New Choa Chu Kang driving centre, to replace BBDC by end-2030, to have intelligent circuits
Esther Loi for The Straits Times
The multi-storey driving centre in Choa Chu Kang that will replace the existing Bukit Batok Driving Centre (BBDC) will feature advanced technologies to facilitate the efficient training and testing of driving skills.
It will also have training and testing capabilities for Class 4 and 5 heavy vehicle driving licences, to supplement the Singapore Safety Driving Centre in Woodlands, which is currently the only facility for such licences.
The Bukit Batok driving centre will be phased out by December 2030, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Singapore Police Force (SPF) in a statement on Oct 8.
This is part of plans to redevelop the site in Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 for new residential developments.
The driving centre in Choa Chu Kang will be located in Lorong Bistari, near Kranji Camp III, after URA published a notice on April 4 to propose the rezoning of the site for "transport facilities".
On Oct 8, URA in collaboration with SPF launched the Lorong Bistari site for sale by public tender. The lease period will last 30 years.
Sitting on a plot of around 24,890 sq m, the new centre will have a maximum allowable gross floor area of 72,500 sq m across multiple levels for driving circuits and other related facilities, said URA and SPF. The Traffic Police is responsible for licensing and regulating driving schools in Singapore.
Billed as a next-generation driving centre, it will have two or more intelligent driving circuits that use advanced sensor technology and real-time monitoring systems to assess learners' proficiency, as well as ensure the consistency of driving education and training.
Each of these circuits will cover at least 22,000 sq m.
Learners at the centre will also have separate circuits for training and testing, as well as the use of simulator technologies for safe yet realistic driving or riding experiences.
There will be at least two nursery circuits, spanning at least 18,000 sq m each, where car and motorcycle learners can learn the basics.
Within the new centre, at least 5,050 sq m of space will be set aside for ancillary uses, including classrooms, simulator training facilities, administration offices, a customer service area and a multi-purpose hall featuring a road safety awareness gallery, said URA and SPF.
It will also have at least one cafeteria or canteen.
The Bukit Batok Driving Centre site has been zoned for housing. The centre opened in 1990 and has served more than 20,000 students each year across its various courses. Its lease had been extended several times after it expired in 2018, most recently until Dec 31, 2028.
URA and SPF said that the multi-storey design of the new centre in Choa Chu Kang will optimise land use, while providing comprehensive training facilities to better meet the growing demand for driving licences.
It will be the second multi-storey driving school in Singapore, after the Singapore Safety Driving Centre, which opened in 2010.
The new centre in the west of Singapore will complement the Singapore Safety Driving Centre in the north and the ComfortDelGro driving centre in Ubi, which is in the east.
Lorong Bistari is currently an access road for a semi-permanent dormitory on the western fringe of Choa Chu Kang. It will later be realigned into a dual carriageway road by the successful tenderer to serve the future driving centre, URA and SPF said.
The tender will close at noon on Jan 15, 2026.
