Pasir Ris to Bedok: Train is King

Posted by: Emmanuel Phua

A Long Ride: Although bus service 17 is usually a double-decker bus, you might still end up getting on board a typical bus (above). Photo credit: Norazreen Binti Abd Haris

At Quick Glance At This Post

	Time	Fare	Advantage	Disadvantage
Service 17	37 mins	S$1.35	Mostly double-decker bus	Almost like a feeder service, slow and more expensive
Train (East-West Line)	11 mins	S$1.17	Quick travelling time	Crowded stations and train

My Journey to Bedok Mall

To those staying in the East, you’ve got to read this! Bedok Mall has been opened for quite some time. So, last week, I decided to set off from Pasir Ris to the newly opened Bedok Mall. The objective: find out whether the bus or train is faster. As promised, one of the aims of this blog is to tell you the fastest route that you can take to reach your destination.  

Long and Disappointing Bus Ride

I took the SBS Service 17 from Pasir Ris Bus Interchange and it took me a good 37 minutes before I reached my destination. From Bedok Interchange, it took me 3 minutes to walk to the mall. I was disappointed. The bus ride took longer than expected and it was packed up to the front door as soon as it reached Downtown East right till it passed Loyang Avenue. It wasn’t very scenic as well. What’s more, although the bus is not a feeder service, it passes through several neighbourhoods (Pasir Ris Drive, Simei Avenue and Tampines Ave 7) and took a long time skirting around Bedok North before it finally arrived at the interchange.

I guess the only consolation is the fact that SBS Transit usually deploys double-decker buses. Perhaps it’s to carry more passengers at one go.

Quick Train Ride but…

After a long ride to Bedok, I took the train back to Pasir Ris Bus Interchange and was earnestly hoping that the train ride would be a more efficient and faster journey. This time, I took the train from Pasir Ris to Bedok MRT. Four stops later, I reached Bedok MRT Station. It took me just 11 minutes! That was real quick! From there, it took 5 minutes of walking before I reached the mall.

Now, of course the train is not perfect. Although the train took less than half the time compared to the bus, there were hardly any seats available. The air-conditioning system wasn’t very cold as well. The train ride was noisy but I guess that’s a small price to pay since it’s a faster and cheaper alternative to reach Bedok from Pasir Ris.  

Brisk Business: The newly-opened Bedok mall is unique, with shops located on its three basement floors. Photo credit: Norazreen Binti Abd Haris

A Lively Basement Shopping Mall

Bedok Mall is special. It’s basically a basement shopping mall. There are three basements and you go down instead of going up for more shops. What’s unique is that the new Bedok Bus Interchange will eventually be housed on the 2^nd level of this mall. Unlike Bedok Point, Bedok Mall offers more than just food. Clothes, gadgets and home accessories can be easily found at this shopping complex too.

This wraps up my journey from Pasir Ris to Bedok. If you want us to explore new areas and find out the fastest or most scenic route for you, simply leave us a comment. Don’t forget to share this article with your friends and ‘like’ our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter!