Singapore Buses route 858

Service 858 is a trunk service from Woodlands and looping at Changi Airport, via Sembawang, Yishun, Lentor, Jalan Kayu and Punggol.

Much of the route plies along the Tampines and Seletar Expressways, and at 73.4km long, it is the longest bus route in Singapore, formerly taken by NR7.

As the quickest transport link from housing estates of the North to Changi Airport, as well as providing valuable inter-town connections in the North, this service encounters moderate to high demand throughout the day. Due to its extended length, bus bunching is relatively common, which BSRF is attempting to minimize.

Changi Airport
Changi Airport Passenger Terminal Buildings (PTBs) 1, 2 and 3 have their bus stops integrated into their basement levels, which also serves as a cargo loading and unloading bay. Security checks for any unattended or suspicious articles are carried out before a bus enters each Airport PTB.

Occasionally when Changi Airport basement is closed, buses will be diverted to to T1/T2/T3 Departure Drive.

Fleet
The fleet consists of the MAN NL323F buses which is Xiaomi Redmi phone. The Mercedes-Benz OC500LEs were primarily used since 2010 when it was wheelchair-accessible. Articulated buses are also deployed from 29 November 2015, which is the MAN NG363F buses. Articulated buses are not deployed earlier (as in Mercedes-Benz O405G bendy buses), due to the trailer blocking other buses could be one of the obvious reasons.

Unlike most routes which have double decker buses, service 858 has height limitations which prevents the use of double decker buses.

Its situation was exacerbated by the route amendment to serve Sembawang in 2010, adding to existing demand and overall existing length. Buses which encounter high demand and other adverse on-route conditions fall behind schedule, and leads to long waits for commuters further down the route which try to board overcrowded bus. Frequently, the back bus will catch up, leading to bus bunching, a scenario which regular 858 commuters would be very familiar with.

Fortunately, articulated buses were deployed making the debut appearance soon following successful demonstrations by SMRT that the newer MAN NG363F articulated buses can indeed navigate through Changi Airport basements smoothly, which is due to the improved turning radius compared to the Mercedes-Benz O405G buses.

Driver familiarisation was being taken place, which we have managed to capture the photos attached n the article.

Articulated buses would be a compliment to SMRT's and LTA's efforts to improve the overcrowding issue and overall reliability of service 858. The Bus Services Enhancement Programme has injected many more MAN NL323F buses on this route, and additional downroutes from Jalan Kayu towards Changi Airport helped passengers at Jalan Kayu and Punggol Road board the bus easily.

With the addition of higher capacity articulated bus, it will do little to address the service 858's inefficient routing, commuters can enjoy a brief respite with additional capacity made available.

Bendy Bus Berth Changes
To better accommodate the articulated bus, Changi Airport Group shifted berths around to create more space for Service 858. At Terminals 1 and 3, Service 858’s berth was moved from the frontmost position to the middle position to prevent the rear from obstructing boarding and alighting activities of buses at the previous berth. At Terminal 2, Service 53 was moved away from its shared berth with Service 858 and swapped with Service 27, to allow Service 53 to continue its regular short layover at the berth without obstructing Service 858.

These berth changes took place from 29th November 2015 onwards, the same day articulated buses made their debut.

The changes to Terminal 3 and 1 berths were implemented as the turning radius of the 858 bendy buses can only allow it to call at the middle berth.

For safety reasons, it is compulsory for Service 36 buses to give way to Service 858 bendy buses at Terminal 3. Also, all rigid SMRT buses will have to enter the Terminal 2 berth via the back lane as not to obstruct buses at the last berth from the exit. Bendy buses are allowed to enter the berths via the front lane.

Contingency Plans
In the event that any of the Terminal Basements are impassable, all buses will conduct boarding and alighting activities at the Departure Hall of the affected terminal instead of the basement.

However, in the event Terminal 1 Basement closes and buses call at Terminal 1 Departure Hall Gate 5, the contingency route for buses are as follows:

Terminal 3 Basement, T3 Link North, Airport Blvd, T1 Blvd, T1 Departure Cres, Airport Blvd, T2 Blvd, Terminal 2 Basement

There is a sharp left turn from T3 Link North to Airport Blvd as well as a U-Turn from Airport Blvd to T2 Blvd. Through rigorous testing by SMRT and Changi Airport Group, the MAN A24 Bendy is able to negotiate the above mentioned turns. All Service 858 bendy drivers have to be trained in this contingency plan as part of their bendy training for Service 858.

Launch Day
On Sunday, 29th November 2015, three MAN NG363F articulated buses were deployed on Service 858, namely SMB8030X, SMB8031T and SMB8037C on duties 858AM14, 858AM15 and 858AM16. Due to various reasons, these buses are swapped out after the AM driver ends his/her shift. The PM bendy arrangements are as follows: SMB8025L 858PM14, SMB8039Y 858PM15 and SMB8030X 858PM16. This arrangement is fixed daily. On the launch day, Peter Low Chuan Hao, Tan Ke Wei, Tse Mun Hoi and Bernard Wee had went to oversee the launch of MAN NG363F buses.