Where does SBS Transit Bus Service 153 go, and which interesting places can you visit? Bus 153 connects Hougang Central Bus Interchange to Bukit Merah Bus Interchange through Kovan, Serangoon MRT, Toa Payoh MRT, Stevens MRT, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Farrer Road and Queenstown. The most useful leisure stops are the Singapore Botanic Gardens Bukit Timah Entrance, a carefully planned food outing near Farrer Road/Empress Road Market, and the everyday shops and hawker stalls around Bukit Merah Central. The same bus serves ordinary school, workplace and clinic journeys along the corridor.

The most important route distinction is at Toa Payoh. Service 153 stops at 52189 Toa Payoh Stn on Lorong 2, but the published Hougang-to-Bukit Merah route does not enter Toa Payoh Bus Interchange (52009). That is different from Bus 73, which does. If a family member is waiting inside the bus interchange rather than the roadside MRT stop, the two people have chosen different meeting points. A similar distinction applies at Botanic Gardens: the route uses the Bukit Timah Entrance at Botanic Gardens MRT, not the Tanglin Entrance or the paid Orchid Garden entrance.

Quick point-form summary: 64009 Hougang Ctrl Int → 63039 Kovan Exit C → 62139 Serangoon Exit A → 52189 Toa Payoh Stn → 40239 Stevens Exit 4 → 41021 Botanic Gdns Stn → 11119 Farrer Rd Stn Exit A → 11059 Queenstown Polyclinic area → 10651 Blk 161 at Bukit Merah Central → 10009 Bukit Merah Int. On the reverse leg, 11101 Empress Rd Mkt/FC is a distinctive food-stop reference. NEA lists cleaning 30 November–2 December 2026 at Empress Road Market and 26–27 December 2026 at Bukit Merah Central Block 163 Food Centre.

Bus 153 route facts

• Operator: SBS Transit.
• Two terminals: Hougang Central Int 64009 and Bukit Merah Int 10009.
• Full route: approximately 20.3 km Hougang to Bukit Merah (operator table) via Kovan/Serangoon, Toa Payoh, Stevens, Botanic Gardens, Farrer Road and Queenstown.
• First/last from Hougang: 5.30am to 11.45pm daily (actual stop-specific arrivals vary).
• First/last from Bukit Merah: 6am to midnight daily.
• Toa Payoh: the Hougang-bound 153 stops by Toa Payoh MRT, not inside 52009 Toa Payoh Interchange. The outward stop is 52189 Toa Payoh Stn.
• Botanic Gardens: 41021 Botanic Gdns Stn on Bukit Timah Road, near the official Bukit Timah Entrance; main Gardens free entry, National Orchid Garden ticketed.
• Farrer Road: outward 11119 Farrer Rd Stn Exit A, reverse 11111 Farrer Rd Stn Exit B and 11101 Empress Rd Mkt/FC.
• Food-centre planned closures: NEA lists Empress Road Market 30 Nov–2 Dec and Bukit Merah Central Blk 163 26–27 Dec 2026.
• Toa Payoh Sport Centre: closed for redevelopment until 2030; do not promise swimming as an attraction simply because 153 travels through the town.
• Not a direct route to: Punggol MRT, Orchard MRT, HarbourFront, Changi Airport or every garden entrance.

Selected official bus stops and accessible destinations

These are direction-specific published bus-stop codes, not guarantees of a building entrance, appointment or accessible path. The reverse trip uses its own stop names and ordering. Plan the actual last-mile crossing and public entrance.

