A Walk Through Memories

On 13 March 2015, the residents of Yishun bid farewell to the bus interchange they were so familiar with. The departure of the last bus meant that it was time to say goodbye to Yishun Bus Interchange that had served the town well in the past 28 years. 

The premises had been demolished to make way for a new integrated transports hub at Northpoint City, which will be made up of North Park Residences, an air-conditioned bus interchange and a shopping underpass that links to Yishun MRT Station that expected to be ready by 2019.

In 1977, the government launched the Yishun New Town project, reserving some 920 hectares of land between Admiralty and Sembawang for residential and industrial development. By the 80's, there was a sizable population living at Yishun New Town; many of the residents originated from the nearby kampungs such as Pengkalan Petai, Pengkalan Kundor, Nee Soon, Chye Kay and Mandai. 

A large bus interchange became essential to meet the demands of an increasing population in Yishun. Before the construction of Yishun Bus Interchange in the 80's, Yishun residents had to be contended with the two bus terminals located at Yishun Central and Yishun Avenue 5. Slow and irregular bus services made commuting between new towns and the city area tedious and inconvenient. The small terminals also faced difficulties in coping with the rising number of commuters, and basic amenities such as coin-changing machines were absent. 

The HDB was thus given the task to build a permanent facility to provide bus services at Yishun. In August 1985, tenders were issued and awarded to contractors for the construction of the new bus interchange. 

In just two years, Yishun Bus Interchange was completed and ready for operation. 

Officially opened on 23 August 1987, it was the ninth bus interchange built in Singapore after Bukit Merah, Clementi, Woodlands, Ang Mo Kio, Hougang, Bedok, Jurong East and Toa Payoh.