RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) from Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Visitor Centre to Hay Dairies Goat Farm
The RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) is a new bus service serving the Sungei Kadut Industrial Estate and the Kranji Countryside, operating daily. Compared to a regular shuttle bus service, the RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) operates with pre-booking via the RushTrail app, available for download on iOS and Android mobile devices.
Here’s my experience on using the RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) from Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Visitor Centre to Hay Dairies Goat Farm. This on-demand journey finally connects the Kranji Countryside on both ends, allowing public transport connections between SMRT Bus Service 925, SMRT Bus Service 925M, and SMRT Bus Service 975. which currently serves both ends of the Kranji Countryside but without connections within.
How to book RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70)
Booking for the RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) is done via the RushTrail app, available for download on iOS and Android mobile devices.
Bundle Deal > Single Ticket
A Single Ticket for the RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) costs S$2.00 per passenger, regardless of the distance, and the Bundle Deal on offer goes for S$15.00 for 10 rides, or S$20.00 for 20 rides. Bundle Deal tickets are open-dated and you can use it at any time and on any RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) route.
If you are travelling in a group (within Safe Management Measures please), or will use the RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) often, you should consider picking up a Bundle Deal.
Payment is made directly on the RushTrail app by credit card.
Booking the Journey
I’ve explained the booking part in my previous journey from Yew Tee MRT Station to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Visitor Centre. The booking flow is quite self-explanatory. Just follow the steps as indicated on the RushTrail app.
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Visitor Centre Pick Up / Drop Off Point
The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Visitor Centre Pick Up / Drop Off Point is located adjacent to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Visitor Centre itself.
Booking Experience
While easy to book, the waiting process for the ride was slightly frustrating.
Having booked my journey before 1pm, the closing time of the 1.10pm departure window, I was initially assigned an estimated pick-up time of 1.20pm, being the second stop in this departure window’s routing.
Notice that there is no bus assigned yet.
4 minutes after my departure window, my journey was rerouted to be more direct. However, there still wasn’t a bus assigned.
My bus was then assigned a minute later, but tracking was not available yet.
My bus then showed up about 5 minutes later, which indicated that it was still within Sungei Kadut Industrial Estate. Looks like it was heading up empty to reach me.
14 minutes after my departure window began, I got a notification that my ride was ready and started 15 minutes ago, which was a tad confusing.
RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) 12-Seater Van
My ride finally arrived at 1.28pm – 18 minutes after the start of the departure window, and 28 minutes after the booking window for this departure window closed.
The interior of the RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) 12-seater van.
On this direct journey, the RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) cuts from Neo Tiew Road to Lim Chu Kang Road via Lim Chu Kang Lane 3, Lim Chu Kang Lane 3A, and Lim Chu Kang Lane 5.
Hay Dairies Goat Farm
As it was a weekday with no traffic jams, the RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) turned in to Lim Chu Kang Lane 4 from Lim Chu Kang Road to head to Hay Dairies. However, do expect to pick up and drop off from Hay Dairies here at this junction in case of traffic jams on weekends and public holidays.
Turning in to Hay Dairies.
The RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) journey from Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Visitor Centre to Hay Dairies took 7 minutes. This excludes my waiting time of 28 minutes though.
The RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) picks up and drops off right in front of Hay Dairies Goat Farm itself, inside the premises.
Do note the operating hours of Hay Dairies Goat Farm, open from Wednesday to Monday from 9am to 4pm.
During non-operational times, the RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) can still be ordered to and from Hay Dairies, but do expect to be picked up or dropped off outside Hay Dairies for obvious reasons.
Conclusion
Despite having just launched on 11 September 2021, there are already passengers using the RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) on a weekday afternoon, as seen from the original routing that was issued to me. I see a good potential for the RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) to be quite popular once COVID-19 restrictions are further eased. While it’s not truly on-demand, but more like a ride-share, the departure frequency of 20 minutes during operational hours is quite good for a leisure bus route.
However, the RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) currently operates in 3 distinct windows:
Morning: 7.00 am to 9.00 am
Afternoon: 11.30am to 2.30pm
Evening: 6.30 pm to 9.30pm
This schedule looks more geared towards staff working in Sungei Kadut Industrial Estate and the Kranji Countryside, rather than being for visitors. With a lack of public transport in Sungei Kadut Industrial Estate and the Kranji Countryside, this schedule looks fine for a weekday, but for weekends and public holidays, this is still a significant gap in service.
With this gap in service for quite a big chunk of the afternoon, there are still no other transport alternatives, as taxis and Grab are unwilling to travel to the Kranji Countryside even with surge fares. I know because I’ve tried booking a Grab from Kranji Marshes for 45 minutes before, to no avail, until the NParks Pilot Loop Shuttle Bus Service showed up anyway.
It is crucial for the RushOwl Sungei Kadut Eco Bus (R70) to close up the gaps in the morning and afternoon on weekends and public holidays to ensure connectivity to the Kranji Countryside when the demand is the highest.