Destination / purpose	Service 153 stop and direction	What to check
Hougang MRT and main interchange	64009 Hougang Ctrl Int outward	Start near NE14; confirm the correct interchange berth.
Kovan MRT and Heartland Mall	63039 Kovan Stn Exit C towards Bukit Merah; 63031 Exit B on reverse	Neighbourhood shopping and North East Line; read mall entrance.
Serangoon MRT and NEX	62139 S’goon Stn Exit A/Blk 413 towards Bukit Merah; 62131 Exit B returning	Rail/retail/library; Serangoon Gardens food district is elsewhere.
Braddell Road/BCA Academy area	52069 Opp BCA Acad outward	Work or authorised education event; this is not a general public gallery.
Toa Payoh MRT and HDB Hub district	52189 Toa Payoh Stn on Lorong 2, outward; 52181 Opp Toa Payoh Stn returning	Station and shops, but not a bus berth inside 52009 Toa Payoh Int.
Stevens MRT	40239 Bef Stevens Stn Exit 4 outward	Downtown/Thomson–East Coast Lines; check exact exit to your destination.
NUS Bukit Timah Campus vicinity	41011 NUS Bt Timah Campus, outward	Campus public event or registered appointment; not unrestricted lecture-room entry.
Singapore Botanic Gardens Bukit Timah Entrance	41021 Botanic Gdns Stn outward; 41029 Opp Botanic Gdns Stn reverse	Free main Gardens public areas; specific children’s garden and orchid attraction separate.
Farrer Road MRT and public shopping	11119 Farrer Rd Stn Exit A outward; 11111 Exit B reverse	Circle Line and food; locate the exact market or venue separately.
Empress Road Market & Food Centre	11101 Empress Rd Mkt/FC reverse Bukit Merah→Hougang	NEA planned cleaning 30 Nov–2 Dec 2026; not an outward stop on the same roadside.
Queenstown Polyclinic and Queensway	11059 Queenstown Polyclinic outward	A real healthcare destination for an appointment, not an ordinary tourist attraction.
Bukit Merah Central shops, food centre	10651 Blk 161 before terminal; 10009 Bukit Merah Int	HDB estate centre and Blk 163 Food Centre; cleaning 26–27 Dec 2026.

Why this 153 route differs from Hougang’s other cross-town buses

From Hougang Central, Service 153 travels along Upper Serangoon Road and the North East Line corridor through Kovan and Serangoon, then crosses Braddell Road into Toa Payoh. After the Toa Payoh station district, it uses Whitley Road and Bukit Timah Road to reach Singapore Botanic Gardens, before continuing along Farrer Road and Queensway to Bukit Merah.

This is a distinctive path. Bus 147 also begins at Hougang and passes Serangoon, but continues through Woodleigh, Jalan Besar, Chinatown and Clementi. Bus 132 goes through Ang Mo Kio and Upper Thomson to Orchard before reaching Bukit Merah. Bus 153 instead provides a through route to Toa Payoh MRT and the Botanic Gardens’ Bukit Timah Entrance.

For a reader, the difference matters more than the size of the route number. If your goal is Chinatown, 147 might be more relevant. If your goal is the garden at Botanic Gardens MRT, 153 is a supported direct option from the Hougang corridor. If your home is in Punggol, a prior connection is still necessary because 153 does not call at Punggol MRT.

A public bus exists for residents and workers as much as visitors. The many intermediate housing and education stops need no invented tourist attractions; they help people get to actual addresses. A useful guide explains the main public destinations and tells a commuter how to choose the correct roadside stop.

The entire Hougang-to-Bukit Merah trip is not a recommended one-day sightseeing checklist. Most people will find a single park or food destination more enjoyable, with time to return in comfort.

Kovan and Serangoon: mall stops are useful but not identical

The initial southbound section passes Kovan MRT at 63039 Kovan Stn Exit C. Heartland Mall Kovan is on Hougang Street 21 near the station, while the later Serangoon MRT stop 62139 S’goon Stn Exit A/Blk 413 serves NEX and the North East/Circle Line interchange. These are two separate shopping and rail districts.

Both can make reasonable short outings. A parent could take a child to a bookshop or public library around NEX and have lunch. A resident near Kovan might make a household errand at an open Heartland Mall tenant. The visit is useful even if the bus continues to a more famous attraction farther west.

