Perhaps some of you can relate to the current situations that have been revolving around yourselves lately. You know: The feeling that life seems gloomy or fucked up, just because some shitty virus caused prices to hike like it was climbing to the the goddamn peak of Everest. And the fact that it had shut the gates on what's beyond the eyes of wanderlust.
Pardon my explosive paragraph from earlier. Just need to let myself out. I'm already 28 years through my life cycle, and I never have ventured to a world beyond Southeast Asia.
The world out there has signalled me to discover new places, but hindrances always get in the way to cloud your dreams of exploration. And with time playing around, they get darker to a point that you'll never be able to end up catching a glimpse of the other side.
I frequently commute the airport during my free time, but not for the purpose of flying to places unknown to the memory of my mind. I sometimes look up to the sky; 787s taking off, 777s landing. And I'm just stuck here, only limited to the ability of imagining that I am aboard one of them.
People of my age would take their leave fulfilling their bucket list of countries. Where does that leave me? The same thing, but instead it's an endless fucking pile of bills. That wasn't all. The year 2022 became excruciatingly toxic that going and hiding in dark places lingered in my thoughts.
The fact that I was the only child, I had to take responsibility as the main breadwinner of my family ever since I started working. I had the heaviest responsibility to carry in keeping my family stable. Not just financially, but emotionally and mentally as well.
Of course this is where they amplify the likelihood of me easily burning out or becoming unmotivated to do my hobbies. And with this piece of shit virus in the way, the situation ended up becoming worse than you think.
Sure I had eventful times with friends during this period of hard times and I am thankful for those small moments, but all these 'challenges' I have faced from 2021 till 2022 have been more overwhelming than the average daily amount of Dopamine in my systems. Pardon my geekiness.
But you know, amidst of all these fuckity piles of shits that I'd been through, the year 2023 told me to still stand, breathe, and stay hopeful that the tides will change in my favour.
What I really need is a sense of normalcy like how it was many years ago. When I could worry little about how much money I have left in my pockets or when I don't develop second thoughts on buying something hefty. Simply put, when money no longer becomes the primary concern of the hindrances in my life.
Heh, the reality of adulthood. Am I right? Fighting through survival, persevering through pain, but still feeling thankful that I'll make it to tomorrow.
On a more optimistic note, 2023 was showing glimpses of 2019. When I can forget the damages this asshole of a pandemic has caused.
The holidays during the end of the year has always been a refreshing time. Feast with the family. Play Halo. Hang out with friends. Appreciate life to the fullest, because our time here is limited.
With that, I wish everyone Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2024. Do what you do best to make yourself feel humble.
I would like to apologize to everyone if you're expecting a typical blog of me recounting events or laying out my interests, but I'm going to put focus of this blog about the quarter-life crisis that has been sucking the life out of my adulthood slowly.
As of the moment I'm penning this blog, I'm down deep in my financial situation. Sure, I'm working full-time with a salary that is indeed much more well-off than others. But, whatever I earn is just sufficient to meet the payments of the many essential bills that have to be paid every month. My only remaining funds is only enough for transport or budgeted food (E.g. Hawker food centres).
The thing is, I am stuck on that cycle, month after month after month since 2021. Kinda like as if, I work and get rewarded, but the only reward that I'm able to afford is only just one full meal from a casual restaurant, at the maximum of one person, per month.
Even so, relying on credit card or personal loan in the long run is unhealthy, because when interest accumulates exponentially every month, you'll realize that you will slowly and progressively lack the means to pay them up.
By the time I lost the power to pay up essential bills via credit cards as they had reached their maximum limit, I had no choice but to rely on my salary to do so. This of course has dire consequences as the months pass by: Rationing payment for the other essential bills (Also known as prioritizing on what needs to be paid first rather than paying all.).
There are so many factors that magnetize together to contribute a force so strong that there is little money to spare.
Firstly: Rising costs of living & inflation troubles. If I go by simple math, the pricier the groceries get, the lesser you can buy back home as compared to the previous years.
Secondly: Salaries gained from one source just isn't enough, because even an enhancement isn't enough to cope with the inflation, hence the lack of financial stability. I'm sure many of you have already resorted to doing side-jobs or gigs.
Lastly: That fucking virus. I swear to God that that is the root cause for these factors I have listed out. Imagine if this shitfuck of an infection did not exist in the first place, the world's economy would have still maintained itself well today, and we won't have to deal with all these $5 chicken rice meals (A value like that is already considered expensive in Singapore as compared to a $3 chicken rice meal years ago.).
I'm already on the verge of not being able to do the things that many others from my generation are doing right now, and that is to explore the world near and far.
The lack of achieving that wanderlust is already bad enough to suffocate one with the mundane things in life day by day until you get mentally exhausted to a point that you'd end fed up with it.
Ultimately, I'm just stuck in a loop that I could not break. My mind could only go as far as wondering where can the loop be broken, but never about when are you finally out of it.
Take an example of me going to the airport. I'm not there to catch a flight, no. I just only watch people have the freedom to go somewhere. Or me going to malls. I'm not there to dine in a restaurant I crave. I just only watch people satisfy their appetite by eating there.
Life without a rich-enough finance is grim. It literally fucking sucks.
My happiness is diminishing day by day. I don't even know if there is a particular someone out there who can inspire and motivate me to see life in a much more vibrant setting. And maybe allow good karma to exist for once.
I'll see you all again, when all these feelings of lacking the energy to do what I want dissipates.
Till then, see you starside.
"If in doubt of your actions, just know that there are multiple versions of you from other universes doing the same thing."
It's been 4 years since I last drafted something into my blog. But with a lot of running in my mind lately, I feel like I should vent out my thoughts here. Maybe it'll help to release the steam of challenges that I've been getting through lately.
We all remembered what 2020 was like. The moment the virus known as COVID-19 dirsrupted our very way of living life. We lacked the means of travelling to different parts of the world, which to be honest, does affect our mental health.
As a healthcare worker myself, I had to face an endless wave of patients getting admitted all thanks to the suspicion or confirmation that they got that goddamn virus.
What's worse was during that period of time, our world was put into a state of lockdown. No such thing as mingling with friends and families for recreation. No dining in restaurants as it can cause a risk into easily spreading the virus to others. From a gaming perspective, game developers had no choice but to delay their game production, leading to a way later release date.
Then came 2021. Although a lot of the restrictions due to the lockdown have eased, it still wasn't the full freedom we all have been dreaming for.
In retrospect, there were a lot of events that happened in a not-so positive way. My work crush had left her job; I decided not to do anything because I know doing that will not get me anywhere I wish it could be.
That's not all, I had to deal with a leg injury during the last few months of the year; Maybe because of how physically drained I was with the still endless loads of patients coming in. Fortunately, I got better by December. Just needed more rest.
At least one very positive event happened that year: Getting an Xbox Series X and Halo Infinite (Finally making a full release on 8th December 2021.). Extremely thankful for this, as it helped me mentally regain my strength.
