When the air-conditioned bus interchange in Toa Payoh opened, there was a multitude of bus services. Toa Payoh Bus Interchange was also the first air-conditioned bus interchange in Singapore, opening with the first stage of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system in the country back in the late 1980s.
Examples of bus services that operated from the bus interchange include service 231. When I first moved into Toa Payoh back in 2010, this service had both green and white plates, both operating on similar routes, except that the green plate service travelled in an anti-clockwise route towards Braddell MRT station along Toa Payoh Lorong 1 via Lorong 4, while the white plate service travelled to that particular MRT station via Lorong 1 itself before turning into Toa Payoh Lorong 4 where I live at. Back then, I usually choose to ride on either the green plate service (231G) or the white plate service (231W) after an exasperating long day of school. It was also not uncommon for me to doze off in the almost vacant bus too! I remember once whereby the bus captain of the bus had to wake me up when the bus arrived back at Toa Payoh Bus Interchange where I boarded! Today, there are no more green and white plates for this service due to it being rationalised as a result of the opening of Caldecott MRT station. Instead, this service operates as a Service 231 as itself and no longer serves my house. The service has also become more crowded than usual. Riding this service during those days is simply unforgettable to me.
Another bus service that operated from the bus interchange was the Turf City Shuttle. The Turf City Shuttle operated from the last sawtooth berth of the bus interchange in Toa Payoh, at a frequency of 30 minutes. Coincidentally, it operates from the same berth as that of the former Service 231G/W. The main bus operator that controls this bus service was ComfortDelgro. Many people used to board this bus service to Turf City, deeming it a much faster and cheaper method as compared to using bus service 157. In fact, I've heard from internet forums that using the shuttle service helps save at least $1.50 and 15 minutes per direction! Unfortunately, the demand of this shuttle service began to dwindle as years pass by with the rise of new shopping malls across the island. As a result, less people decided to visit Turf City Mall as a whole and this led to less people using the shuttle service as well. Finally, in late-2011, ComfortDelgro withdrew the shuttle service from Toa Payoh Bus Interchange.
The berth used for both former Services 231G/W and the Turf City Shuttle today is still not totally unused, though. Today, bus services 157 and 163 still use that berth for boarding. However, the memories of riding and monitoring these bus services, ferrying us from one place to another, and which we often take for granted, will never fade from my mind.
