SINGAPORE - The new Bukit Panjang Integrated Transport Hub will open in September, the Land Transport Authority announced on Tuesday (Aug 8). The hub will incorporate a new air-conditioned bus interchange with the Bukit Panjang MRT and LRT stations.

When it opens on Sept 4, the hub - Singapore's ninth integrated transport hub - will also be "fully integrated" with the Hillion Mall, which opened earlier this year (2017) in February.

It is the first integrated transport hub to be operated by SMRT buses, and will include barrier-free facilities such as dedicated boarding points at each berth and graduated kerb edges to make boarding easier for passengers in wheelchairs.

There will also be digital display panels with interactive features that provide commuters not just with bus service information, but also maps and updates on various community events.

It will have an interactive, "open-concept" passenger services counter to improve interaction between staff and commuters.

A new traffic management system will help enhance safety by detecting the movement of vehicles and increasing bus drivers' visual awareness of bus movements in the bus parking area.

Mr Tan Kian Heong, managing director for SMRT Buses and Roads Services, said the design of the hub had been enhanced with "commuter safety, comfort and convenience" in mind.

With the opening of the new integrated transport hub, eight SMRT bus services -176, 920, 922, 970, 972, 973, 975 and 979 / 979M - will start their routes from Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange, while three bus services - 75, 184 and 700 - will continue to commence their routes from the Bukit Panjang Temporary Bus Park.