Bishan Bus Interchange Explained

1.3503°N 103.8497°W

Bishan Bus Interchange
碧山巴士转换站
Pertukaran Bas Bishan
Type:
Public Bus Interchange
Address:514 Bishan Street 13
Singapore 570514
Owned:Land Transport Authority
Operator:SBS Transit Ltd (ComfortDelGro Corporation)
Bus Routes:10 (SBS Transit Ltd)
Bus Stands:4 (boarding)
2 (alighting)
Bus Operators:SBS Transit Ltd
Connections: Bishan
Structure:At-grade
Accessible:Accessible alighting/boarding points
Accessible public toilets
Graduated kerb edges
Tactile guidance system
Years1:30 April 1989
Events1:Commenced operations

The Bishan Bus Interchange is a bus interchange serving Bishan, Singapore. The interchange commenced passenger service as Bishan Bus Terminal in 1988, with Services 56 and 58. Located at Bishan Street 13, it is designed in a unique squarish configuration with the building wrapping around the bus parking area.

The Ministry of Education Language Centre (MOELC) lies across the field to the north. Passengers are also able to transfer to Bishan MRT station on the Circle line from an entrance located right outside the interchange.

History

Bishan Bus Interchange opened on 30 April 1989.[1] Built at a cost of SGD$5.5 million,[2] it replaced the temporary bus station that had been serving the new town of Bishan since December 1985. It was among the first batch of bus interchanges built to integrate with a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station.[3] As such, passengers can easily transfer between bus services at this interchange and the Bishan MRT station.

Design

The unusual design of Bishan Bus Interchange was previously described in The New Paper as "a piece of Disneyland in Bishan". The interchange features a castle-like structure wrapping around the bus parking area. Above the interchange, there is a cafeteria as well as a car park. A children's playground and an adjoining structure that houses a coffee shop (taken over a McDonald’s branch) were also constructed together with this interchange.

Bishan Bus Interchange is physically linked to the neighbouring Junction 8 and to Bishan MRT station.

Facilities

Bishan Bus Interchange used to feature a fast food restaurant, being the first bus interchange in Singapore to have this facility. It also features a children's playground, which was designed to complement the fast food restaurant to make the bus interchange family-friendly.[4]

The bus interchange also houses a 560-lot car park above its premises, similar in design to Bukit Batok Bus Interchange.

Bus contracting model

See also: Bus contracting model of Singapore.

Under the new bus contracting model, all the bus routes were split into 3 route packages, all operated by SBS Transit.

List of routes

!Operator!Package!Routes
SBS TransitBishan-Toa Payoh50, 52, 54, 56, 410G, 410W
Bukit Merah57
Serangoon-Eunos53, 55, 58, 59

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Bishan's new bus interchange to operate from today . . Singapore . 30 April 1989.
  2. News: Bus interchange in Bishan catches the eye . . Singapore . 18 November 1988.
  3. News: Bus exchanges in HDB town centres to be integrated with MRT stations . . Singapore . 31 October 1984.
  4. News: Fast-food a first for bus interchange . 20 July 1988 . Kwan Kwan, Lim . . Singapore.