and the needs of other road users in the area."

"By empowering residents with better access to different parts of the region, we are helping them maintain closer ties with their friend and loved ones, and to age well independently and in-place," he said.

Marine Parade MP Tan See Leng added that the "seamless connectivity between frequented locations in the cluster also makes businesses more accessible".

"We have designed the seven routes to allow residents to easily transfer between shuttle buses for routes with overlapping stops, enabling them to access different divisions within the cluster."

Top photos via Edwin Tong/Facebook & Tin Pei Ling/Facebook