Singapore has plenty of polished attractions, but a different kind of tour is running every night on its public bus network. A roundup of the city's creepiest bus routes makes the case that the scariest way to spend an evening here costs under two dollars and comes with a seat by the window.
The most notorious is service 975, which runs from Bukit Panjang Interchange down to Lim Chu Kang Road, with the last bus at 11.35pm. The route passes army camps, the abandoned Neo Tiew Estate and Choa Chu Kang Cemetery along dark, unlit forest roads. Drivers reportedly stop at empty bus stops to let unseen passengers off, and there are stories of a phantom priest walking the roadside. The route also serves what's possibly Singapore's most remote stop, at the Police Coast Guard base at the end of Lim Chu Kang Road.
Bus 171 takes a similar detour into the eerie, dropping passengers right outside the Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium Complex. Some of its Mandai Road stops are literally named after lamp posts — LP 159 and LP 162 — because there's nothing else around to name them after.
Changi fans should try service 29, the only bus that gets close to the abandoned Old Changi Hospital, in an area already known for haunted chalets and a wartime massacre beach. Alight at After Turnhouse Road for a look. Meanwhile, service 172 crosses Jalan Bahar, a stretch lined with cemeteries where the Pusara Aman mosque stop has earned a reputation as the country's most haunted bus stop, complete with phantom waiters and strange smells after dark.
For something more scenic-spooky, bus 200 winds along South Buona Vista Road, better known as the 99 Bends — famous among ghost story fans and genuinely hazardous thanks to blind corners. Bus 51 does a double feature past Haw Par Villa, packed with nightmarish statues, and Labrador Park. Bus 856, the mildest option, passes the lesser-known abandoned View Road Hospital near Woodlands.
The rarest of all is service 405, the so-called worship bus, which only runs around 17 days a year tied to religious occasions like Qing Ming, Good Friday, Hari Raya, Deepavali and All Souls' Day. It loops from Boon Lay Interchange to cemeteries including Nirvana Memorial Garden and Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Chapel, serving families visiting graves. Recent operating dates have included Deepavali — which fell on Halloween — and All Souls' Day.
Who is this actually for? Anyone who enjoys urban legends, quiet night rides, or a cheap alternative date night with a built-in excuse to hold someone's hand. The routes use regular public buses and standard fares, so there's no booking involved — just check last bus times, since several finish before midnight. Keep in mind these are working routes through residential and rural areas, so treat any on-foot exploring, especially near cemeteries and derelict buildings, with respect and caution. And if the empty road gets too unsettling, there's always a ride-hail app waiting.