Do not confuse the nearby Serangoon MRT precinct with Serangoon Garden Circus. Chomp Chomp Food Centre is in Serangoon Gardens, a different street network. Bus 153’s operator route does not show a Garden Circus stop. If Chomp Chomp is your purpose, compare Bus 73 or a Garden Circus-serving service.

On the return, the station-side codes differ. From Bukit Merah towards Hougang the bus serves 62131 S’goon Stn Exit B and 63031 Kovan Stn Exit B. Save the correct side of the road after shopping instead of rushing across a junction after seeing a 153 in the distance.

A practical transport lesson is to make the destination explicit. ‘Kovan Mall’, ‘NEX’, ‘Serangoon Gardens’ and ‘Hougang Mall’ are four different places, each requiring its own address and stopping point even if all fall within the wider northeast.

Toa Payoh MRT: a station stop, not Toa Payoh Bus Interchange

After Braddell Road, Service 153 travels into Toa Payoh, calling at 52189 Toa Payoh Stn on Lorong 2. It passes the wider HDB Hub and town-centre district, which can provide a meal or rail transfer, but the published 153 route does not enter Toa Payoh Bus Interchange, code 52009.

This is a genuine source of confusion when arranging to meet a friend or elderly relative. A person saying ‘I will get off at Toa Payoh’ may mean the MRT station, the actual bus interchange hall or a shop in HDB Hub. These are distinct locations that should be agreed upon before travel. The bus stop and actual venue entrance should be recorded together.

Service 73, by contrast, includes Toa Payoh Int (52009) in its loop. Therefore ‘take a bus to Toa Payoh’ is not enough guidance. A family should select the service that gets them to the appropriate public entrance with an acceptable walk, rather than assuming all services enter the same transport hall.

Some travellers may want Toa Payoh Town Park, located near Lorong 2 and Lorong 6. That is a separately mapped park outing, not the same as Toa Payoh MRT. Select the park entrance and compare a route with a named park-side stop if the walk is inconvenient.

Do not build a sports itinerary around the old Toa Payoh Sport Centre either. ActiveSG lists the entire site closed for redevelopment through 2030, even though buses continue serving the surrounding roads. A correct bus arrival does not make an unavailable activity suddenly possible.

Stevens and NUS Bukit Timah: one road, separate purposes

The 153 route turns onto Whitley Road and serves 40239 Bef Stevens Stn Exit 4, a transfer to the Downtown and Thomson–East Coast Lines. That is useful for people whose appointment is in the Stevens district or for those changing trains on a route between town centres.

The service continues along Bukit Timah Road and calls at 41011 NUS Bt Timah Campus. This is an educational institution location but not the same thing as the NUS Kent Ridge campus. A programme invitation or examination notice should specify which campus is involved; merely seeing ‘NUS’ on a bus stop does not determine the correct place.

For an official open house, course seminar or appointment, check the actual visitor gate and registration. Campuses have buildings and controlled areas that may not admit unregistered visitors. A bus stop named for a university does not permit entry to classrooms, libraries or research areas without authorisation.

A parent helping a teenager explore post-secondary options can use the journey to practise a useful skill: match the institution’s official address to the bus stop and entrance, not just a search result about the wider Bukit Timah education corridor. That often saves more time than memorising a large list of buses.

If a family is visiting Stevens or a campus, an additional Botanic Gardens outing is optional. Several stops on a route do not make a compulsory educational itinerary, especially in hot or rainy weather.

Singapore Botanic Gardens: the strongest destination on the western half of Bus 153

NParks explicitly lists Bus 153 among routes serving Singapore Botanic Gardens along Bukit Timah and Dunearn Road. The outward stop 41021 Botanic Gdns Stn is near the Bukit Timah Entrance and Botanic Gardens MRT (CC19/DT9). This is a grounded, specific public nature destination rather than an invented stop near the general garden area.