2021 was ridiculous for the majority, but at least I got a tinge of optimism in the end.
Moving on to 2022. I still had to face so many hardships even though the virus pandemic had been making a transition into an endemic (i.e. Easing of mask-wearing in certain locations.)
The inflation is one of them, thanks to COVID causing the economy to fall flat. I'd typically buy a bento for $5. Now it's raised to $6. And boomers still have the guts to say that us millennials are well-off. No offense to the boomers out there.
Another was when I got a confirmed positive result on the goddamn virus. My nose was runny, but most prominently, my throat was at the most painful stage it had ever been. Very annoying to get through this at a span of 6 days.
But, the hardship that hit me the most was what I consider a 'life-changing' event. I will not put in the details as I want to respect the privacy of those involved. But I will say that I had to endure through months in order to have everything normalized, and it was fucking detrimental.
I apologize to any of my colleagues or friends if I said that I was not 'free' to chat or hang out during that period of time, or if you notice that I seem less happy than I used to be.
I'm better now, and I hope it stays that way. Fingers crossed.
Not the entire of 2022 was bittered with sadness or anger. On August, I finally got the opportunity to travel out with my Family, to Batam. While it may have been only a mere 3 days of vacation, it was indeed a full recharge from the stamina drained from working.
That's not all. On December, Avatar: The Way Of Water was released in cinemas near and far. I decided to watch it on IMAX mode, because I want to feel like as if I was literally in another world. Pandora was filled with the beauty of nature, so why not?
2022 may have brought me down to my lowest low, but it very well had proven to me that I can still perservere to get back on my feet.
Now onto the present. 2023. Much of my challenges are filled with financial setbacks thanks to the inflation still dragging on and on. But I believe that with the right tools and approaches, I'll be able to make it out (By hitting 6 numbers in the lottery XD, just kidding.).
There's more of the world beyond Asia that's worth venturing to, and I hope that I can go there sooner than I thought.
With that, I shall end my blog here. COVID can break our health physically or mentally, but it will never break our spirits.
Till then, see you starside.
"In order to live, you must learn that life is like a Yin and Yang. You will get good ones. You will get bad ones. Put too much in one of them, and you will tip the balance of appreciating the life that has been bestowed upon you."
For the past few years, my family and I had been through a lot, ever since my father retired from his job of almost 20 years. One challenge my family faced in particular was insufficient accumulation of salary to catch up with the necessary house bills, henceforth we ended up owing a lot of outstanding bills to pay for. Nevertheless, things are already shaping up to be much better by the second half of 2018, when I have been consecutively earning bonuses from my job.
Gone were the days of first half of 2015 till the first half of 2018, when we really needed to budget our grocery supplies, transport fares, and our luxuries, just to make sure that we don’t end up loaning money from others, and end up complicating things.
To reward ourselves for making it through the dark times, we nowadays go out to have an enjoyable time without having to worry about money matters. One thing I planned for us to do here in Singapore was to go to places we have never been to before, which my family enthusiastically agreed.
You see, usually we go to multiple places of interest in Singapore only when our relatives or friends from overseas came to visit us. But this time, it is just about us, because ‘we want to do what we want to’, rather than ‘we want to do what they want to’.
And so, on December 2018, I decided to bring my family to Sentosa. I know what you’re thinking. You’re saying that I brought them to Universal Studios Singapore, just like I did with my visiting relatives every single time, just because to their eyes, that is the biggest attraction there. Blasphemy! I say for a fact that Sentosa is more than just that. Hence, I brought my family to places where seeing the moments are more nostalgic than just riding the thrills.
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First off, the Royal Albatross. While I admit that this was smaller than I expected, the yacht felt and looked impressive nonetheless, as it consisted of a bar that sold drinks, a bedroom that felt like this was truly a luxury cruise ship, as well as the cork-like material used to create the flooring, which my father pointed out in particular. He even wondered at the thought of owning a boat like one with such a design. For your reference, you can book for a buffet-like dinner aboard this yacht whilst you take a luxurious cruise on the seas, though the pricing can be very hefty, even for all of us.
To summarise this place of interest: “Imagine Titanic was just literally a yacht.”
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Next up, the S.E.A. Aquarium, or as I’d like to put it, Underwater World’s Sequel. Years ago, I visited an aquarium park in Sentosa known as Underwater World. Due to the opening of Resorts World Sentosa, that park was closed down. Not to worry though, as part of the new resort consisted of a newer and bigger aquarium park, known as the S.E.A. Aquarium. Indeed this is where you can discover the magnificent marine life swimming in the blue. If I were to mention the highlight of this place, it would be the Underwater Dome. Large aquarium, with lots of schools of sea creatures swimming like us humans roaming around cities.
To summarise this place of interest: “Behold, a never before seen footage of Atlantis.”
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Thirdly, the Trick Eye Museum. Before you enter this place, I recommend that you’d bring a camera or camera-phone (Smartphones, duh.) with a portable charger. Because trust me, you’ll end up taking more videos and photos here than you expected. Anyway, this place is just like an art gallery, except that you yourself need to interact with it in order to notice the illusion. While you could just simply snap photos in every area that catches your eye, the real bonus comes when you download the Museum’s App and utilise the video in it. Expect all those galleries to 'come to life'.
To summarise this place of interest: “What sorcery is this? Nah, your eye is just that illusional.”
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Moving on, the Wax Museum, also known as Madame Tussauds. Similar to the Trick Eye Museum in terms of the art you see, except that it is all about realistic sculptures of well-known people from real life, whether they are politicians or actors etc. This is as close as can get just to prove that you have met them for 'real'. One thing that my father was impressed about is that the sculptures are even created according the the height of their real-life counterparts.
To summarise this place of interest: “Photo it. Frame it. Display it. Prove it.”
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Finally, the Wings Of Time. Think this place as one scoop of the Fountain Of Wealth, mixed with the then-Musical Fountains of Sentosa, and a pinch of Neon Spotlights & Pyrotechnics like as if you are making a WWE entrance. While this show did replace the Songs Of The Sea at the very same location, it was indeed an improvement from the former in terms of its graphical design. You might wanna purchase a premium seat for this show, as I’d know you’d feel tired after the excursion all around Sentosa, and you needed a back to rest on.
To summarise this place of interest: “When you realise that water can be used for an infinite number of things.”
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I’d definitely bring my family to the many places of Singapore that we have yet to venture upon. One of them is the domes in the Gardens By The Bay, also known as Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. Another is The Jewel at Changi Airport, which is due to open this April 2019. I could list more, but you know, I’d do things one at a time.
Anyway, back to letting the Bells ring in my head. Don’t ask why that noun. I just like hearing it. Till then, see you starside.
“Go and see places old and new. Doing the same thing can easily drain you on a daily basis, so don’t forget starting an adventure to keep your lives balanced and refreshed.”
Our human minds think alike. Not the same though. We may pursue the same lifestyle, but our ways of living them out may differ. Take Shift work vs Non-Shift work as an example, which I will talk you through in this blog. As someone who already had gained experience from both sides, let me convince you as to why I prefer doing Shift work.
