Introduction:
Clementi is one of Singapore’s latest satellite towns developed since the 1970s, located in the southwestern region of the island. To cater to the increasing population in the developing public housing estate, SBS gradually introduced new trunk services and extended the routes of existing trunk services from nearby bus termini in Ulu Pandan and Commonwealth Ave, as well as providing several feeder services that connected the town’s neighbourhoods with the town centre.
While there was no specific bus plan implemented by SBS, Clementi Bus Interchange serves as the main transport hub for bus services (and later the MRT) in the housing estate, opening its doors on 16th November 1980 at the junction of Clementi Ave 3 and Commonwealth Ave West. The current air-conditioned Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) sits on the former location of the bus interchange.
| Town Name | Clementi | 金文泰 |
| Bus Interchange / Terminal |
|
| BCM Route Packages |
|
| Operators |
|
| Originating Bus Services | 7, 10, 14, 33, 95, 96, 99, 147, 151, 156, 165, 166, 173, 175, 196, 200, 201, 282, 284, 285 |
| Passing-Through Bus Services | 30, 51, 52, 61, 74, 75, 78, 97, 97e, 105, 106, 143, 154, 176, 183, 184, 185, 188, 188e, 189, 197, 198, 655, 667, 963, 963e |
Pre-Interchange Opening (1977 – 1980):
Before the development of Clementi New Town, the area where the housing estate occupies today was mainly served by long distance trunk services along West Coast Road, Upper Ayer Rajah Road (part of the Ayer Rajah Expressway today), as well as Clementi Road. It was not until 1977, when former Bus Service 191 was extended to the new town from Ulu Pandan Road as the 1st bus service to officially serve the estate.
From there, 5 more trunk services were introduced in Clementi New Town between 1977 and 1979, while a new bus interchange was constructed in the Clementi Town Centre to serve as the primary transport node for the estate:
- Bus Service 191: Extended from Ulu Pandan Rd on 1 Aug 1977
- Bus Service 186: New trunk service to Shenton Way via Queenstown and Bukit Merah from 2 Nov 1977
- Bus Service 176: Shortened from Jurong when its bus interchange opened on 1 Jun 1978
- Bus Service 209: Extended from Commonwealth Ave on 31 Jul 1978
- Bus Service 74: New trunk service to Ang Mo Kio via Bukit Timah and Upper Thomson from 16 Jul 1979
- Bus Service 185: New trunk service to Dover Rd from 16 Jul 1979
To link the neighbourhoods to the town centre, 2 new feeder bus services – 282 & 284 – were also implemented by SBS, operating from the interim bus terminal along Clementi Ave 3, which had been relocated from Commonwealth Ave West in 1978.
On 16th November 1980, the new Clementi Bus Interchange was opened, offering a pleasant environment for bus passengers to transfer and wait for their buses. All 8 bus services were relocated to the new interchange from the roadside bus terminal along Clementi Ave 3, which coincided with the launch of a new Bus Service 78 to Queenstown on weekdays and Saturdays.
Summary of Post-Amendment Bus Routes in Clementi (as of 17 Nov 1980):
- 74: Clementi – Bukit Timah Road – Ang Mo Kio
- 78: Clementi – Commonwealth Avenue – Queensway (Loop)
- 176: Clementi – Telok Blangah Road – Empress Place (Loop)
- 185: Clementi – Dover Road – Bukit Merah (Loop)
- 186: Clementi – Henderson Road – Prince Edward Road
- 191: Clementi – Holland Road – Orchard Road – Prince Edward Road
- 209: Clementi – Commonwealth Avenue – Chinatown – Crawford Street
- 282: Clementi – Clementi Avenue 2 (Loop)
- 284: Clementi – Clementi Avenue 4 (Loop)
More detailed information for operational bus services can be found in the Historical Routes of Bus Services article.