User Guide

Master your commute with SG Bus. Learn how to find your stop, keep the ones you use close at hand, and navigate Singapore like a pro.

Prefer to watch? Most sections below link to a short video, and all of them are on our How-To Videos page.

Getting Around

SG Bus has three tabs:

Nearby: the bus stops around you, on a map with the list under it.
Bookmarks: your saved stops, with live arrivals. The stops you opened recently are one tap away under Recent.
MRT/LRT Lines: every train line, the MRT map, and train service status.

The search button is beside the tabs on a phone (at the top on bigger screens). At the top of every tab is the graduation-cap button that opens the NUS and NTU campus shuttles, and the EZ-Link card and About buttons, in the ⋮ menu on a phone.

On a phone, tap the Bus Board button beside the tabs for a simpler view of the next buses; see Bus Board below.

The first time you open SG Bus, every setup step is optional: location only finds the stops near you (search works without it), and notifications can wait.

▶ Watch: Setting up SG Bus: every step is optional

Getting Started

Finding Nearby Bus Stops

Never wander looking for a stop again.

Open the Nearby tab: the map at the top has every bus stop within 500 m of you, each marked with its name and stop code. Zoom in and the buses heading to the nearest stops show live. Tap the full-screen button on the map for a closer look.
The list under the map: the same stops road by road, with each side of a road apart and the stops in the order you meet them along it.
Reading a row: each stop shows its name (Opp = opposite, Aft = after, Stn = station), its five-digit code (the same number as on the bus stop pole), how far it is, and an MRT logo when a train station is nearby.
Tap a stop to view its live arrival timings.
Tap an MRT station on the map to open its exits and amenities.
On campus: NUS and NTU campus stops also appear in the list and on the map.
Pro-Tip: Make sure Location Services are set to “Only while using the app” for the best experience. (The Android Nearby widget is the exception: it needs Allow all the time.)
Nearby can’t find you? Location may be blocked for SG Bus. Nearby tells you so: tap Open Settings, then Location, and choose While Using the App (on Android, Permissions › Location, then Allow only while using the app).

▶ Watch: Find the nearest bus stop • How to read the bus stop list • Nearby can’t find you? Unblock location

Reading the Bus Arrivals Screen

Each bus stop has one page with two parts, one after the other:

Bus Arrivals: the services with a bus on the way, with the time to each of the next buses, bus type and how full it is. Your bookmarked services at the stop come first, under Bookmarks.
NOT Available: below the arrivals, the services at this stop that have no bus coming right now. FIRST & LAST means it runs today, just not now; ONLY RUNS ON and NOT RUNNING tell you which days.

On each card:

The times: top left is the bus number, then the minutes to the next buses. Arr means the bus is under a minute away: step up and wave, as in Singapore you wave to stop the bus.
The line is the whole day: the green part runs from the first bus to the last, and the dot is now, so you can see at a glance whether you’ll make the last bus.
SCHEDULED (yellow): the bus isn’t tracked live, and its time comes from the timetable.
How full: the person icon is green for seats, amber for standing room, red for very full and grey for no data. Wait for the emptier bus if you’d rather sit.
Bus type: the bus icon shows single deck, double deck or bendy. The MRT logo means the bus calls at train stations later on, in their lines’ colours. There’s no wheelchair icon because every public bus in Singapore is wheelchair-accessible.
How fresh: the Live pill at the foot of the page says how long ago the times updated. While the page is open they refresh every 10 seconds, and you can also pull down to refresh. Times are estimates, so use them as a guide.

▶ Watch: What a bus arrival card tells you • What the icons mean • How fresh are the bus times? • Bus missing from the list? • Flag your bus early • Want a seat? • Will you make the last bus?

Customizing Your Arrival Screen

Your commute, your view. Tap the ⋮ (more) button at the top of the Bus Arrivals screen:

Cards or List: choose List view for a compact list, or Card view to switch back to cards.
2 vs 3 Bus Timings: choose Show 2 timings or Show 3 timings to see either the next two buses or the next three-perfect for planning your departure.
Adjust Text Size: tap one of the three Aa sizes on the last row of the same menu for comfortable reading; the whole app grows with it. On a tablet, the sizes are at the bottom of the side bar.