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1) AVOIDING THE CROWD
The fact that my shift work schedule is never fixated on a 9pm till 5pm work time means that I get to easily stay away from large crowds of people who are making their way to work or back home. Not just that, I won’t get stuck within a long line of vehicles along the roads during peak hours, whether I’m in a taxi or bus. Moreover, if I happen to be working at night, I would be travelling in a direction opposite to many people (I go to work, they go home, and vice versa). Hence, if I am travelling aboard a bus in the hours nearing midnight, there would be little to no passengers inside. Indeed comfortable without the feel of rushing to places.
2) WEEKDAYS BECOME WEEKENDS AND VICE VERSA
What can really make your off or rest day better? If it falls on a weekday. With a lot of non-shift workers busy doing tasks during the weekdays, this leaves to many areas of interest ‘open’ for opportunities. For example, you can do groceries or shop for goods in malls without expecting long queues. You can go to the swimming pool without expecting so many people to ruin the serenity you need just to relax. You can also call out your love to a date (If they are not working on that day) at a restaurant without expecting so much noise just because all seats are taken. To summarise, you make more of your life without worrying of many people getting in your way.
3) MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
Follow through the chorus of the song ‘Paper Planes’ by M.I.A.: “All I wanna do is ‘Bang, Bang, Bang’ and ‘Ka-Ching’! and take your money.” Nope, I’m not asking you to go and start a robbery, but rather let you know the satisfaction of getting more than just one ‘Ka-Ching!’ just because you do shift work. Based on where I currently work, I am entitled to a lot of bonuses. Firstly, 2nd Shift & Meal Premium bonus, whenever I work during the afternoon (1:30pm - 10:30pm). Secondly, Night bonus, obviously whenever I work during the night (10:15pm - 7:15am), with an increase on weekends or public holidays. Lastly, Overtime bonus, whenever I work during public holidays, or beyond the official work time, or during my off and rest day. Cumulate all these in one month, and I’ll be getting 30% more than the basic salary.
4) DIFFERENT TIMES, DIFFERENT TASKS
Based on what I experienced during my non-shift work internship at a company 4 years ago, I noticed one thing, and it’s that I’ve been doing the same routine of tasks day by day. Of course, it was boring just to grind through it over and over again. Compared to where I work today, the tasks that had to be done differs by our shift times (Morning, afternoon, or night), or even by the day of the week. This gives me a freedom to rotate to accomplishing multiple different tasks within just a period of days. Now this is what I call flexibility at its finest, while not expecting to do the same thing.
5) GIVE ME A CHALLENGE
Shift work does give my mind a challenge of endurance, especially during the night. When majority of the people are tucked up at their homes sleeping, cuddling, or even doing it (Pardon my innuendo), I’m here exercising my mind to be capable of making production at work, even when the night begins to shine. Let’s be real with myself. My sleeping times have been all over the place since I was young. Which means, I am flexible in terms of my body clock. Even my days during National Service, I had to be prepared to undergo tasks beyond midnight.
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And there you have it. The reasons why I recommend you to go for shift work if you happen to go job hunting. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide which is best for your preference, but seriously, the one thing you only need to adjust for shift work is your sleep schedule. You’d still be sleeping at least 8 hours a day.
Anyway, gotta get back to work, cause you know, money money money! Till then, see you starside.
"Life is never about looking into someone's script and just blindly follow it. Life is about you taking a pen to write down the many scripts of what you want to do. That is what I call leaving your mark on this world."
Perhaps I wanted to upload this blog on this month. Not because of the fact that Cupid was shooting arrows, but rather it could be because I wanted to say some stuff out of my own fantasies and daydreams. Just think of it like I’m falling from Cloud 9. Anyway, allow me to show you a few scenarios of them.
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SEGMENT 1: TWAS' THE NIGHT
It was the 12th of December. My family and I had just confirmed a Christmas celebration taking place at our home. Of course there were lots to prepare: Food, decorations, but most importantly invitations. I immediately sent them to my friends. Only 3 were able to make it. Nonetheless, it was better than nothing.
Then, I came to a thought of someone else who I really wanted to invite. Her. Thanks to my INFJ personality (Refer to my October 2017 blog if you want to know more about an INFJ.), I was hesitant to send it. Took me 3 days before I bravely did it. Of course I sent it while I was still busy doing work when she had already left.
2 hours before midnight, just as I was about to finish my work, a notification sound resonated off my phone. And the thought of it possibly her reply made my heart race. I grabbed my phone, opened it, and I was right. It was her. The good news was that she had replied to my invitation. The bad news? She was unable to make it.
It may have turned out that way, but I myself tend to picture “What Ifs” just to keep that positive hope going. Came Christmas, and of course with a few of my friends, we talked and played to catch up. It was indeed fun. By the time they had left the party, I started to picture a “What If” moment and here was what I was fantasising.
— What if she declined just to fool me? —
“As my friends had left the party, I decided to return back to my room to take a rest. Suddenly, a few minutes later, my phone sounded out. I picked it up. It was a message from her, saying she was waiting at the gate. My reaction? Immediately storm out the house and rush towards the gate.
There she was with that smile. I couldn’t help but go towards her and hug her. Never mind whoever could see us. Never mind if she fooled me into thinking she couldn’t make it. Her presence just made this Christmas truly a gift.”
SEGMENT 2: GREETINGS OUTTA' NOWHERE
Came the 10th of January; A day before my birthday. Typically nowadays, a lot of people know when would your birthday be, all thanks to social media. A notification shows up in their phone and boom! I’d get a birthday greeting posted on my Facebook wall.
I’m fine with the spammage of greetings flooding my wall, but ultimately the ones who matter to you are the ones you would appreciate, especially if they don’t come from Facebook. To emphasize, Number 1: My family. Number 2: Close friends. And Number 3: Someone you like. Let me tell you more about Number 3.
My birthday had come, and I woke up feeling refreshed. First thing I did was to look at my phone. What I would expect are the multiple notifications from Facebook. What I didn’t expect: A birthday greeting from her, and it’s not even from Facebook. I was surprised though, as I didn’t mention my birthday to her, but at the same time, I was heartwarmingly happy.
Obviously I had another one of them “What If” moments pictured and this was what I had dreamt of.
— What if she wanted to say more? —
“After entering into a lovestruck phase upon seeing that message, she messaged me with an emoticon of a blushing but smiling face. This surprised me, as I began to wonder if she was really interested in me.
Hence, I replied with a question mark. And then, within a minute, came a 5-second video response from her: Just simply her looking at me with that genuine smile. I myself felt warm and fuzzy inside with her looking towards the camera.”
SEGMENT 3: IDEA FROM IDEA
February had arrived, and one of our colleagues would be resigning in a week. So, an idea was made in a form of a card to wish him farewell, hence she placed a small note into my locker for me to pen down what I wanted to say to our colleague. Although I was already triggered before to slot something nice into her locker before this happened, what she did already tempted me more to do this.
