Smallest & most basic bus terminals In Singapore

With the recent opening of the new CCL6 stations and constant updates about the upcoming CRL and JRL lines, it seems like our MRT system is constantly stealing all the spotlight. But, we’ve got to give kudos to our trusty public buses too, as they’ve been ferrying Singaporeans around long before many of our train lines even existed.

While many of us might be familiar with starting our daily commute at sprawling bus interchanges, not all rides begin at one. Scattered around Singapore are tiny bus terminals that take up surprisingly little space, and since we Singaporeans are oddly fascinated by all things related to our public transport, here are some of the smallest ones you can find on our Little Red Dot.

What’s the difference between a bus interchange & bus terminal in Singapore?

In case you didn’t know, there’s a difference between bus interchanges and terminals in Singapore, and they’re not terms you can use interchangeably.

An entrance to the Yishun Bus Interchange.
Image credit: Ideal Connection

For starters, although they are both places where bus services can start and end, a bus interchange is typically larger than your average bus terminal. That’s because a bus interchange’s main purpose is to serve as a main hub that connects multiple bus services and other modes of transport, such as MRT stations.

The Kent Ridge Bus Terminal.
Image credit: Wikipedia

As such, bus interchanges are better equipped than bus terminals, with facilities such as dedicated concourses, boarding berths, screens displaying departure times, and toilets. On the other hand, bus terminals tend to have simpler facilities as they’re primarily a starting or ending point for bus routes; nothing more, nothing less. As such, they tend to be smaller than bus interchanges.

1. Ghim Moh Bus Terminal

Historic roadside bus terminal from the 1970s

For the young’uns out there, roadside bus terminals like Ghim Moh Bus Terminal used to be way more commonplace in the early to mid-1970s. These popped up whenever new HDB estates were built to serve residents living in the vicinity. In fact, at least 122 former bus terminals have been documented in Singapore.

What the Ghim Moh Bus Terminal looked like in 1994.
Image credit: Ka Fai Lai via Facebook

However, a majority of them have since ceased operations when the late 80s and 90s came around, as many bus terminals were replaced by larger bus interchanges that could also serve as central transport hubs. Ghim Moh Bus Terminal is one of few remaining terminals that have withstood the test of time, still standing at the very location where it first opened in 1977.

Image credit: Garden City via Google Maps

You can stumble upon this relic right opposite the popular Ghim Moh Food Centre. It still retains telltale features of an old-school roadside bus terminal, with its 6 bus bays directly demarcated along Ghim Moh Road itself. As for facilities, it’s as barebones as it can get, sporting a rustic-looking container office that doubles as a lounge for bus drivers.

The terminal doesn’t even have a permanent public toilet that passengers can use. If there aren’t any porta potties available, you’ll have to cross the road to do your business at Ghim Moh Food Centre’s washrooms.

2. Sims Place Bus Terminal

Half a century-old bus terminal in Aljunied

Image credit: Sanjay Kumar S via Google Maps

Another perfectly preserved bus terminal of yesteryear can be found in Aljunied. Sims Place Bus Terminal first began operations in 1976 and will turn half a century old come December of this year.

Image adapted from: Google Maps

Unlike its bigger counterpart down the road, Lor 1 Geylang Bus Terminal, the Sims Place Bus Terminal kept its stripped-down look, trading large concourses for bus bays carved out along Sims Place. It also has a container office for bus drivers to take a breather in after long shifts, and of course, you’ll have to go number 2 elsewhere if the 2 portable toilets here are occupied.

And it looks like the terminal won’t be going anywhere soon, despite its age and basic infrastructure. In June 2027, it will fall under the management of SMRT Buses for at least 5 years, as part of a new Serangoon-Eunos Bus Package, so you’ve got plenty of time to swing by to check it out if you’re ever in the East.