▶ Watch: See 3 bus timings, or switch to list view • Make the text bigger

Bus Board: Just the Next Buses

Only want to know what is coming? The Bus Board is the simple view of SG Bus.

Switch in: tap the Bus Board button beside the tabs (it moves to the ⋮ menu where there is no room). The first time, a short welcome shows how it works.
Your stop: the board shows the stop nearest you, its name and the walk to it, or the one you usually pick at that spot, such as the stop across the road. It needs your location to find the stop; if location is off, the board says where to turn it on.
The next buses: they are grouped by the minute they are due, soonest first, each bus number in a dot coloured by how full the bus is: seats, standing, full, or no info. Arriving means it is under a minute away.
One swipe per stop: swipe left or right for the next nearest stop. The dots show how many are near.
Always fresh: the times refresh every 10 seconds while the board is on screen, and the Live line at the foot says how long ago.
Coming back: back within 10 minutes, the board is as you left it. After that, it finds where you are and opens on your stop again.
From a widget: tap a Bus stop widget and the board opens on that stop, even one far from you. Swipe on to the stops near you, and back.
Back to the full app: tap Full app. SG Bus opens on whichever one you used last.

Live Bus Map

See where your bus is, not just when it comes.

Open it: tap the full-screen button on a bus stop’s map, or the ⋮ button on a bookmarked stop and choose Show live buses.
Find your stop: blue rings pulse around the stop for the first few seconds, until you touch the map.
Your services first: at a stop with bookmarked services, the map shows those. Tap the card at the top (Bookmarked services only) to see every service, and again to go back.
Zoom in to see the buses: buses show from a street-level zoom; further out, tap Zoom in to see the buses.
Reading a bus: its number is its service, its colour shows who runs it (purple for SBS Transit, red for SMRT, green for Tower Transit and Go-Ahead, and each campus’s own colour for the NUS and NTU shuttles), and its shape is single deck, double deck or bendy. The arrow on its roof points where it’s heading, coloured by how full it is: green for seats, amber for standing room, red for very full.
Tap a bus to see when it and the next one of its service arrive, and where it is going.
Buses off the screen: labels at the edge, such as 190: 6m, point the way to the next bus of each service; tap one to bring it into view. Show the next bus at the foot of the map does the same for the bus due soonest.
How fresh it is: positions come from LTA (and from each campus for the NUS and NTU shuttles). The full-screen map updates every 10 seconds, the smaller maps on a stop’s page, a route and Nearby every 15; in between, each bus moves along its road at the pace that gets it there on time. A bus not heard from for a minute fades.
On routes and Nearby: a route’s Route Map shows its buses moving along it, and its stop list places them between the stops; the Nearby map shows the buses heading to the stops around you.

▶ Watch: Where’s your bus right now? • What a bus on the live map tells you

Bookmarks & Recent Stops

Bookmarking a Stop

Keep your most-used stops organized.

Add a Bookmark: Tap the bookmark button at the top of any bus arrivals screen and choose the services you want to save.
See them at a glance: The Bookmarks tab shows the live arrivals of every stop you saved.
Just the stops: Tap the arrows to hide the bus times and see only your stops; tap them again to bring the times back.

▶ Watch: How to save your bus stop • Show or hide bus times in your Bookmarks

Recent Stops

Checked a stop once and want it again? No need to bookmark it.

Open the Bookmarks tab and tap the Recent button (it is in the ⋮ menu on a phone).
The last 10 bus stops you opened are listed there, latest first, each with how far away it is. A stop that is no longer served is taken off the list.
Tap any of them to jump straight back to its live arrivals.

▶ Watch: Back to a bus stop you checked earlier

Renaming, Pinning and Removing

Rename Your Stops: Tap the ⋮ button on the stop’s arrivals screen, or on a bookmarked stop, and select “Rename bus stop.” Label them “Home,” “Office,” or “Gym” for instant recognition.
Pin to Top: On the Bookmarks tab, tap the ⋮ button on a stop and select “Pin to top.” Pinned stops always appear at the top of your bookmarks for instant access.
Unpin: Tap the ⋮ button on a pinned stop and select “Unpin.” The stop will return to its normal position in your bookmarks list.
Remove: Tap the ⋮ button on a stop and select “Remove.” You can add it back any time from its stop page.

