Woodleigh Bus Interchange opened on April 20, after several years of delay brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and significant engineering challenges.
Residents in the area told The Straits Times said the interchange was eagerly anticipated, and they were relieved to see it finally running.
Woodleigh Bus Interchange is directly connected to Woodleigh MRT station, and is situated in the Woodleigh Village integrated development. The development comprises 330 Housing Board flats and a hawker centre.
For starters, two bus services - 146 and 148 - will operate from the interchange, which can accommodate up to seven services, the Land Transport Authority has said.
The interchange was originally slated to be completed by 2021, but faced pandemic-related delays and challenges in the construction process. For example, excavation work was delayed when underground utilities such as water and pipes had to be rerouted.
Bus service 146 has been amended to operate from the new bus interchange, serving four additional bus stops in its new route. The interchange is operated by SBS Transit.
The other service, 148, is new, and will loop between Woodleigh Bus Interchange and Potong Pasir.
The service provides direct connection to the bus interchange and key amenities such as Woodleigh Mall, Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre, schools in both estates and the upcoming Bidadari Polyclinic, SBS Transit had said in a statement on April 3.
It will go through Bidadari Park Drive, Sang Nila Utama Road, Upper Aljunied Road, Potong Pasir Avenue 1 and Avenue 3, as well as Upper Serangoon Road.
The Bidadari Build-To-Order (BTO) housing project was launched for sale in November 2016, and its final blocks were completed in November 2022. The Woodleigh district, which comprises 2,685 flats across three BTO projects, was the first in Bidadari to have all its flats completed.
Madam Mariam Bakar, a tuition teacher, was on board bus 148 on April 20. The 60-year-old has a son living in the Bidadari estate.
"Of course, his house is not far (from mine) and I could take a 15-min walk there if I wanted to. But the bus is a real relief, it will be useful on days that are scorching hot or if it's raining. We've been waiting for this for so many years," she said.
A Bidadari resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Lim, said he has been waiting for the interchange for three years. He first moved in to the estate with his wife in 2022.
"The estate is walkable, but I think all of us have been waiting for this. It will be especially useful for our grandparents who visit our home sometimes," said the software engineer.
Separately, the new Pasir Ris Bus Interchange will open on April 27. It is located within an integrated development with Pasir Ris Mall and is adjacent to Pasir Ris MRT station on the East-West Line.
All 17 public bus services operating from the existing Pasir Ris Bus Interchange will be relocated to the new interchange.
The completion of the Woodleigh and Pasir Ris Bus interchanges brings the total number of integrated transport hubs across Singapore to 14.
Such hubs include integrated bus interchanges that are linked to MRT stations and adjoining developments such as shopping malls, allowing commuters to access them to run errands and shop before transferring to their connecting buses or trains.
The others are in Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Boon Lay, Buangkok, Clementi, Joo Koon, Sengkang, Serangoon, Toa Payoh, Bukit Panjang, Yishun and Woodlands.
