SINGAPORE – It was a hiccup-free start to operations of the new Punggol Coast Bus Interchange on June 29.

The first bus departed the interchange at about 5.10am, flagged off by Mr Leonard Lee, managing director of Go-Ahead Singapore, which operates the interchange.

Later that morning, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong attended the opening of the National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) canteen on the premises, together with Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling and NTWU executive secretary Yeo Wan Ling.

The three Punggol GRC MPs also took bus service 34 from the new bus interchange in Sentul Walk to Punggol Bus Interchange in Punggol Central.

Bus services 34 and 117/M – previously operated from Punggol Bus Interchange – now operate with wider routes from the new interchange, which has capacity for up to 10 bus services.

Loop service 34, operated by Go-Ahead, now serves seven more stops from Punggol Coast to Punggol Central, and eight additional stops on the return journey. Its route includes Changi Airport.

SBS Transit service 117, which plies areas such as Canberra and Yishun, stops at four more pairs of bus stops on its route between Punggol and Sembawang.

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Two new services from Punggol Coast Bus Interchange are also in the pipeline, including service 104, which will ply areas such as Sengkang, Buangkok, Serangoon and Woodleigh.

A new city direct service will also provide Punggol residents with better connectivity to the city area during peak periods.

The new interchange had drawn a small crowd of commuters, bus enthusiasts and curious residents when The Straits Times visited on June 29.

A Punggol resident, who wanted to be identified only as Mr Soh, said the bus interchange was welcome as the area develops, given the Singapore Institute of Technology’s move into the area and the expansion of the Punggol Digital District.

“Plus, it will help bring up property values in the area,” added the 46-year-old consultant.

Fellow Punggol resident Doris Wang, a housewife, said that while she usually drove, the new bus interchange would make her consider taking public transport more regularly.

The 38-year-old said transport connectivity in the area can be improved, adding: “To get to places like Changi Business Park, I have to transfer several times.”

Sengkang resident Nilda Julaiha, a 46-year-old customer service officer who was at the interchange with her two sons, said the “spacious” new interchange would give her an alternative option when travelling into Punggol.

On June 26, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary announced that the existing Punggol Bus Interchange will be refurbished in the coming months.

It will get a slew of enhancements, including new fans, weather screens, a new passenger information display system and new benches with back and arm rests, said the Punggol GRC MP.

Punggol Coast Bus Interchange is Singapore’s 15th integrated transport hub. It is connected to the Punggol Coast MRT station on the North East Line, as well as Punggol Coast Mall. 

It features inclusive amenities such as wheelchair-accessible toilets, a baby care room and a commuter care room for those who need a quiet and calming space.

SINGAPORE – Residents in the northern part of Tampines Boulevard will have another bus service to Tampines MRT station when service 460 begins operating on April 27 during weekday peak hours.

Operator SBS Transit said on March 27 that the loop service will begin from Tampines Bus Interchange and stop along Tampines North Drive 1, Tampines Street 64 and Tampines North Drive 2.

After eight bus stops, the bus will return to the interchange, skipping other stops along the route.