▶ Watch: Rename your bus stop to “Home” • Pin your daily bus stop to the top

Bus Routes

Tap any bus service number to see where it goes.

Map and List: The Route Map at the top shows the whole route drawn on the map, with its buses moving along it; tap its full-screen button for a closer look. Under it, the list has every stop in order (Int = bus interchange), and each bus sits between the stops it is travelling between.
Where it came from: The stops before yours are tucked away at the top of the list; tap to show them. Tap any stop on the route to see its buses.
Other Direction: Use the direction button on the route’s header to flip to the other direction.
Other routes: Where services share a number, such as 7, 7A and 7B, the Other routes button in the bar lists them, each with its ends and today’s first and last bus. Tap one to open it.
Transfers: Stops that connect to MRT stations are marked, so you can see where to change.

▶ Watch: See every stop your bus makes • Where does your bus come from?

NUS & NTU Shuttles

The NUS Internal Shuttle Bus and NTU’s campus loops, in the same app as your public buses.

Open a shuttle: tap the graduation-cap button at the top of any tab and choose NUS Shuttle or NTU Shuttle. Or search for nus or ntu and tap the shuttle at the top of the results.
Find a campus stop: search for its name, such as UTown or COM 3 at NUS, or Hall 2 or Nanyang Heights at NTU.
Bus Stops: every campus stop, nearest first (NUS: the Kent Ridge and Bukit Timah campuses; NTU: the Yunnan Garden campus). Tap the expand button beside Bus Stops to see each stop’s live shuttle timings in place, with how crowded each bus is, or tap a stop to open it on its own.
Bus Services: every route (NUS: A1, A2, D1, D2, K, P, R1 and R2; NTU: Campus Loop Red, Campus Loop Blue, Campus Rider and Campus Weekend Rider) with where it runs and today’s first and last bus. Tap one to follow it stop by stop, with its Route Map drawn above the list.
Which route? At NUS, only route P goes to the Bukit Timah campus, on weekdays. At NTU, Campus Loop Red and Blue go round the campus in opposite directions; Campus Rider runs to and from Pioneer MRT on weekdays, and Campus Weekend Rider takes over at weekends and on public holidays.
Public holidays: Bus Services follows Singapore’s public holidays, so it shows the real hours for the day; ⊗ means a route isn’t running today.
Bookmark a campus stop: tap the ⋮ button on a stop and choose Add to bookmarks, or the bookmark button at the top of the stop’s page. It joins your other bookmarks, and can be pinned and renamed the same way.
Shared stops: where a campus stop is also a public bus stop, such as Kent Ridge MRT or NTU’s Hall 2, opening the public stop shows the shuttles beside the public buses, marked with a graduation cap.

▶ Watch (NUS): When’s the next NUS shuttle? • How to read an NUS shuttle stop • Which shuttle goes to your faculty? • Which shuttle goes to Bukit Timah? • Shuttle or public bus at Kent Ridge MRT • Pin your shuttle stop • Shuttles on a public holiday

▶ Watch (NTU): When’s the next NTU shuttle? • Which NTU shuttle do you take?

MRT & LRT

Navigate the train network with ease.

Lines: The MRT/LRT Lines tab lists every line. Tap one to see all its stations along the track, then tap a station for its exits, amenities and nearby places.
Check Live Status: Each line shows how it is running, and Train status under the lines lists any disruptions, delays or planned works; if there are none, it says all lines are running normally.
MRT Map: The tab opens with a preview of the Singapore MRT/LRT map; tap it, or its full-screen button, to open the full map. Station codes like NS24 are the line, then the station’s number.

▶ Watch: The MRT map, in your pocket • Which MRT exit should you take? • Is your MRT line down?

Advanced Tools

Unified Search

One bar, all the answers.

Search by anything: Enter a 5-digit bus stop code, a bus service number, a road name, or a bus stop name like “Parkway”.
Type it your way: Short forms and old spellings find the same stop: Road or Rd, Station or Stn, Tanjong, Tanjung or Tg.
Places: Enter a mall, landmark or station, such as “VivoCity” or “Changi Airport”, to see the bus stops beside it. This needs an internet connection; without one, search still finds stops and services saved on your phone. Postal codes aren’t searchable yet.
Campus shuttles: Enter nus or ntu to open NUS or NTU Shuttle, or a campus stop’s name like “UTown” or “Hall 2”.