The Gardens’ main grounds are generally open from 5am to midnight and are free to enter, while certain internal attractions have separate tickets and opening rules. The National Orchid Garden is a paid attraction; Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden has child-focused visitor and accompaniment conditions. A trip to the Bukit Timah Entrance does not automatically place a visitor at the orchid garden’s gate.

For a family, a manageable activity is to explore one section of the public gardens near the entrance, choose a small plant-observation task and then rest. The Gardens cover a large area. It can be more enjoyable to return after a quiet hour than to attempt a whole-island itinerary or cross the entire botanical site with a tired child.

NParks’ current visitor page also includes short-term attraction closure notices, including a planned one-day closure of the Tan Hoon Siang Mist House in the National Orchid Garden on 5 November 2026. If that particular place is the purpose, check the latest notice before travelling rather than assuming the general garden opening means every part is accessible.

On the reverse journey, the stop is 41029 Opp Botanic Gdns Stn on Dunearn Road, not simply the same southbound 41021 shelter. The Gardens’ own pedestrian routes and exits are important when finding the return stop. For someone using a wheelchair or pram, check the specific garden entrance and the full route to the bus kerb.

A simple outdoor visit has its own weather restrictions. Avoid exposed areas in thunderstorms, leave protected nature and plant displays undisturbed, and follow venue signs. A bus arriving at the correct station does not override visitor safety.

Farrer Road MRT and Empress Road Market: a directional food-stop caveat

Service 153 continues south-west along Farrer Road and calls at 11119 Farrer Rd Stn Exit A in the Hougang-to-Bukit Merah direction. This is a Circle Line connection and an entry to the broader Farrer Road neighbourhood. On the reverse journey, the operator includes 11111 Farrer Rd Stn Exit B and 11101 Empress Rd Mkt/FC.

Empress Road Market and Food Centre is a real neighbourhood destination close to Farrer Road, with its own public entrance and food stalls. But a reader should not be told that the 153 outward direction calls at 11101, because it appears on the opposite direction. Choose the appropriate station-side stop and walking route, or use the reversed service if that is how the journey is planned.

NEA’s November–December 2026 cleaning schedule currently lists 30 November–2 December 2026 for Empress Road Blk 7 Market and Food Centre. A family travelling for a specific hawker meal should check the latest notice before arranging transport during those dates. Individual hawker stalls may have separate rest days even outside a planned centre closure.

A useful learning visit can involve reading a food stall’s menu, choosing an affordable meal and discussing how a neighbourhood food centre serves residents. It does not need to include a visit to every nearby private shop. Stay considerate of working vendors and other customers.

For the return, decide whether you want to reach Hougang, Serangoon or another MRT station. The same road can have several stops in different directions, and an inconvenient crossing may be more significant than a difference of one bus stop in the journey planner.

Queenstown and Queensway: clinics, local shops and public transport links

After Farrer Road, Bus 153 travels on Queensway, stopping near housing and healthcare services including 11059 Queenstown Polyclinic. This is an important destination for patients with appointments or authorised healthcare visits, but it is not a recreational attraction. A person should follow the clinic’s exact registration and entrance instructions.

Other Queensway stops serve neighbourhood retail and residential blocks. A family with a specific appointment, school event or food errand can choose an appropriate stop and finish the journey there. The operator’s route is a transport tool for everyday life, not only for public sightseeing.

For travel with an older person or someone who may need step-free access, check the last pedestrian route from the shelter to the destination door. A stop with ‘Polyclinic’ in its name does not guarantee all clinics or service counters are at the same entrance, and a shortcut through a private condominium is not suitable.

Queenstown’s heritage and housing landscape can still be interesting to observe from public streets. A student can compare the older housing pattern with the newer towns along the northeastern part of the same route. Describe what is seen and check historical claims against official sources rather than inventing the age of individual buildings.

When planning a long cross-town bus journey for a healthcare appointment, leave margin for traffic and be willing to use a rail-based alternative if it provides a more reliable arrival. The published terminal departure is not the time at every intermediate Queenstown stop.