When I finished penning down my farewell note, I slotted it into her locker. But you know, I did it when no one is around, because I had this blushy feeling on someone seeing me do this like as if I was doing some kind of love letter (Shoot, I’m feeling warm the moment I’m writing this out.).
Anyway, a few days later, Valentine’s Day had arrived. I went to pack my stuff by the time work had ended. Then, I briefly looked at her locker and thought of a “What If” moment.
— What if I really slotted something cute? —
“As I had finished packing, and saw that no one was around, I immediately tore out a piece of paper and simply drew out a face with tongue sticking out to one side. After which, I slotted it into her locker. Somehow, I felt like I just pulled a risk that could end up getting reciprocated or rejected.
I was then on off-duty for the next 2 days, so I was left to wonder about her response. The thought of just fantasising and dreaming about her was not enough.
I returned back to work, and the moment I opened up my locker, I saw something that I expect and didn’t expect at the same time. It was the same piece of paper that I drew. This time, something else was drawn behind it: A red-inked heart emoticon.
Holy shoot. She knew. Not wanting to waste the time of timidly waiting, I messaged her to meet me at the workplace’s garden for lunch and she agreed.
Lunch came. And I was sitting at a table waiting anxiously for her to show up. Fortunately no one was within my vicinity, cause I’m about to do something that could send me and her into a warm mess. There she was, walking towards me with that sweet smile. Upon sitting down, I placed my hand over hers, and she held it like as if she really wanted to. With that, I mutted out what would be a love confession.
Wanna know what happened next? Nah. Let’s just say that I finally got what I needed.”
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Let’s hope that things would get better from here on out. I mean to be honest, never did I have a chance of going this far during the previous years. I went to lunch with her sometimes during work. Not only that, she’d tap me on my shoulder whenever I didn’t see her yet (Physical contact. Is that a sign?). But most prominently, that smile. I know she does this to her colleagues as well, but I swear the ones she has given me has vibes of “I’m happy you’re here”.
Well, I gotta get back to playing my Xbox. Got new games that I’m anticipating for its release next month. Till then, see you starside.
“Don’t look down on the floor as it won’t let you see anything new. Instead, look up to the sky, as it always changes day in day out. That is what I call believing in tomorrows.”
Merry Christmas to everyone! Once again, tis’ the time to enjoy this festive season in a form of a feast like Thanksgiving, or gifts to be exchanged between your family members and friends, or carolling songs to feel that Christmas spirit. Maybe even make love to…?
Anyway, as much as I do want to savour this season, just like I always did every year, there’s one thing I had to inevitably let go of: The nostalgic old buses of my generation. Just to give you all a heads up, the last few of them will retire by 25 December 2018. Nowadays, I have been taking the opportunity to cherish every ride of such buses, as I know one day, they will fade from the eyes of reality to the medias of memory.
It was thus in this blog, I want to show you the wide diversity of buses that had brought me to many places all around Singapore (Well, MRT Trains as well but you know, nowadays their frequent breakdowns hinder the luxury of joyriding). You’ll also be able to see the modernised change from the buses of the 1990s to the buses of today. Also, you will find out why I despise the newly implemented contracts that had led to the loss of uniqueness and control of public bus companies today, all thanks to ‘They Who Shall Not Be Named’. Lastly, you will see what I envision buses to be in the future.
As such, I will split this blog into 4 segments (The first 2 on the Buses I rode, and the last 2 on my observations of Buses today): ‘SBS Transit’, ‘SMRT’, ‘The Change That Changed Everything’, and ‘What I Wish Buses Could Be In The Future”.
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Formerly known as Singapore Bus Services (SBS), the buses operated by this local company literally made up my journey around Singapore ever since I first stepped foot here. Back in the older days, the buses were only bottom-painted with a simple red line and logo. It was then from 2002 onwards that they were repainted with a beautifully combined red-white-purple horizon-lined livery. Living in Singapore for the past 20 years, I have seen how the buses in SBS Transit have evolved, ranging from design to accessibility for wheelchair passengers.
Here are the buses I rode from this company in chronological order of my first ride, including some of my insights about each of them:
VOLVO OLYMPIAN 2-AXLE
Year Of Service: 1994 - 2013
Plate Number: SBS7198T - SBS7297R
Ride History: Bus 291 (First ride, 1997 - 1998)
Last Ride: Bus 291 (1998)
“This bus model was known as my very first bus (And double decker) ride in Singapore. Taking Bus 291 to Tampines with a view from a higher level gave me a new perspective. As there was no air-conditioner installed, one could just slide the windows to feel the breezy wind as the bus speeds through the streets. Though the downside is, you gotta slide it back when it rains cause’ you know, wetness ensues.”
“Similar to the Volvo Olympian 2-Axle, this bus had no air-conditioner installed. But the difference being was that it had a louder engine and an older interior. Obviously because they were manufactured nearly 10 years before the Volvo Olympian 2-Axle.”
Ride History: Bus 65 (First ride, 1998 - 2000), Various (2000 - 2017), Bus 5 (2008 - 2016), Bus 72 (2012 - 2015)
Last Ride: Bus 5 (Batch 1, somewhere around 2011), Bus 5 (Batch 2, SBS9558A on 27 May 2016), Bus 9 (Batch 3, SBS9661J on 9 Oct 2017)
Unique Differences: Batch 1 units had blue seats with an upper deck rear window. Batch 2 & 3 units had red seats with no upper deck rear window. Batch 3 units were upgraded with an electronic display signage in 2010.
“This bus model was my very first air-conditioned double decker bus ride. When I used to live in Bedok, I often ride this on Bus 65 towards Orchard and back. The view was spectacular, especially at night or if it’s Christmas. That’s not all, my family would always bring a Walkman with headset connected. Listening to ABBA while journeying to the city had never been so nostalgic to my ears and eyes. Until now, I still have the habit of staying at the top deck, plugging in my headsets, and admiring the view outside.”
LEYLAND OLYMPIAN 3-AXLE
Year Of Service: 1993 - 2013
Plate Number: SBS9000S - SBS9199C
Ride History: Bus 22 (First ride, 1998 - 2000), Various (2000 - 2013), Bus 72 (2012 - 2013)
Last Ride: Bus 72 (SBS9199C on Jan 2013)
“SBS Transit's very first air-conditioned double decker bus. The obvious differences between this bus and the Volvo Olympian 3-Axle are the exterior engine vents at the back of the bus, as well as a different but more roaring engine sound. Won’t forget those last rides on the year 2012 and 2013 when I journeyed to Nanyang Polytechnic and back on Bus 72.”
VOLVO B10M MARK II
Year Of Service: 1988 - 2008
Plate Number: SBS1696A - SBS1895D
Ride History: Bus 385 (First ride, 1998 - 1999), Various (2001 - 2005)
Last Ride: Couldn’t recall, suspected to be on Bus 34 (Somewhere around 2005)
Unique Differences: Some buses of both the Walter Alexander and Duple Metsec model were converted to become air-conditioned in the 1990s, hence also leading to interior refurbishment.
