LONG BUS RIDES
Residents welcomed the new bus services that connect Tengah to major transport nodes but called for more direct routes that did not wind through neighbouring estates.
Three bus services – 870, 992 and 871 – stop at Tengah Bus Interchange or other bus stops in the town.
Service 992 connects residents to Bukit Batok Interchange, while 870 goes to Jurong Town Hall Interchange. Bus service 871, launched on Jul 21, loops between the interchange, Bukit Gombak MRT station and Beauty World MRT station.
A Tengah home owner who declined to be named described long commutes on the current bus routes.
The 38-year-old IT manager said it takes him one hour and 20 minutes to reach his workplace in Marina Bay Financial Centre, and his wife nearly two hours to reach her workplace in Tampines, from their new flat in Plantation Village.
While bus service 871 stops at Beauty World MRT station on the Downtown Line, its route has too many stops in Bukit Batok. A direct bus from Tengah to a Downtown Line station would be preferable, he said.
The couple have not moved into their Tengah flat, preferring to stay put in their current home in Bukit Panjang, where their commute is kept to an hour.
Full-time housewife and mother-of-four Shafiqah, who moved to Plantation Village in December last year, said her family spent more time at home in the initial months due to the lack of transport options.
While public transport in Tengah has improved, it could be better, she said.
“Pity the wheelchair users, (those with) strollers with young children who need to keep changing buses to go to Jurong side. We don’t have direct bus to Jurong West or Boon Lay,” said the 27-year-old, who did not give her full name.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it prioritised connecting Tengah residents to nearby key transport nodes and amenities to best serve their daily travel needs.
It will continue building commuter infrastructure such as bus stops in tandem with the town’s development, it said.
“As Tengah town continues to grow, LTA will monitor changes in demand and commuter travel patterns, and adjust bus services provision accordingly.”