SMRT to start bus services at Bukit Panjang Integrated Transport Hub on 4 September 2017
1. The first Integrated Transport Hub run by SMRT Buses, the Bukit Panjang Integrated Transport Hub (BPITH), will begin serving passengers on Monday, 4 September 2017. The BPITH will improve the connectivity and travel experience for residents and visitors to Bukit Panjang, and make the transfer between bus services to the Bukit Panjang LRT and the Downtown MRT line more convenient.
2. SMRT Buses added commuter-centric and workforce-centric features to the BPITH’s basic design to enhance the travel experience for commuters and improve the work environment for bus staff.
3. Commuters will be served by digital display panels with interactive features, allowing commuters to not only get bus service information but also locality maps for better way finding and updates on various community events. An electronic feedback system will also allow commuters to alert cleaners immediately if a toilet requires cleaning in between fixed cleaning times. An open concept passenger services counter, located next to the Passenger Service Centre, will improve the interaction between staff and commuters.
4. As for staff who operate the facility, SMRT Buses has improved safety and traffic management through the use of technology. The traffic management system installed at BPITH is a first for SMRT. It enhances safety by detecting the movement of vehicles and increases bus captains’ visual awareness of bus movements within the bus parking area. In addition, the staff rest area will feature cozy and spacious facilities for bus captains to rest in between shifts, and digital screens will display safety reminders and bus schedules for their ease of reference.
5. Mr Tan Kian Heong, Managing Director for SMRT Buses and Roads Services, said: “We look forward to serving commuters with SMRT Buses’ first Integrated Transport Hub at Bukit Panjang. We have enhanced its design with commuter safety, comfort and convenience as our priority to ensure that everyone who visits will have a positive experience at BPITH. Many of the features for commuters as well as our staff here are unique to this integrated transport hub, and we look forward to serving commuters better.”
Adjustment to Bus Services
6. With the opening of the new BPITH on 4 September, eight SMRT bus services –176, 920, 922, 970, 972, 973, 975 and 979 / 979M – will start their routes from Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange. Three SMRT bus services – 75, 184 and 700 – will continue to commence their routes from Bukit Panjang Temporary Bus Park.
7. Publicity posters and mailers of the interchange opening, and route details of the services will be put up at affected bus stops and on buses to inform commuters of the change, as well as dispatched to residents in the vicinity of BPITH. Please refer to Annex A and Annex B for more details.
8. To facilitate commuters’ transition to the new BPITH, additional staff will be deployed during the first few days of the opening to provide assistance to commuters.