Bukit Merah town centre and the Block 163 food-centre cleaning date

The final stop of the Hougang-to-Bukit Merah Service 153 is 10009 Bukit Merah Int. On approach it passes 10651 Blk 161 on Bukit Merah Central. HDB describes the local town centre around Blocks 161–166 as a cluster of everyday shopping, food and services.

The Block 163 Bukit Merah Central Food Centre is a legitimate option for a meal, but the bus interchange is not the food stall entrance. Use the public pedestrian route to the centre, check the chosen outlet’s hours and allow for any queues. Hawker centres contain independent businesses with varying rest days.

NEA currently schedules cleaning on 26–27 December 2026 at Bukit Merah Central Block 163 Food Centre. If a family is travelling across the island specifically to eat there during that period, check its current operating notice first. Other shops may be open while the food centre is not, but that is a separate matter to verify.

From Bukit Merah Interchange, travellers can connect to other services or plan a walk to another public destination. The interchange itself is not an MRT station. Redhill MRT lies elsewhere in the wider town and is not a direct 153 station stop in the outward list. Select the actual rail connection or bus route if onward travel is needed.

Someone who wants to return to Hougang may use the reverse 153 from Bukit Merah, with its own origin first/last time of 6am–midnight. That is different from the Hougang-to-Bukit Merah timetable, and intermediate stop arrivals depend on traffic.

Which is better: Bus 153, 147, 132 or the MRT?

The four options serve different purposes. Service 153 is particularly strong for Toa Payoh MRT, Botanic Gardens Bukit Timah Entrance and Farrer Road from the Hougang/Kovan/Serangoon corridor. Service 147 goes through Woodleigh, Jalan Besar, Chinatown and ends at Clementi. Service 132 goes through Ang Mo Kio, Upper Thomson and Orchard to Bukit Merah.

Those distinctions matter for readers who search only by the origin and terminal, such as ‘Hougang to Bukit Merah bus’. Two routes can share that broad origin/destination while providing very different intermediate stops. A traveller heading to Botanic Gardens should not choose an Orchard-bound 132 by mistake.

If the journey starts right beside Hougang MRT and ends beside a train station elsewhere, a suitable rail route may be quicker than the bus. But a traveller living beside a roadside 153 stop may benefit from avoiding additional transfers. The complete door-to-door comparison is more useful than a claim that one service is always fastest.

Published route frequency and fares are not personal guarantees. Use the current SimplyGo fare structure for your eligibility and real-time bus arrivals for the actual stop. A bus can be delayed by traffic while an individual venue’s appointment or ticket time remains unchanged.

For families, pick one main destination, one possible weather backup and a clear route home. A calm visit to the Botanical Gardens or a legitimate food centre can be more meaningful than an exhausting tour of every neighbourhood named in a long service.

Three practical itineraries

Botanic Gardens learning and nature walk

From Hougang Central or a valid intermediate 153 stop, take the Bukit Merah-bound route to 41021 Botanic Gdns Stn. Follow the Bukit Timah Entrance, choose one free public garden section, avoid closed attractions and plan the return from 41029 or a suitable MRT connection.

Empress Road food-and-transport visit

Begin with the exact location of Empress Road Market, check NEA’s 30 Nov–2 Dec cleaning, and use a suitable Farrer Road stop and safe walk. Remember that the named 11101 Empress Rd Mkt/FC stop is on the Bukit Merah-to-Hougang direction rather than outward from Hougang.

Bukit Merah market and an ordinary errand

Ride full 153 to 10009 Bukit Merah Int, walk to your chosen public shop or food centre and avoid scheduling the Block 163 food centre meal during NEA’s 26–27 December cleaning dates. Plan the correct return-side bus or another appropriate connection.

