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NTU and NIE students left out of new bus interchange HALF EMPTY: Only NTU and NIE buses are left at the old Boon Lay bus interchange.
A smooth and efficient transition is the reason why buses serving NTU and NIE remain at the old interchange for now Nabilah Bte Syed Sultan the new Boon Lay Bus Interchange may already be fully operational, but NTU and NIE university students and staff will not be able to use it to travel to and from campus until March. A spokesman for SBS Transit said this delay is to give the new interchange, which opened on December 27 last year, time to deal with passenger volume. According to SBS Transit, the three bus services that serve the NTU and NIE community will gradually be moved to the new interchange in late March. In the meantime, buses 179, 179A and 199 that ply the campus routes will use the old interchange. Nonetheless, students The Nanyang Chronicle spoke to were disgruntled that they would not get to enjoy the features offered by the new interchange. These include air-conditioning, as well as links to Jurong Point 2 shopping centre and Boon Lay MRT station. Siti Zubaidah Bte Abdul Muttalib, 21, a third-year student from NIE said: “I understand why this is being done, but I cannot help but feel short-changed. We are one of the biggest users of the interchange
yet we do not get to use the facilities.” Lee Wai Meng, 24, a fourth-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, thinks otherwise. “It is only a temporary measure and I think it is justified that they take some time to decide where to place our buses,” he said. “But it would be an added bonus if students had an option on where they should be placed.”
“We are one of the biggest users of the interchange yet we do not get to use the facilities.” Siti Zubaidah Bte Abdul Muttalib National Institute of Education Third Year
The decision to delay allowing NTU commuters to use the new interchange to travel to and from the campus came about in a meeting in November last year. Representatives from the Students Affairs Office (SAO), the Students Union, as well as SBS Transit officials agreed that it would be best to allow those buses travelling to the NTU and NIE campuses to remain at the old bus interchange due to its high passenger volumes. “I think this decision was a reasonable one”, s a id M r L i m B o o n K i a t , a
PHOTO | LEE WAI MENG
representative from SAO. “We a l l feel t hat it’s best t hat these three buses remain at the old interchange to ensure a smooth transition.” According to Mr Lim, there are three main reasons behind the decision to stay put for now. Firstly, the new bus interchange is relatively small. SBS Transit needs time to monitor the peak hour crowds of non-NTU and NIE commuters first before eventually having to deal with the relativelyl large numbers of NTU and NIE commuters after the full transition. Secondly, the shift from the old to the new interchange was made during the term break. As a result, there still remains a high chance of students getting confused over the shift despite the notices that were given by NTU and SBS Transit. Lastly, it is to avoid the potential disorder that might arise due to the initial operation of a new facility. Routes of several bus services have been amended with the shift to the new interchange, with some services calling at additional bus stops and bypassing others. Mr Lim said that he understood the students’ desire to use the new facility, but urged them to be patient. Everyone may be “assured” that the ‘spots’ for 179, 179A and 199 have already been allotted at the new interchange. “We believe that our students are mature enough to weigh the priorities and be patient. I too, would love to enjoy the air-conditioned interchange,” he said.
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