SINGAPORE - Mr Shahrul Khan, 25, was concerned about his commute to work at a vaccination centre in Kaki Bukit in the east from his new flat in Tengah in the west.

But his worries were eased with the introduction of bus service 871 on July 21. He is pleased that the bus will pass Beauty World MRT station – a convenient route for him to get to work when he and his fiancee move into their new home at the end of 2024.

The couple will be living at Parc Clover, situated opposite a new bus interchange that also opened on July 21 in Tengah Boulevard. They travelled to Tengah to check out the new interchange as well as the progress of their new flat.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Mr Khan, who lives in the east, said: “When there was talk that a bus interchange was going to be built here, we looked out for which buses were coming here and where they would stop.

“The fact that a bus is going to Beauty World station, which is on the Downtown Line, makes it quite efficient and easy for me to go to the east via Bugis station.”

The new bus interchange in Tengah is managed by Tower Transit and currently has three bus services – 870, 871 and 992.

As part of the changes on July 21, the routes of the two existing buses will cover more ground. Service 992 will ply a longer route that includes Tengah Garden Walk, Tengah Drive and Tengah Boulevard before ending at the interchange, while service 870 will take in Tengah Boulevard. 

In October 2023, ST reported that Tengah residents had complained about the lack of public transport options in the area. The situation improved in January when new bus stops were introduced.

Tengah will have 30,000 Housing Board units when it is completed. As at June 13, 4,640 households – or 67.1 per cent of 6,911 booked units – have collected their keys across six completed precincts, an HDB spokesperson said. The precincts are Plantation Acres, Plantation Grange, Plantation Village, Plantation Grove, Garden Vines and Garden Vale.

The spokesperson added that before the opening of the new interchange, residents of Garden Vines and Garden Vale who started collecting their keys from the end of May were able to use a free temporary shuttle bus service to Bukit Batok Central, provided by HDB since May 27.

With the extension of service 992, this service will end on July 31.

On July 21, some current and future residents visited the new bus interchange to learn more about its facilities.

A 40-year-old man, who declined to be named, said he will be moving into his new flat at Parc Woods, next to the interchange, after the precinct is completed in 2025.

Describing the interchange as nice and clean, the man, who works in corporate communications at a non-profit organisation, said he went to Tengah to explore the transport options as he works in Ang Mo Kio, which is quite far away.

While new bus service 871 does provide connectivity for him to go to work, he said: “I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there will be more transport options in the future.”

The new changes benefit not only Tengah residents, but also those living nearby.

A 64-year-old retiree, who wanted to be known only as Mr Toh, said he took the 871 service to the bus interchange from his home in Bukit Batok, where he has been living for over 30 years.

He is happy that he now has a direct route to the recently opened Plantation Plaza in Tengah, as he can shop for groceries at the supermarket there.

He added: “It is also good that the bus passes the wet market near Keming Primary School (in Bukit Batok). Previously, no buses went there.”

A Tengah resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Rama, 54, noted there was some confusion among residents taking service 992 to Bukit Batok interchange from a bus stop near his home on July 21.

They were unaware that they must now take the service from across the road due to changes in the route.

Mr Rama, a general manager at a manufacturing company who has been living in Plantation Grange since February, said some connectivity issues remain despite the new service and interchange.

He feels there is a need for a bus service that plies Jurong East as many children living in Tengah go to school there.

Mr Rama said his daughter, who is in Primary 6 at Jurong Primary School, has to take two buses to get home. This can take about 45 minutes despite the school being relatively near.

“It’s okay for my daughter because she won’t be in the school next year. But some of my neighbours have younger children studying there,” he added.

ALSO READ: Tengah public transport woes - New bus service serving residents to start on Nov 26

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.