“I often rode this bus when I used to live at Bedok. I do remember this bus for the Duple Metsec version: Its two humps on the hood. I wonder if the batteries for the fans were installed there.”
Ride History: Bus 34 (First ride, 1998 - 1999), Bus 290 (2000 - 2001), Various (2001 - 2009), Bus 293 (2001 - 2002), Bus 38 (2002 - 2007), Bus 358 (2008 - 2009)
Last Ride: Bus 358 (2009)
Unique Differences: Some Non-Aircon units were converted to become air-conditioned in the 1990s, hence also leading to interior refurbishment.
“One of the two most common buses I rode between the year 2000 and 2010. Excluding the buses that were already built with an air-conditioner, majority of the ones that weren’t did have the chance of undergoing such an upgrade. It’s end result: An impressive snowy sound-like coolness in the bus interior regardless of day and night. Bonus points for a refurbished beige interior too.”
VOLVO B10M MARK III
Year Of Service: 1992 - 2012
Plate Number: SBS582M - SBS881A
Ride History: Bus 27 (First ride, 1998 - 1999), Various (2000 - 2011), Bus 518 (2002 - 2007), Bus 38 (2002 - 2007), Bus 5 (2008 - 2010), Bus 358 (2008 - 2011)
Last Ride: Bus 358 (2011)
“The other one of the two most common buses I rode between the year 2000 and 2010. I remembered the very first time I rode this bus model on Bus 27; That smooth rhythmic Voith gearbox was satisfactory to hear when revving through the expressway towards Changi Airport.”
Ride History: Bus 27 (First ride, 1999), Various (1999 - 2015), Bus 518 (2001 - 2007), Bus 5 (2007 - 2015), Bus 72 (2012 - 2014)
Last Ride: Bus 5 (SBS2648U on Feb 2015)
Unique Differences: Underwent interior refurbishment in 2009 to extend its service lifespan by two years.
“With the prominence of the ’Strider’ logo at its front dashboard, this bus was very popular to many bus adventurers including myself for its musical ZF gearbox engine sound. Wait till you see it rev up the engine with a full kickdown and thrash, and you could feel it achieve bus-gasm if you know what I mean.”
VOLVO B10M MARK IV (PSV)
Year Of Service: 1994 - 2011
Plate Number: SBS8019X - SBS8028U
Ride History: Sentosa (First ride, 2000 - 2004)
Last Ride: Sentosa (On 2004)
Unique Differences: Underwent interior refurbishment in 2009 to extend its service lifespan by two years.
“Although initially not SBS-plated, these buses were part of the then-SBS Leisure Fleet, which provided bus services to Sentosa before its drastic island history-ruining upgrade. I still remembered the first time I entered into Sentosa via this bus. I got to see Harbourfront and the now-gone vintage Sentosa boathouse separated by a river of ferries and boats.”
MERCEDES-BENZ O405G
Year Of Service: 1997 - 2006
Plate Number: SBS999U
Ride History: Bus 290 (First ride, 2000 - 2001)
Last Ride: Bus 290 (2001)
“This trial bus model was which I had my very first articulated bus ride. Back when it was on Bus 290, I would always sit at the back of the bus, just to observe the bus bend a curve with its articulated joint. Of course back in the Philippines, there were no such bus types ordered, so seeing and riding on a bendy was an all-new experience. If only SBS Transit approved the use of such buses in the future, I swear it could take a heavy load off passenger demands travelling at a short distance during peak hours.”
VOLVO B10MA
Year Of Service: 1996 - 2006
Plate Number: SBS998Y
Ride History: Bus 290 (First ride, 2000 - 2001)
Last Ride: Bus 290 (2001)
“Just like the Mercedes Benz O405G, I rode this articulated bus at the back. It was great to see the bus bend and turn. Here’s to wondering if SBS Transit will ever consider returning back to the path of articulated buses.”
Ride History: Bus 28 (First ride, 2001 - 2002), Various (2001 - 2007)
Last Ride: Bus 138 (2007)
Unique Differences: All Non-Aircon units of the Duple Metsec model were converted to become air-conditioned in the 1990s, hence also leading to interior refurbishment.
“Can’t say much about this bus model as I didn’t ride it often, but this bus was infamous for the very very loud engine sound from the inside and outside. If you happen to be outside, I suggest you close your ears like I did.”
DENNIS DART
Year Of Service: 1994 - 2011
Plate Number: SBS8009A - SBS8018Z
Ride History: Bus 42 (2001, 2009)
Last Ride: Bus 42 (2009)
“This bus was as short as a 10-metre minibus, compared to a standard 12-metre rigid bus. Of course, with the downside being lesser seats, this bus could easily go through tight turns within a neighbourhood filled with narrow one-lane roads. Which was the reason why they were only deployed to Bus 42.”
VOLVO B10M MARK IV (DM3500)
Year Of Service: 1997 - present (Retiring in 2018)
Plate Number: SBS2689B - SBS2838M
Ride History: Bus 518 (First ride, 2001 - 2007), Various (2001 - present), Bus 5 (2008 - present), Bus 72 (2012 - 2014), Bus 48 (2017 - present)
Unique Differences: Underwent interior refurbishment in 2009 to extend its service lifespan by two years. Due to good maintenance evaluation in 2017, some units had its service lifespan extended again by one more year.
“The DM3500 was the most beautiful rigid bus I had ever rode. They were also known as the very last high-floor rigid bus model purchased for SBS Transit, hence the last manufactured public buses of my generation. The first time I rode it on Bus 518 in the year 2001, I was impressed of how modernised the interiors were. Felt like as if this bus was manufactured in the year 2010 from the future. With its smooth rhythmic whistling Voith gearbox engine sound, this bus was commonly used to bring people to the city and back, making it feel like a premium-only bus. Passing through Orchard with all those glittering holiday decorations, cruising through avenues and streets with style, and climbing the Benjamin Sheares Bridge just to see that majestic skyline view of downtown Singapore, it’s hard to say farewell to these buses.”
VOLVO B10TL
Year Of Service: 1999 - present (Retiring in 2020)
Plate Number: SBS9800A - SBS9849K, SBS9888Y
Ride History: Bus 28 (First ride, 2001 - 2002), Various (2001 - present), Bus 5 (2011 - present)
Unique Differences: All buses were upgraded with an electronic display signage in 2012.
“The B10TL, also known as the Volvo Super Olympian, was the most beautiful double decker bus I had ever rode. Also my very first low-floor double decker bus ride. Just like the DM3500, this bus’s exterior and interior felt like as if this bus was manufactured in the year 2010 from the future. Moreover, I love that the seats were shaped in the most comfortable way possible, so you could have a seamless peaceful sleep if you were to travel at a long distance.”