▶ Watch: 4 ways to find any bus or stop

Index to Roads & Operating Hours

Index to Roads: Tap the signpost button at the top of a bus arrivals screen (in the ⋮ menu on a phone) to see the roads each service at that stop travels along.
Operating Hours: Tap ⋮ (more) and select Operating hours to see each service’s first and last bus for weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Services with no bus right now also show their hours under NOT Available on the arrivals screen.

▶ Watch: Which bus goes down that road?

Fare Calculator

Stay on budget.

Check Official Rates: On the Bus Arrivals screen, tap ⋮ (more) and select Fare calculator to open the official website for the most accurate, up-to-date fare estimates for your specific journey.

▶ Watch: How much is your bus or train fare?

EZ-Link Card Reader

Check your card’s balance without a ticket machine. It works on phones with NFC.

Open it: tap the EZ-Link card button at the top of any tab (in the ⋮ menu on a phone), then Read my card.
Hold your card to the phone: on an iPhone, to the top of the phone; on Android, flat on the back. Keep it still until it reaches 100%.
What you see: the balance, when the card is valid till, when it was last used, and its recent trips.
Which cards: EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards. Bank cards aren’t read, and for a SimplyGo card the balance is in the SimplyGo app.
Private: the card is read on your phone and the result stays there.

Home Screen Widgets & Watch Apps

Check the bus without opening the app. The widgets are on iPhone and Android; the watch app is on Apple Watch and Wear OS.

Add a widget: touch and hold the Home Screen, tap Add Widget (Widgets on Android) and pick SG Bus.
Nearby Stops (wide): the stop nearest you, or the one you usually pick there, and its next buses. Use its arrows to step to the other stops near you; the stop you step to stays for 10 minutes. On Android, tap the widget to set it up and choose Precise and Allow all the time (on Android 9 and older, allowing location is enough): it then finds your location by itself, even when SG Bus is closed. Your location never leaves your phone. Prefer one stop? Use the Bus stop widget.
Bus stop (small or wide): a stop you choose. On iPhone, touch and hold the widget and tap Edit Widget; on Android, it asks as you place it, and its settings change it. Pick one of your bookmarks, or find any stop by code, name or road. The wide size shows your name for the stop beside its own.
Refresh: tap the refresh button on a widget for the latest times. Tap anywhere else on it to open the stop in SG Bus, or on the Bus Board if that is how you use it.
Apple Watch: SG Bus shows the Bus Board on your wrist, for the stops nearest you. Turn the Digital Crown (or swipe up and down) to move to the next stop. It finds your location and bus times by itself, so your iPhone doesn’t need to be nearby.
Wear OS: the same Bus Board on an Android watch with Wear OS 3 or newer. Turn the bezel or crown, or swipe up and down, to move to the next stop. It finds your location and bus times by itself, so your phone doesn’t need to be nearby.
Back on the watch: within 10 minutes, it shows the same stop at once. After that, it finds where you are first, then opens on your stop.

Your Data & Looks

Kept in iCloud (iPhone and iPad): your bookmarks, stop names, pins, recent stops and a few settings are kept in your iCloud, with no sign-in, so they come back on a new or reinstalled device and show on your other Apple devices.
Android backup: on Android, they are included in your phone’s backup to your Google account.
Light or dark: SG Bus follows your phone’s light or dark setting.
Big screens: on an iPad held wide, a foldable opened out, or another big screen, pages split in two, with the map on one side and the page on the other.

Languages

SG Bus is available in 23 languages. It follows your phone’s language setting, so switch your device language to use SG Bus in English, 中文, Bahasa Indonesia, 日本語, 한국어, ไทย, Tiếng Việt and more. On iPhone, you can also pick a language just for SG Bus in the Settings app.

▶ Watch: Singapore bus & MRT app in 23 languages

Something Went Wrong?

Pull down to refresh first; most hiccups clear on their own.
Still there? Note the Ref code under the message and email it to hello@sgbus.app, with the stop, the time and what you were doing.

▶ Watch: Saw an error? Send us the Ref code