thank you for the info. here's the story.
Jan 30, 2005
Bus Spotting
They chase buses the way some people stalk idols. LifeStyle flags down Singapore's bus spotters
By Lin Ziyu
ASK teacher Poon Ngai Seng about buses and he has all the answers, and more.
The longest bus route in Singapore? Service number 51, he tells you without hesitation.
He goes on to inform you that the trip lasts 100 to 145 minutes, depending on traffic conditions, and covers 38km plying between Hougang Central and Jurong East.
He is not alone in knowing such trivia. He is among an estimated 100-plus enthusiasts in Singapore who are known as bus spotters.
They look out for things like the vehicle's model and design, even the advertisements buses carry. And they get a thrill trying out all the latest routes.
Mostly male and ranging from teenagers to working professionals, these fans usually first touch base via online forum groups such as Singapore Buses@sgForums and SG Buses@sgWiki.
And even if some might own cars, they prefer to take the bus to get around.
Mr Poon, 30, has belonged to a Yahoo group of about 12 fanatics, called Bus Enthusiasts, for more than three years now.
They organise bus-spotting trips - Orchard Road is one hotspot for its heavy bus traffic - about once a month on weekends or whenever there is a special bus event.
For example, they are planning an outing to try out the new services to Chinatown from Ang Mo Kio, Bedok and Clementi, launched on Jan 21.
SBS Transit operates about 2,500 buses while SMRT runs 838.
Mr Poon's interest in buses started from young. He recalls fondly: 'Every evening, my father would take me to the then Kampong Chai Chee bus terminal to look at buses before dinner.'
Needless to say, Dad was also a bus fan.
Mr Poon loves the sound of the vehicles' engine while two other members of his group - Mr Joseph Lim and Mr Gan Soon Hup - go for the design of buses.
Sometimes, their passion gets them suspicious looks from bus drivers.
Mr Gan, 25, who is studying electrical and electronic engineering at Nanyang Technological University, says: 'Some will stop and ask us why we are taking photos. They are afraid we are terrorists planning to bomb the bus.'
Still, that has not stopped Mr Poon from amassing more than 1,000 photos of advertisements plastered on buses.
A favourite, he says, is one promoting Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow's latest movie Kungfu Hustle.
Mr Lim, 29, a project manager, has built up a collection of over 10,000 digital shots which he shares with fellow enthusiasts.
But they are no mere placid observers of buses and will get into the thick of action if need be to trail that elusive bus.
Mr Lim once gave chase in his car to snap a rare shot of a bus whose particular model did not usually ply that route.
Further down the road, Mr Gan dreams of starting a bus museum, similar to the Sheffield Bus Museum in Britain, because he feels it is a shame to scrap old buses.
They used to be exported to China, Vietnam and Hong Kong but because of a recent fall in demand, they are now sold for scrap.
But a more realistic next stop is a bus-spotting trip to Hong Kong - where there are many bus enthusiasts - which Mr Poon is planning in June.
If that sounds to detractors like a further waste of time and money, Mr Lim begs to differ.
'Compared to others with a passion for cars or planes, we're always regarded as a strange group of people. But I just hope that people will accept the hobby and not look at us as weirdos.'
© Straits Times Interactive