VOLVO B10M MARK IV (DUPLE METSEC)
Year Of Service: 1995 - 2015
Plate Number: SBS882Y - SBS996C
Ride History: Bus 9 (First ride, 2002 - 2007), Various (2002 - 2014), Bus 518 (2003 - 2007)
Last Ride: Bus 72 (SBS985J on Nov 2014)
Unique Differences: Underwent interior refurbishment in 2009 to extend its service lifespan by two years.
“Got my first ride on this bus model when I shifted to a condominium in Simei. First thing I saw was that it looked nearly similar to the Volvo B10M Mark III, but with a more slick and greyish interior, and a much more musical engine too.”
SCANIA L94UB
Year Of Service: 1999 - 2016
Plate Number: SBS2888T
Ride History: Bus 518 (First ride, 2003 - 2005)
Last Ride: Bus 518 (2005)
“My very first low-floor rigid bus ride. This trial bus model was only seen on Bus 518. While I couldn’t recall how the engine sounded, I remembered this bus utilizing electronic display signage to show its routes unlike the traditional plastic signage used in older buses. Some of the designs and specifications of this bus model would then be carried over to the Scania K230UB, which was mass-produced between the year 2007 and 2009.”
VOLVO B9TL (CDGE)
Year Of Service: 2006 - present (Retiring in 2023)
Plate Number: SBS7300P - SBS7499A
Ride History: Bus 2 (First ride, 2009 - 2016), Various (2009 - present), Bus 72 (2012 - 2015), Bus 5 (2016 - present)
Unique Differences: All buses were upgraded with an electronic display signage in 2011.
“This bus model was known to have achieved a couple of firsts: The first locally-designed bus for public transport, and also the first wheelchair-accessible bus. Even though I felt like the combined colours of the interior and seats were uncomplimentary, the fact that SBS Transit brought about wheelchair-accessibility is a nod to ushering in a new generation of buses.”
SCANIA K230UB
Year Of Service: 2007 - present (Retiring in 2027)
Plate Number: SBS8033D - SBS8561X (Euro IV Batch), SBS8562T - SBS8999S & SBS5001R - SBS5252H (Euro V Batch)
Ride History: Bus 5 (First ride, 2009 - present), Various (2009 - present)
Unique Differences: Demonstrator unit had a purple interior compared to the standard brown interior. Electronic display signage and air-con design differs between the Euro IV and Euro V Batch.
“With its design inspired by the Scania L94UB, this bus had multiple setbacks that turned me off: Drastic reduction of seats just to make space for wheelchair passengers. dull interior colour (Should’ve used purple just like the demonstrator unit instead of brown), and a very loud radiator. Nonetheless, this bus had some perks worth mentioning: A musical ZF gearbox engine with thrashes and kickdowns as great as the B10M Strider, and higher level seats especially at the rear of the bus.”
VOLVO B9TL (WEG)
Year Of Service: 2010 - present (Retiring unknown as production is still ongoing)
Ride History: Bus 5 (First ride, 2010 - present), Various (2012 - present)
“The pinnacle of SBS Transit’s bus modernisation. A bus capable of carrying a heavy load of passengers. A bus with a slick beige interior, orange seats, and glittering floors. A bus which influenced a bigger mass-production to reduce the frequencies of waiting. This B9TL model is what you’ll see commonly roam the roads in Singapore today daily. When I first rode this bus model in the year 2010 on Bus 5, I was enthusiastic to embrace the new evolution of buses. Heck, it was enough for me to take videos or pictures whenever I own the whole top deck to myself.”
MERCEDES-BENZ O530
Year Of Service: 2011 - present (Retiring unknown as production is still ongoing)
Ride History: Bus 53 (First ride, 2012 - 2013), Various (2013 - present), Bus 5 (2013 - present)
“Also known as the Citaro, the Mercedes-Benz O530 was the successor to the Mercedes-Benz O405. Its beautiful interior made me think this bus was manufactured in the year 2020 from the future. Better not forget its sporty-like exterior too. Also, one could listen to the sounds of a racing car once the bus speeds up its Voith engine. Now if only SBS Transit could purchase the articulated version of this bus model.”
There are some buses that I have yet to ride, either because they were either already retired or sold out, or they are exclusively stationed at bus depots far away that I have no opportunity to ride them. You can look more into them via Google or Youtube by typing these bus names out:
- Dennis Trident
- MAN 18.240
- Sunlong SLK6121UF14H
- Volvo B5RLE
- Volvo B10BLE - Volvo B10M Superlong
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Although I don’t often ride buses operated by this company, I still could remember their orange wheels, and white-yellow-orange stripe-lined livery when they were known as Trans Island Bus Services (TIBS). It was then from 2004 onwards that their buses were repainted with a livery similar to the old SBS buses. Such a change was done due to their merger with SMRT, which was at that time only operating Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) trains. Unlike SBS Transit, which relied on double decker buses to make up for passenger demand, SMRT relied on articulated buses, better known as ‘bendies’.
Here are the buses I rode from this company in chronological order of my first ride, including some of my insights about each of them:
Unique Differences: All Non-Aircon units were converted to become air-conditioned. Some received an electronic display signage update and underwent interior refurbishment to extend its service lifespan by two years.
“My very first bus ride on a SMRT-operated bus model. Unlike the SBS Transit’s O405, this SMRT counterpart had an electronic display signage displayed at the front and side, rather than a plastic signage. In addition, the seats were designed to feel smooth like silk. Quite high-tech for a 1990s generation bus. I still remembered riding this bus model on Bus 961 around City Hall back when the roads were not jammed like crazy.”
Unique Differences: Some received an electronic display signage update and underwent interior refurbishment to extend its service lifespan by two years.
“Just like the SBS Transit’s Volvo Strider, this Scania Strider looks and sounds similar to the SBS Transit counterpart. Sad thing was that I didn’t had the chance to ride it much.”
MERCEDES-BENZ O405G MARK I
Year Of Service: 1996 - 2015
Plate Number: TIB838H, TIB849B - TIB904A
Ride History: Couldn’t remember first ride
Last Ride: Couldn’t remember
Unique Differences: Received an electronic display signage update and underwent interior refurbishment to extend its service lifespan by two years.
“SMRT’s very first articulated bus model. I observed a lot of it bending and bouncing its way around Tampines on Bus 67 and 969. Strange thing was that I couldn’t recall when was the first or last time riding it.”
MERCEDES-BENZ O405G MARK II
Year Of Service: 2000 - 2017
Plate Number: TIB973A - TIB1001Z
Ride History: Couldn’t remember first ride
Last Ride: Bus 969 (TIB975U on Apr 2016)
Unique Differences: Received an electronic display signage update and underwent interior refurbishment to extend its service lifespan by two years.
“The interiors of this bus looked similar to the Mark I version. This time though, the front and rear exterior were significantly different. Won’t forget my last ride of this bus model on Bus 969 when I was on my way to Yishun to settle some errands.”