What can go wrong and how to repair the route

• Toa Payoh stop confusion: 153 serves Toa Payoh MRT at 52189 but does not enter bus interchange 52009.
• Wrong Botanic Gardens entrance: 41021 serves the Bukit Timah Entrance, not the Tanglin gate or the ticket desk of the National Orchid Garden.
• Paid attraction confusion: general Singapore Botanic Gardens admission is free, but the National Orchid Garden is separately ticketed.
• Empress Road direction: 11101 Empress Rd Mkt/FC is on the Bukit Merah-to-Hougang return trip, not the Hougang-to-Bukit Merah sequence.
• NEA cleaning: Empress Road Market 30 Nov–2 Dec; Bukit Merah Central Blk 163 Food Centre 26–27 Dec 2026.
• Closed Toa Payoh Sport Centre: ActiveSG lists redevelopment closure through 2030.
• Campus and clinic permissions: NUS Bukit Timah and Queenstown Polyclinic have independent visitor or appointment rules.
• Wrong rail hub: Bukit Merah Interchange is not Redhill MRT or a railway platform.
• Return-side stop codes: Kovan, Serangoon, Toa Payoh, Botanic Gardens and Farrer Road use different codes by direction.

Frequently asked questions

Where does Bus 153 run?

From Hougang Central Bus Interchange via Kovan, Serangoon, Toa Payoh MRT, Stevens, Botanic Gardens, Farrer Road and Queensway to Bukit Merah Interchange.

Does 153 go to Toa Payoh Interchange?

Its checked route stops at Toa Payoh MRT along Lorong 2, not inside Toa Payoh Bus Interchange 52009.

Does Bus 153 go to Singapore Botanic Gardens?

Yes. It calls at 41021 Botanic Gdns Stn, near the official Bukit Timah Entrance.

Is Botanic Gardens entry free?

General entry is free, while the National Orchid Garden has separate admission charges and other attraction rules.

Does it go to Kovan and Serangoon MRT?

Yes, at 63039 Kovan Exit C and 62139 Serangoon Exit A towards Bukit Merah.

Does it stop at Stevens MRT?

Yes. The southbound route lists 40239 Bef Stevens Stn Exit 4.

Where is the Empress Road Market stop?

11101 Empress Rd Mkt/FC is on the reverse Bukit Merah-to-Hougang route. Choose a proper pedestrian route from the Farrer Road area on the other leg.

When does Empress Road Market close for cleaning?

NEA currently lists 30 November to 2 December 2026; check before travelling.

Does 153 go to Redhill MRT?

The published outward route serves Queensway and Bukit Merah Central but does not list a Redhill MRT stop; choose a separate connection if Redhill station is the destination.

Does Bus 153 start in Punggol?

No. The origin is Hougang Central Interchange, code 64009.

What is the last bus from Hougang?

The published terminal time is 11.45pm daily, but individual intermediate stop times must be checked separately.

Does 153 serve Bukit Merah Food Centre?

The route ends at Bukit Merah Interchange near Bukit Merah Central, where Block 163 food centre can be reached by a separate walk.

Is Toa Payoh Sport Centre available for swimming?

No. ActiveSG lists redevelopment closure through 2030.

Official sources and related guides

• SBS Transit 153 Hougang to Bukit Merah route and stop codes
• SBS Transit 153 Bukit Merah to Hougang route and Farrer Road Market stop
• NParks Singapore Botanic Gardens visitor entrances, buses, fees and 2026 notices
• NEA current Empress Road and Bukit Merah food-centre cleaning dates
• HDB Bukit Merah Town Centre blocks and hawker centre
• ActiveSG Toa Payoh Sport Centre closure through 2030
• SimplyGo fares and current transport information

Bus 147 from Hougang through Chinatown to Clementi, Bus 132 through Orchard to Bukit Merah, and Bus 156 from Buangkok via the Botanic Gardens to Clementi offer different reasons to travel through some of the same broader districts.

Editorial verification, 1 November 2026: This guide draws its route facts from SBS Transit and its venue guidance from NParks, NEA, HDB and ActiveSG. It is an independent informational article, not a live bus tracker or ticket. Confirm actual origin/return stops, scheduled cleaning, walking accessibility, venue opening and any event registration before departure.