9:15 AM
Toopid SBS2837R of Service 151!!Roar!! I was joyriding Service 151 Scania K230UB (SBS8037T) to Kent Ridge Terminal yesterday evening and then took the same bus back towards Whitley Rd area, but halfway through towards Whitley Rd, somewhere around NUS vicinity, I saw the NTU SBST bus with customized interior seats (SBS2837R, perm HGDEP 151), and I alighted at the 1st stop along Clementi Rd (after NUS) to sit down and WAIT since it's only 1-2 buses away..
Checked IRIS and the next bus is more than 15 minutes away, hence I played game on my HP, and then about 10++ mins, a Service 151A bus (Mk 4 Strider with Moove Media skyliner, forgot rego) went past my bus stop..
Okay... Then I checked IRIS and the next bus is about 15 minutes away, hence I continued to play game again, to the extent that that NTU bus just ZOOM past my bus stop without stopping, without me knowing it and hearing it.. (Time check: since 6:54pm I have been waiting till about 7:30pm)
FINE!! Then I went on to check IRIS for Service 96, and found out the next bus is around 10 mins, so I (as a very impatient person when it comes to waiting for buses to arrive) continue on to PLAY again on my HP... and then guess what? When the next Service 96 bus arrived, it went past without stopping, but this time I can hear it (by the time I hear it, the bus left liao..) because it's a Mk 3 bus, as compared to SBS2837R which is Mk 4 DM3500 (The model of bus with the most quiet engine in SBST fleets)
So I have check IRIS for the next Service 96 and 183 and it's like 10 mins ++ away, hence I have decided to WALK to the bus stop along Commonwealth Ave West and just take any bus which leads me to Clementi MRT bus stop.. 2 very sway thing happened... 1st, before I ever reached the bus stop along Commonwealth Ave West, a Service 96 Mk 4 Strider just zoom past me!! Upon reaching the bus stop, a LO3x with the fan(1) pai(2) [means a bus with passengers but no service number plate being put up, reason being the driver has already lambat (it means late in English, bus enthusiasts, bus captains(SBST) and service leaders(SMRT) say this in malay) for more than 10 minutes, and being given the instruction from OCC (Operation Control Centre) to do so], it's either Service 166 or 154, based on the possibilities according to deployment wise..
FINE FINE!! Took a Mk 3 (perm on JB service 170) on Service 166 in the end and took train from Clementi to Redhill and catch the poor frequency but 8 minutes trip on Service 132, from Redhill to Far East Plaza. By the time I reached Far East Plaza it's around 8:40pm. Went there to collect my blazer and then proceeded down to Funan IT Mall to meet Terence for dinner.. Took bus down to the temporary hawker centre next to Outram Park MRT Station and we enjoyed our dinner there..
After that then we took Service 75 down to Shenton Way and we took a Scania OAC on Service 970 back home, Terence alighted at somewhere near Bt Batok to transfer another bus while I alighted at the bus stop opposite AES and transfer to Service 184 back home..
Now I have LEARNT a lesson!! Which is not to....
PLAY games on my HP while waiting for bus to arrive!!
Legend: (for non-bus enthusiasts who don't know the terms, and I will mentioned it only once)
Mk 4 DM - Volvo B10M Mk 4, with DM bodywork
Mk 4 SC - Volvo B10M Mk 4, with Soon Chow bodywork (local bodywork)
Mk 4 Strider - Volvo B10M Mk 4, with WA Strider bodywork
Mk 4 DM3500 - Volvo B10M Mk 4, with DM3500 bodywork
Mk 3 - Volvo B10M Mk 3, with DM bodywork
LO3x - Leyland Olympian 3-axle (Double Deck, DD in short)
Scania OAC - Scania L113CRL with WA Strider bodywork, which is Orignally Air-Con bus
Labels: buses
Victor Lim