MERCEDES-BENZ O405G VOLGREN
Year Of Service: 2000 - present (Retiring in 2019)
Plate Number: TIB1024H, TIB1178Y - TIB1197S
Ride History: Couldn’t remember first ride, Bus 169 (2015 - 2016)
Unique Differences: Received an electronic display signage update and underwent interior refurbishment to extend its service lifespan by two years.
“Didn’t ride this bus model much but nevertheless, they were much more rare to see than the other O405G versions.”
MERCEDES-BENZ O405G HABIT
Year Of Service: 2000 - present (Retiring in 2021)
Ride History: Couldn’t remember first ride, Bus 169 (2015 - 2016), Bus 969 (2016 - present)
Unique Differences: Received an electronic display signage update and underwent interior refurbishment to extend its service lifespan by two years. Due to good maintenance evaluation in 2017, some units had its service lifespan extended by one more year.
“Compared to the Mark I, Mark II, and Volgren version, the Habit’s interior and exterior had a much more modernised and slick design. Like as if it was manufactured in the year 2010 from the future. You’d especially appreciate the ones fitted in with a ZF gearbox engine. Once the bus goes on turbo mode, prepare to feel the ‘music’ in your ears.”
MAN NL323F
Year Of Service: 2010 - present (Retiring unknown as production is still ongoing)
Ride History: Bus 950 (First ride, 2013), Various (2015 - present), Bus 169 (2015 - 2016), Bus 969 (2016 - present)
Unique Differences: Batch 1 units maximised possible number of seats. Batch 2 & 3 units had lesser seats for more available standing space. Some buses were repainted with the old SMRT livery, while some were repainted with the new SMRT pixel livery.
“Had my first ride of this bus model on Bus 950, when I was making my way toward Malaysia. The greyish interior complemented well with the blue and purple seats. Unlike the Mercedes Benz O530 and Scania K230UB, the MAN NL323F was impressively designed to allocate seats on every possible space available, leaving a very small corner for wheelchair users. Moreover, you gotta listen to the bus’s ZF gearbox engine fitted only to the first batch of units. They may not be musical, but they rev up like a bullet train.”
ALEXANDER DENNIS ENVIRO
Year Of Service: 2014 - present (Retiring unknown as production is still ongoing)
Ride History: Bus 169 (First ride on SMB3540Z, 2015 - 2016), Bus 969 (2016 - present)
“SMRT’s very first double decker bus model. The interiors were coloured just like the MAN NL323F. Also, it’s ‘Door Closing’ chime was similar to that of the 90s generation SBS Transit buses. Although the rails and handle bars of this bus tend to shake with noise, the Enviro nonetheless could carry a heavy load of passengers on a daily basis.”
MERCEDES-BENZ OC500LE
Year Of Service: 2006 - present (Retiring in 2026)
Plate Number: SMB1H - SMB134H
Ride History: Bus 980 (First ride on SMB100E, 2015)
“So far I had only rode the OC500LE once. Engines sound similar to the Mercedes Benz O405 inside or outside. But, just like its Scania K230UB counterpart, this bus lacked seats just to make up space for wheelchair users.”
MAN ND323F
Year Of Service: 2014 - present (Retiring unknown as production is still ongoing)
Ride History: Bus 969 (First ride on SMB5894P, 2016 - present), Various (2017 - present)
Unique Differences: Some Batch 2 & all Batch 3 units have USB ports meant to charge electrical devices like laptops and smartphones.
“Definitely one of the most beautiful double decker bus I had ever rode (Still does not beat my Volvo B10TL though.). What made me think this bus was manufactured in the year 2020 from the future? Its very quiet engine that could let you easily sleep on long journeys, and also USB ports (Found in some second and all third batch of units.) that you could use to charge your smartphone. With all these tech conveniences, they could naturally be implemented to the next generation of buses in Singapore within the coming years or so.”
There are some buses that I have yet to ride, either because they were either already retired or sold out, or they are exclusively stationed at bus depots far away that I have no opportunity to ride them. You can look more into them via Google or Youtube by typing these bus names out:
- DAF SB220
- Dennis Lance
- Hino HS3KRK
- MAN NG363F
- Mercedes-Benz O530
- Nissan Diesel U31
- Scania L113CRL (ELBO)
- Yutong ZK6126HGC
- Zhongtong Sunny LCK6121GHEV
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THE CHANGE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Riding buses had been my hobby ever since I first stepped into Singapore. I had seen buses from different generations come and go. Nevertheless, I appreciate and love the evolution of buses as years progressed through.
Then came the year 2016. When. Everything. Changed.
A transport authority known as ‘They Who Shall Not Be Named’ took over and oversaw all operations and orders of both SBS Transit and SMRT buses. What was the first thing they did? Turn bus interchanges from different regions into a bidding competition. End result? Both SBS Transit and SMRT lost control of some of their bus interchanges & depots in the east and west respectively, to a bunch of no-naming overseas bus companies. Below are images of the buses that they have ‘stolen’ from both SBS Transit and SMRT by the time they started operations.
Some of you may wonder. Why the heck are some of the buses repainted to ridiculous green? Well. You’ll find out on the next thing they did: By the time the bidding and tender of bus interchanges came to a close, they then created a poll on a ‘new’ look of today’s buses: A plain repaint of Red VS Green. Obviously you know which won by the images you already saw above this paragraph. Anyway, here’s a video of how the polling was done if you are curious.
And then here was the third thing they did: Replace SBS and SMRT-registered bus plates with SG-registered ones for subsequent bus orders, regardless of bus company. To me, this plus the ridiculous ‘SG(Heart)Bus’ green livery plus overseas bus companies ‘stealing’ buses equals to the loss of uniqueness and exclusivity the local bus companies once had. Not just that, their livery forced both SBS Transit and SMRT to minimise their very bus company logo to near the wheels, and even ’steal’ buses from each other. If you can’t visualise, you can take a look at the images below.
What started with the Volvo B9TL and Mercedes-Benz O530 only ordered for SBS Transit ended up being used by SMRT and the ridiculous overseas bus companies as well. Same thing applies to the MAN ND323F and NL323F for SMRT, and et cetera. Oh that’s not all. Here’s the forth thing they did: Screwing up advertisements on buses. Last time, buses were periodically added with advertisements that cover the entire bus body. To add on, some were decorated with props or boards at the top of the bus, which was cool and creative. And some were added with illuminated ads that shine bright in the night, which kinda had a skyline feel.
Here are the images of buses with advertisements before 2016:
And here are the images of buses with advertisements from 2016 till present:
Bloody hell. Going two-thirds was the laziest thing they had ever done. They even screwed up the general appearance of the buses. Moving on to the fifth thing they did, and this could be my own theory: Making no more intentions to preserve the old buses I used to ride. Looking back, both SBS Transit and SMRT made an effort to keep the retiring buses alive. SBS Transit delivered some of their Mercedes Benz O405s to Thailand, sent their last Leyland Olympian 3-Axle back to England for preservation, and donated some Volvo Olympian 2-Axles and B10M Mark IVs for local community events. On the other hand, SMRT transferred some of their Dennis Lances to local shuttle bus services after retiring from revenue service. By the time 2016 kicked in, I see that there were no longer any signs of buses being preserved, as seen in this video.
