Joo Koon Bus Interchange

Joo Koon Bus Interchange is an Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) located along Joo Koon Circle and Benoi Road, serving industrial areas around Pioneer and Tuas. It opened in November 2015.

The interchange is the eighth air-conditioned bus interchange in Singapore, integrated within the retail segment of the Fairprice Hub mixed development, and directly connected to Joo Koon MRT Station. Nearby public amenities include the Singapore Discovery Centre, Army Museum of Singapore, Kartright Speedway and Arena Country Club.

Currently, SBS Transit is the anchor operator of Joo Koon Bus Interchange. With the rollout of the Bus Contracting Model (BCM), SMRT Buses will take over as the anchor operator of this bus interchange in September 2024 as the awarded operator of the Jurong West Bus Package.

Details:

Name Joo Koon Bus Interchange | 裕群巴士转换站
Address 55 Benoi Road, Singapore 629907
BCM Route Package Jurong West Bus Package
Anchor Operator SBS Transit Ltd
From Sep 2024: SMRT Buses

Bus Routes 9 (SBS Transit)
Berths 3 boarding berths | 2 alighting berths
Rail Connection  EW29   Joo Koon

The Interchange:

Joo Koon Bus Interchange is a bus station located on the ground floor of FairPrice Hub. Connecting with Joo Koon MRT Station along the East-West MRT Line, the interchange is a transport node for commuters heading in and out of the Jurong and Tuas Industrial Estates, allowing for convenient transfers between the rail network and the many bus services at the interchange.

Joo Koon Bus Interchange - Berth B2
Joo Koon Bus Interchange – Berth B2

Opened in November 2015 (despite being structurally completed by end-2014), Joo Koon Bus Interchange was the eighth Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) to be opened in Singapore. The interchange is integrated within the retail portion of FairPrice Hub, the 16-storey headquarters of NTUC FairPrice which houses offices on the higher floors, and an adjacent 9-storey distribution centre for the supermarket chain. Hence, the facility combines retail, commercial and transportation facilities under one roof.

There are 2 points of entry for vehicles. A single entrance road allow buses to enter from Benoi Road (northbound) while another combined entrance and exit leads to Joo Koon Circle. There are at least 18 parking bays in the bus interchange.

The interchange concourse is fully integrated with Fairprice Hub, with all entrances/exits located within the building. The mall has multiple exits leading to Benoi Road and Joo Koon Circle, and on the second floor, a link bridge brings commuters directly to Joo Koon MRT Station.

History:

Joo Koon Bus Interchange was built to complement the extension of the East-West Line to Joo Koon, and brings about better transport connectivity to the Jurong West industrial areas around Tuas and Pioneer.

Prior to the opening of the interchange, the Tuas and Pioneer industrial areas were primarily served by Boon Lay Bus Interchange, the nearest major transport hub offering connections to the rail network and many other bus services. A number of long-distance bus routes connected the industrial areas to Boon Lay. Not only were these services inefficient by duplicating each other partially, their long routings increase travel time and require more buses to be deployed, increasing the strain on resources especially during the peak hours.

Joo Koon Bus Interchange Pre-launch: Bus Park
Joo Koon Bus Interchange Pre-launch: Bus Park

As the East-West line extended to Joo Koon, a new bus interchange was conceived to relocate the major transport hub for industrial bus services from Boon Lay to Joo Koon. This would be further complemented by the future line extension to Tuas Link, where a newly constructed Tuas Bus Interchange would be able to better serve industries in the Tuas and Tuas South areas.

In the months prior to launch, the interchange was used for the parking of unregistered SBS Transit buses destined for Soon Lee Bus Park.

Joo Koon is the eighth Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) to be opened, after Toa Payoh in May 2002, Sengkang in January 2003, Ang Mo Kio in April 2007, Boon Lay in December 2009, Serangoon in September 2011, Clementi in November 2011 and Bedok in November 2014. Service amendments took place in 3 stages between November and December 2015, as detailed in this article.

Joo Koon Bus Interchange Launch:

Joo Koon Bus Interchange - Launch Phases (Click to expand)

The transfer and amendment of bus services for Joo Koon Int from Boon Lay Int took place in three phases:

Phase 1: 21 Nov 2015

  • Launch of new Service 258 from Boon Lay to Joo Koon via Jurong West St 64/75/82/81/71/61/63 & Upp Jurong Road
  • Extension of Service 99 to Joo Koon via Jurong West St 93, Upp Jurong Rd

Phase 2: 28 Nov 2015

  • Launch of new Service 256 from Joo Koon to Boon Lay via Jln Ahmad Ibrahim, Pioneer Rd North, Jurong West St 63/61/62
  • Relocation of Services 182, 182M & 257 to Joo Koon Int from Boon Lay Int
  • Amendment of Services 192 & 193 to ply outside Joo Koon Int along Benoi Rd

Phase 3: 12 Dec 2015

  • Launch of new Service 253 from Joo Koon to Benoi Rd (Loop) via Benoi Sector & Pioneer Rd
  • Relocation of Services 254 & 255 to Joo Koon Int from Boon Lay Int
  • Amendment of Services 194 (extended to Pioneer Circus) and Service 251 (amended to Boon Lay Way & Pioneer Rd North)
JKN Bus Network
Joo Koon Interchange route network

Interchange facilities:

  • Passenger Service Office (SBS Transit)
  • Top Up Kiosk
  • Drivers lounge / Briefing Room
  • NTWU Canteen
  • Boarding and alighting berths
  • Information boards
  • Bus departure timing screens
  • Retail Shops
  • Toilets

Bus Services:

Service Berth Destination Remarks
99 B3 Clementi
182 B3 ↺ Tuas South Avenue 9
182M B3 ↺ Tuas South Avenue 9
253 B2 ↺ Benoi Road
254 B1 ↺ Tuas Avenue 11
255 B1 ↺ Gul Crescent
257 B2 ↺ Pioneer Sector 2
258 B1 ↺ Jurong West Street 64
974 B2 ↺ Upper Bukit Timah Road
974A B2 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 (Lot 1/Choa Chu Kang Stn) Short Trip Service

Berth Allocation:

Joo Koon Integrated Transport Hub has 2 alighting berths and 3 boarding berths.

Berth Type Services
A1 – A2 Sawtooth Alighting only
B1 Sawtooth 254, 255, 258
B2 Sawtooth 253, 257, 974/974A
B3 Sawtooth 99, 182, 182M

Gallery:

Gallery (Phase 1):


Gallery (Phase 2):


Gallery (Phase 3):


Gallery (Pre-launch):

Artist's Impression, from The Business Times
Artist’s Impression, from The Business Times

External Links & References:

Back to Bus Interchanges and Terminals
Back to Bus Articles

10 thoughts on “Joo Koon Bus Interchange

  • 19 August 2023 at 7:18 PM
    Permalink

    In future,Only 1 SBST service left.

    Reply
  • 7 May 2023 at 3:47 PM
    Permalink

    Hopefully LTA will award Jurong West package to Go-Ahead and let them have a chance to win something after 7 years..

    Reply

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