Bukit Merah Bus Interchange is located at Bukit Merah Central and serves commercial areas and residential estates around Bukit Merah. Nearby facilities include industrial buildings, a polyclinic and a library. This is one of the few bus interchanges that does not serve an MRT station.
Details:
| Name | Bukit Merah Bus Interchange | 红山巴士转换站 |
| Address | 3591 Bukit Merah Central, Singapore 159840 |
| BCM Route Package | Bukit Merah Bus Package |
| Anchor Operator | SBS Transit Ltd |
| Bus Routes | SBS Transit – 13 SMRT Buses – 2 Tower Transit – 1 |
| Berths | 6 sawtooth berths, 2 alighting berths |
| Rail Connection | NA |
Brief History:
Bukit Merah Bus Interchange commenced operations on 14 February 1981, serving the Bukit Merah estate. Located at Bukit Merah Central, feeder bus services connect it with residential estates around Telok Blangah and Bukit Purmei. Sometime after its opening (likely in the 1990s-2000s), an overhead bridge over Bukit Merah Central was added, along with a driver’s canteen on the second floor.
The layout of the interchange has changed little since its opening over 30 years ago. Between 2013 and 2014, Addition & Alteration Works (Contract VT360) were carried out by JS Metal Pte. Ltd. at a contract sum of S$1,183,200.00, which covered general refurbishment work and re-roofing of the shelters extending over the boarding berths.
Interchange facilities:
- Interchange offices (SBS Transit + SMRT Buses)
- SimplyGo Ticket Office
- Top Up Kiosks
- Drivers lounge
- NTWU Canteen
- Boarding and alighting berths
- Information board & Bus arrival display
- Service Guide Rack
- Toilets
- Interactive Touchscreen Panels
- Mobile Charging Points
- Water Cooler
- Umbrella Dispenser
An overhead bridge connects the interchange to Bukit Merah Town Centre across the road.
Bus Services:
| Service | Berth | Destination | Remarks |
| 5 | B6 | Pasir Ris | |
| 16 | B3 | Bedok | |
| 16M | B3 | Bedok | |
| 57 | B6 | Bishan | |
| 75 | B5 | Gali Batu | |
| 123 | B1 | Beach Station (Sentosa) | |
| 131 | B5 | St. Michael’s | |
| 132 | B6 | Hougang Central | |
| 139 | B1 | Toa Payoh | |
| 153 | B1 | Hougang Central | |
| 167 | B3 | Sembawang | |
| 176 | B2 | Bukit Panjang | |
| 198 | B2 | Boon Lay | |
| 272 | B5 | ↺ Telok Blangah Rise | |
| 273 | B2 | ↺ Henderson Road | |
| 851 | B3 | Yishun |
Berth Allocation:
| Berth | Services | |
| B1 | 123, 139, 153 | |
| B2 | 176, 198, 273 | |
| B3 | 16/16M, 167, 851 | |
| B4 | – | |
| B5 | 75, 131, 272 | |
| B6 | 5, 57, 132 | |
Gallery:
October 2021:
June 2016:
External Links & References:
Back to Bus Interchanges and Terminals
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What happened to the service guide rack ?
Interestingly, the 4 bendy bus lots at the far end of the interchange that were once used by 176/851 bendies has been converted to 12m lots and now service 75 buses park at these lots.
when Tiong Bahru Interchange opens Bukit Merah INT should still be in service cause there is a lot of services in that region And also for memories from the 1980s/1990s & so on
Services amended to Tiong Bahru ITH:
Services 5, 16, 123, 131, 132, 139, 272 & 851
Services to stay at Bukit Merah INT:
16M, 57, 75, 153, 198 & 273
Service 167 will be withdrawn in the future
Service 176 could be amended to Jurong Town Hall and extended to Compassvale (Sectors replaced by 273/51)
New Services at Bukit Merah INT
431: Bukit Batok to Bukit Merah via Beauty World, Ulu Pandan, Holland Rd, Tanglin & Redhill Station
434: Bukit Merah to Beauty World via Rumah Tingghi, Dawson Rd, Tanglin, Orange Grove, Stevens & PIE
Amendments:
961: Woodlands to Tiong Bahru ITH via Woodlands Rd, Upper Bukit Timah, Bukit Timah , Queensway & Henderson
961M might be withdrawn and 961 should operate on Sundays/PH when 961M withdrawn
Service 272 extension to Tiong Bahru ITH
Tiong Bahru ITH to Telok Blangah Rise(loop) passing via Tiong Bahru Road, Redhill Rd, Lengkok Bahru, Jalan Bukit Merah & Telok Blangah Rise Area
Tiong Bahru ITH will have 9 services
Bukit Merah INT will have 8 Services (including new services 431 & 434)
Instead of Service 434 you could extend service 159 to Bukit Merah from Buangkok ITH Passing via Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Lorong Chuan, Toa Payoh, Tanglin, Dawson Rd & Hoy Fatt Road
159 might be amended to Buangkok ITH in the future
159’s extension to Bukit Merah INT will connect a direct link for Australian International School Students to get to their homes in Orange Grove & Tanglin Areas
Some far fetched and impractical suggestions here. What’s the point of 431 and 434? 431 may as well be called 75M as it just feels like rehash of 75 which doesn’t seem to serve any specific purpose other than for the sake of introducing new buses to Beauty World area, which is already well-served by many services.
139 should not be shortened as Lengkok Bahru residents rely on it to go to Orchard. 63 only covers Chinatown and Bras Basah.
272 is still needed between Bukit Merah town centre and Telok Blangah Rise/Cres. Also already got 121 between TIB and Telok Blangah. 273 should be the one that is amended to TIB ideally.
5, 16 and 851 also should not be shortened to TIB as there are Bukit Merah residents who rely on these services to go to Chinatown, Orchard and Bras Basah. 16M alone is not enough to cater to the demand between Tiong Bahru and Bukit Merah interchange.
132 cannot be amended to TIB as it is the only service connecting Bukit Merah town centre and Redhill MRT.
961: Could work but then I don’t see the point other than for the sake of amending to TIB. Better to have 153 or 198 extended to TIB instead.