Now that we have 25 and 46, I believe we can safely remove 506's
connection as very few people are paying express fares when other
trunks can do the job.
Having said that, I believe most CBP workers from Toa Payoh and
beyond will still take MRT or 129-118, both of which are faster.
506 is basically too winding in Bedok.
When I boarded 506 at Bedok North Avenue 3 in the morning I
noticed a number of students heading towards the schools along
Bedok Reservoir Road. So there is a demand between Bedok South /
New Upper Changi Road and Bedok Reservoir Road (albeit during
school hours). In the evening and on weekends there is also a
demand between Bedok Reservoir Road and Upp East Coast Terminal due
to NSmen taking IPPT/RT at Bedok Camp.
Of course, one can argue that these passengers can take 46 to
Bedok North Avenue 3 and transfer to 66 or 228 (and vice versa).
This way, they can save the surcharge (30 cents for students, 60
cents for adults) for express bus. However, if you are in a hurry,
having a direct bus is always better than waiting twice, and the
additional cost doesn't really matter.