I am deeply disappointed on the takeover by ‘They Who Shall Not Be Named’. They effed up big time on Singapore’s bus culture and lore. Who knows, maybe in the years ahead, a hero will rise to revert the effects that they had done, and I could finally rid myself of this ridiculousness.
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MY WISH FOR BUSES IN THE FUTURE
As a vivid bus adventurer, I always had the tendency to fantasise what buses could be in the future. If I had the freedom to control the fate of public buses in Singapore, lets say from the year 2025 onwards, these are the things I had in mind:
1) GET RID OF THOSE RIDICULOUS OVERSEAS BUS COMPANIES
Secretly, I wanted these green buses operated by those ridiculous overseas bus companies to become scrap metal (Good thing there was no passenger aboard this bus though. Their safety over this damned bus’s condition). Here’s to dreaming that they get kicked out of this place.
2) DITCH BUSES WITH SG PLATES & SELL THEM TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
I don’t need these buses to get renumbered to an SBS or SMB plate. Just sell them away to countries that are currently making progress to becoming a developed nation. They deserve to get a feel of modernised buses seen in Singapore today.
3) MAXIMIZE SEATS ON RIGID BUSES & MAKE SEATS HIGH-FLOORED
There’s two things that rigid buses had to severely sacrifice when they convert from a high-floor to a low-floor bus: Seats and the view. Even though low-floor units were produced to make accessibility for wheelchair passengers, this caused the seats especially at the front and middle to be at the very bottom of the bus chassis. Children would have to stand up on the seat just to take a view outside the bus. So, if you refer to the image above, between Singapore’s Scania K230UB Demonstator (Left) and Germany’s Mercedes Benz Citaro C2 ΓΌ (Right), I would manufacture rigid buses based on the latter. Have every available space to be filled with high-floored seats and leave one small space beside the exit door for wheelchair passengers.
4) ABANDON COMPUTERIZED ROUTE ADHERENCE SYSTEM
In simple words, this system was used to make sure that bus captains do not drive the bus too fast nor too slow, otherwise there will be no bonus to their salaries. To be honest, this system implemented by ‘They Who Shall Not Be Named’ is nonsensical. I for one thing know that when travelling through the roads, expect the unexpected, like road accidents and jams. Obviously, this will slow a bus down and likely bunch up with the next bus behind it. Hence, this 'snowballing' effect will create a problematic longer loading of more passengers at the bus stops ahead, or even skipping past them due to buses being fully taken. To conclude, let buses bring people to places without being such a turtle (No offence to them though).
5) REMOVE SPEED LIMITER
“Speed. I am speed.” Refer to the Cars movie franchise if you want to look this quote up. But anyway, there shouldn’t be speed limiters installed on buses. To me, 60km/h is slow on expressways, and vehicles and even buses behind the bus’s lane will get slowed down. So, why not revert it back to the original 80km/h. If coach buses can average a speed like this, so can public buses.
6) MORE LONG-DISTANCE ROUTES
Although there are multiple buses already introduced for long-distance travelling like express bus services, some have yet to be implemented on certain regions. For example, there’s currently no bus services from the towns of the far west to Changi Airport, which is located at the far east. Rather than frustratingly take an MRT train from the west and make 30 station stops on the way to the airport, why not take an express bus that can bypass almost all of them.
7) PRESERVE BUSES FOR A BUS MUSEUM
Instead of scrapping the entire fleet of buses out of their existence, why not save a few for a bus museum. Let’s be real. No bus adventurer want their bus rides to fade into a memory (Or in a form of pictures and videos). Putting these retired buses on display is worthy of appreciating the lore and history of buses in Singapore. Heck, I’d even make them remain operational for a bus tour when needed.
8) UTILIZE A HYBRIDIZED PLASTIC & ELECTRONIC DISPLAY SIGNAGE
While electronic display signages showcase how far buses have evolved with technology, they can fail on you unexpectedly. So, why not bring back a traditional way of showcasing bus routes: Plastic signages. Here’s my concept: Plastic signages used for bus numbers, with its background colour distinguishing the service type (E.g. Red for trunk, green for intratown, blue for express etc), with electronic display signages used for displaying destinations. Now that’s what I call ‘Transcending Generations’.
9) LESS FARE CHARGES, ESPECIALLY ON SPECIAL SERVICES
Less fare, more rides. One does not need to make frequent visits to the ticketing machine just to top-up their EZ-Link cards. Applies to premium service bus services as well (Buses heading to and from business districts via expressways during peak hours). Instead of a hefty one-trip $5 fare, why not an affordable $2. Passengers who want to save up their money won’t always need to rely on MRT trains, and implementing this reduced bus fare could save up a huge load in MRT trains throughout the day.
10) INCREASE DIVERSITY OF BUSES, JUST LIKE THE OLD DAYS
Even though buses have been evolving inside and outside through the years, I still felt like mass-producing the same bus model to a much larger quantity makes it all the more too common or stale. To not make it complex, let's just compare between the SBS Transit buses of my generation to the SBS Transit buses of today.
In my generation, you'd see:
- 200 Leyland Olympians - 700 Mercedes-Benz O405s (Consisting of 2 different bus chassis) - 200 Scania N113CRBs - 200 Volvo B10M Mark IIs (Consisting of 2 different bus chassis) - 300 Volvo B10M Mark IIIs - 475 Volvo B10M Mark IVs (Consisting of 4 different bus chassis) - 470 Volvo Olympians
Today, you'd see:
- 1000 Mercedes-Benz O530s - 1000 Scania K230UBs (Only air-conditioners differ as seen in the image above) - 1200 Volvo B9TLs (Consisting of 2 different bus chassis)
See the difference? An increase in bus quantity, but also a decrease in bus diversity. In order to rectify this, more bus models at uniformed amounts (Maybe about 300 of the same chassis.) should be introduced. To add alongside today's buses, I'd suggest these bus models:
ALEXANDER DENNIS ENVIRO (UPDATED DOUBLE DECKER BODYWORK)
I'll leave this rectification to SBS Transit only as articulated buses deserve a return to this company. Or maybe they should take over all public bus operations whilst SMRT take over all mass rapid train operations. Let each company focus on one form of transport rather than both. Perhaps such a change could help reduce the pressure of managing them, especially trains due to their frequent breakdowns.
Riding buses had been and always will be a hobby of mine. It's not just about going inside and then take a seat. It's about savouring the view you see as you travel. It's about feeling and hearing the engine create its own music. It's about becoming one with the bus itself. Scrap what I just said in the previous sentence.
Anyway, I wish you all Merry Christmas. Hope you all enjoy the festive spirit that stretches out the whole of December. Till then, see you starside.
"Life is full of highlights and lowlights. But what matters more is how you want to live it out."
