Six more bus interchanges, including Bishan and Tampines, to get upgraded facilities
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An artist’s impression of the upgraded Tampines Bus Interchange.
PHOTO: LAND TRANSPORT AUTHORITY
- Six bus interchanges, including Bishan and Tampines, will be upgraded from 2027 with better air-conditioning and more inclusive facilities like wheelchair-accessible toilets.
- The upgrades aim to improve comfort, energy efficiency, and family-friendliness, featuring tactile paths, Braille signs, and priority queue zones for vulnerable groups.
- Works will be phased to reduce disruption, also refurbishing staff areas, following similar $105 million upgrades at other interchanges due by 2027.
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SINGAPORE – From 2027, works to improve six more bus interchanges will get under way. These include upgrading lighting and making the facilities more inclusive, such as having more seats as well as wheelchair-accessible toilets.
The interchanges earmarked for the upgrades are Bishan, Bukit Batok, Bukit Merah, Eunos, Punggol and Tampines.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Aug 18 that the enhancements are part of continuing efforts to make public transport more comfortable, family-friendly and inclusive.
An artist’s impression of the upgraded Bukit Batok Bus Interchange.
PHOTO: LAND TRANSPORT AUTHORITY
To minimise disruption to bus services, the works will be phased, the authority said.
The improvements to be made include replacing and upgrading systems such as ventilation and lighting to improve passenger comfort and energy efficiency, as well as air-conditioning in the rest areas for drivers and staff.
Inclusive facilities like baby care or family washrooms, tactile guided paths and Braille signs on handrails, and priority queue zones will also be enhanced at these interchanges.
Priority queue zones allow the elderly, pregnant women, families with strollers and persons with disabilities to wait in designated areas near the boarding berths.
An artist’s impression of the upgraded Bukit Merah Bus Interchange.
PHOTO: LAND TRANSPORT AUTHORITY
Various staff facilities, such as passenger service offices and staff lounges, will also be refurbished to better support front-line staff at the interchanges.
Addressing the media at Bukit Batok Bus Interchange, Senior Minister of State for Transport Murali Pillai said there is a need to ensure that such facilities are adequate as more bus services are being introduced through initiatives such as the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme.
He hopes that commuters will put up with some inconveniences during the upgrades, noting that “when the works are completed in a matter of few years, they can look forward to the enhanced facilities that will take care of their needs, well into the future”.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Murali Pillai giving a soundbite during his visit to Bukit Batok Bus Interchange on Aug 18.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Murali, who is also MP for Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, said that with Bukit Batok Bus Interchange having been around since 1987, it was “about time” for it to be upgraded along with the other five bus interchanges.
Clementi resident Koh Ah Hua, 70, welcomed the planned enhancement to the priority waiting areas. Speaking to The Straits Times while waiting for her bus ride home from Bukit Batok, she said there were times when all the seats for those in need at the interchange were taken.
Bukit Batok resident Ong Kim Chong, 69, hopes the additional seats can be placed at more spots at the interchange. The retired furniture maker, who uses a cane, said this would mean that he would not have to walk as far to find a place to catch his breath during his daily trips to Bukit Batok Central.
Some 250 bus drivers operate services from the Bukit Batok Bus Interchange.
Bukit Batok resident Ong Kim Chong, 69, hopes the additional seats can be placed at more spots at the interchange.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Having a comfortable space for drivers to take a break between their driving stints is crucial for passenger safety, said bus driver Tan Keow Sing.
The 58-year-old takes a rest of between 10 and 15 minutes after he returns from Shenton Way Terminal driving Service 106, which is an 80-minute journey.
“Taking a quick break and grabbing a coffee help to keep us alert when we go back on the road,” he said in Mandarin.
Tower Transit bus captain Tan Keow Sing is part of the pioneer batch of bus captains who joined Tower Transit when it began operations in Singapore 10 years ago.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Similar upgrading works are under way at bus interchanges in Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Boon Lay, Clementi, Sengkang, Serangoon and Toa Payoh.
Announced in August 2024, those works, costing about $105 million, are on track to be completed by 2027.