3. Rumah Tinggi Bus Terminal / Opp Blk 36 Bus Stop

Has technically ceased operations; now functions as a bus stop instead

What the 2 bus bays of the Rumah Tinggi Bus Terminal looked like when the terminal was in operation.
Image credit: Ka Fai Lai via Facebook

Now, the Rumah Tinggi Bus Terminal technically ceased operations as of 2002, but you can still find remnants of this pint-sized terminal today. Located along Jalan Rumah Tinggi, the roadside bus terminal’s boarding point has been converted into a bus stop called Rumah Tinggi Terminal, before finally being renamed to Opp Blk 36.

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think that there was nothing noteworthy about the Opp Blk 36 bus stop, as it truly looks like your run-of-the-mill neighbourhood bus stop. The terminal office had been removed after all, leaving almost no trace of the stop’s former status as a bus terminal.

Image adapted from: Google Maps

We say almost, because if you go back up the street just a little, you’ll be able to spot 2 bus bays beside a rubbish collection point. Also worth noting is the fact that SBS Transit converted bus service 63 into a bi-directional service between Eunos Bus Interchange and the Opp Blk 36 bus stop in 2025. This meant that buses now started and ended their trips right here, turning the Opp Blk 36 bus stop into a “bus terminal”, at least by definition.

4. Queen Street Bus Terminal

Only plays host to 1 local bus service

Although the Ghim Moh and Sims Place Bus Terminals may be physically small, they still play host to 3 bus routes each, but the same cannot be said for Queen Street Bus Terminal. Although it serves as a hub for bus services that take you to JB like the Causeway Link Bus, only 1 local bus route runs through here – bus service 170.

The Queen Street Bus Terminal used to exist as a smaller roadside bus terminal in the 1940s and 50s, not too far from the present-day terminal near Ban San Street.
Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

With a role as vital as transporting Singaporeans en masse across the border, you’d think the terminal would be bigger to accommodate the JB-obsessed crowds. The bus terminal isn’t terribly tiny, but many commuters have left reviews stating that it could use an upgrade to its amenities in order to cater to the hordes of people who begin their JB day trips here whenever the weekend hits.

The queue for the Causeway Link bus at Queen Street Bus Terminal at peak hour.
Image credit: Raewyn Koh

This includes building more seating space and better protection from the elements. Thankfully, there are public toilets here that you can use to relieve yourself before taking on the daunting queue times.

5. Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal

Located within a car park & used to promote a Park & Ride scheme

Image credit: Arshad Md Ariffin via Google Maps

Another bus terminal that’s not particularly modest in size is the Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal. It’s directly opposite Kallang MRT station, and if you’ve ever boarded a bus here, you’ll notice that its amenities are pretty much non-existent. Other than a slew of bus bays and 3 container offices,  it’s nothing more than an open-air car park.

City Shuttle Buses (CSS) at Lor 1 Geylang Bus Terminal in 1975.
Image credit: National Heritage Board

And that makes complete sense, because it used to be a fringe car park and bus terminus for the discontinued Park & Ride scheme, which was introduced in 1975. In a bid to reduce traffic congestion in the city centre, the scheme was put in place to encourage folks heading to the CBD to park their cars at carparks on the city’s fringe and take a shuttle bus into town.

Image credit: Loke Jun Jie via Google Maps

However, the Park & Ride scheme wasn’t well received at all. By the 1980s, the shuttle bus routes were gradually discontinued, and this very fringe car park was converted into the Lor 1 Geylang Bus Terminal we know today, after SBS Transit brought a couple of their bus services over.

In more recent news, the Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal may be shutting down soon, as a new Kallang Bus Interchange is currently in the works. So, you might want to pay it a visit before it’s gone for good. Just pick a clear day to pop by, as the bus terminal doesn’t have much shelter to keep you dry when it pours; it’s essentially an open-air car park after all.

Keep an eye out for these smaller bus terminals in Singapore

While massive, integrated bus interchanges bring much convenience to our hectic lives, there’s just an air of bittersweet nostalgia and serenity surrounding the smaller bus terminals that we can’t shake off. As such, see if you can spot them the next time you’re out and about, to catch a glimpse of remnants of simpler times.

For more bus-related reads:

• Most romantic bus routes
• What our bus network could look like in 5 years
• Most haunted bus route in SG

Cover image adapted from: Garden City via Google Maps, Ka Fai Lai via Facebook