One S$2 bus from Changi gets you all the way to Yio Chu Kang
SBS Transit Bus 24 runs from Changi Airport Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4 to Upper Changi, Bedok Reservoir, Serangoon, Ang Mo Kio and Yio Chu Kang in one long cross-island line. It’s a slow option at roughly 60–80 minutes end to end, but locals use it as the cheap single-seat ride to the east–north corridor.
The fare from the airport to Ang Mo Kio or Yio Chu Kang comes in around S$1.90–2.50 when you tap a stored-value EZ-Link/NETS FlashPay card or contactless bank card. Cash is still accepted but costs more and needs exact change. You tag in at the front reader, tag out when you alight, and your fare is distance-based down to the bus stop.
Buses arrive roughly every 8–12 minutes in the daytime and thin out to longer gaps in the late evening and early morning, so a 15-minute wait at the airport isn’t unusual after 22:00. Bus 24 shares bays with other routes at the Changi bus terminals, so always check the electronic signboards for the big white “24” before boarding.
From Changi Airport, Bus 24 uses standard low-floor city buses with two doors and no dedicated luggage racks. Seats fill quickly during rush hour, and Reddit users flag it as “pretty packed” along Bedok Reservoir and Serangoon around 07:30–09:00 and 17:30–19:30 on weekdays, which makes handling large 28-inch suitcases awkward.
The route is intentionally winding: you crawl through estate roads in Upper Changi, Bedok Reservoir, Serangoon and Ang Mo Kio, which is why locals warn it’s “not exactly a fast airport express.” Even without heavy traffic, Changi to Yio Chu Kang regularly pushes past an hour, and every extra boarding stop can add a minute or two.
Regulars treat Bus 24 as a precision tool: straight to Serangoon or Ang Mo Kio if they know the exact stop, or just a few stops to Bedok Reservoir or Upper Changi before switching to the Downtown Line. One common pattern is bus from the airport to a Downtown Line station, then rail into Bugis, Newton or Chinatown within another 20–25 minutes.
Step-by-step from the terminal
- 1. After clearing customs in T1, T2, T3 or T4, follow signs for “Bus to City” and “Public Bus” down to the basement or ground transport area.
- 2. At the bus bay, find the stand labelled for Service 24 on the overhead sign; check the on-pole timetable and electronic board for the next arrival time.
- 3. Get your EZ-Link, NETS FlashPay, or contactless bank card ready; if paying cash, prepare small notes and coins for a S$2–3 fare.
- 4. Board by the front door, tap your card on the reader next to the driver, or pay cash and take the paper ticket showing the fare stage printed with a stop code.
- 5. Move toward the rear half of the bus; regulars with luggage stand near the rear doors to stay out of the way during boarding at busy Bedok Reservoir and Serangoon stops.
- 6. Watch the in-bus display for stop names like “Serangoon Stn/Serangoon Ctrl” or “Yio Chu Kang Int”; you can also track progress in Google Maps using live bus location.
- 7. Press the stop button one stop before yours, step to the rear door, then tap out on the card reader as you alight to close your fare.
One last tip: if your flight lands after 23:00 and you’re staring at a 20-minute wait plus a 70-minute ride, it’s usually worth paying extra for an MRT–plus–short-taxi combo instead of sitting the whole way on 24.