Nostalgia on Buses
-
Volvo B10M -Van Hool (SBS9C) was first deployed on Svc 118. It was used as a training bus during its final years in SBS. It is an air-con bus.
-
SBS2569P (MB O305) was converted to MAGIC BUS sponsored by Apple Computers.
I know that TIBS Svc 82, 103, 864 & 865 were using Bendy Buses in 1997-1999.
-
Anyone from SCDF here? I have seen something about a LA used for training at the Civil Defence Academy. Can someone back me up?
-
I know that you are wanted to know about the Blue Arrow Svc 302 & 307 routes, their routes had been revealed. Both 302 & 307 were withdrawn in 1978. 307 route extended from Chai Chee Terminus to Bedok South Rd and from Tanglin Circus to Tomlinson Rd in end 1977.Originally posted by The_Bus_Guide:I'd like to know where 302 and 307 went to. And since almost all of us don't have a copy of the 1977 Bus Guide, would you please be so kind as to tell us the route details as well?
SBS BLUE ARROW SERVICES [1977 & 1978]
SBST Blue Arrow Svc 302: Bedok Gdn, Lucky Hills and Changi Rd – Robinson Rd
[1977-1978]Via Jln Langgar Bedok, Jln Limau Manis, Jln Limau Bali, Jln Limau Purut, Tanah Merah Kechil Rd, Jln Limau Manis, Jln Limau Kasturi, Bedok Terrace, Bedok Rise, Bedok Rd, New Upp Changi Rd, Bedok South Ave 2, Bedok South Rd, New Upp Changi Rd, Siglap Rd, Siglap Dr, Frankel Ave, Changi Rd, Geylang Rd, Guillemard Rd, Mountbatten Rd, Nicoll Highway, Connaught Dr, Fullerton Rd, Collyer Quay, Raffles Quay, Shenton Way and Robinson Rd.
And return via Robinson Rd, CID Car Park, Cecil St, Collyer Quay, Fullerton Rd, Empress Place, St Andrew's Rd, Beach Rd, Bras Basah Rd, Nicoll Highway, Mountbatten Rd, Gullemard Rd, Paya Lebar Rd, Sims Ave, Jln Eunos, Changi Rd, Frankel Ave, Siglap Dr, Siglap Rd, New Upp Changi Rd, Bedok South Rd, Bedok South Ave 2, New Upp Changi Rd, Bedok Rd, Jln Langgar Bedok, Jln Limau Manis, Jln Limau Bali, Jln Limau Purut, Tanah Merah Kechil Rd, Jln Limau Manis, Jln Limau Kasturi, Bedok Terrace and Bedok Rise.
Time Schedule:
Citybound Journey – Monday to Saturday from 0700 hrs to 0900 hrs
Homebound Journey – Monday to Friday from 1640 hrs to 1856 hrs, Saturday from 1200 to 1433 hrs.
Note:
There will be no service on Sundays & Public Holidays
Stops:
Within the residential estates, at selected intermediate points and in the CBD.
Fare:
A flat fare of 50¢ per trip. Students holding valid concession passes are entitled to 10¢ fare. [1977]
Fare:
A flat fare of 60¢ per trip. Students holding valid concession passes are entitled to 20¢ fare. [1978]
SBST Blue Arrow Svc 307: From Bedok South Rd – Tomlinson Rd
[1978]Via Bedok South Rd, Bedok South Ave 2, New Upp Changi Rd, Changi Rd, Guillemard Rd, Mountbatten Rd, Nicoll Highway, Connaught Dr, Stamford Rd, Orchard Rd, Penang Rd, Somerset Rd, Grange Rd, Orchard Blvd and Tomlinson Rd.
And return via Tanglin Rd, Orchard Rd, Dhoby Ghaut, Bras Basah Rd, Nicoll Highway, Guillemard Rd, Paya Lebar Rd, Sims Ave, Jln Eunos, Changi Rd, New Upp Changi Rd, Bedok South Ave 1 and Bedok South Rd.
Time Schedule:
Citybound Journey – Monday to Saturday from 0700 hrs to 0920 hrs
Homebound Journey – Monday to Friday from 1650 hrs to 1855 hrs, Saturday from 1200 to 1424 hrs.
Note:
There will be no service on Sundays & Public Holidays
Stops:
Within the residential estates, at selected intermediate points and in the CBD.
Fare:
A flat fare of 60¢ per trip. Students holding valid concession passes are entitled to 20¢ fare.
SBST Blue Arrow Svc 307: From Chai Chee Terminus – Tanglin Circus
[1977]Via New Upp Changi Rd, Changi Rd, Guillemard Rd, Mountbatten Rd, Nicoll Highway, Connaught Dr, Stamford Rd, Orchard Rd, Penang Rd, Somerset Rd, Grange Rd, Orchard Blvd, Paterson Rd, Orchard Rd, Tanglin Rd, Tanglin Circus.
And return via Tanglin Rd, Orchard Rd, Dhoby Ghaut, Bras Basah Rd, Nicoll Highway, Guillemard Rd, Paya Lebar Rd, Sims Ave, Jln Eunos, Changi Rd and New Upp Changi Rd.
Time Schedule:
Citybound Journey – Monday to Saturday from 0715 hrs to 0901 hrs
Homebound Journey – Monday to Friday from 1640 hrs to 1840 hrs, Saturday from 1200 to 1400 hrs.
Note:
There will be no service on Sundays & Public Holidays
Stops:
Within the residential estates, at selected intermediate points and in the CBD.
Fare:
A flat fare of 50¢ per trip. Students holding valid concession passes are entitled to 10¢ fare.
Source: SBS GUIDE 77&78
Note that 307 (Blue Arrow) does not ply from Bedok South Rd – Tomlinson Rd in 1977. Post updated and corrected.
-
It wasnt called SBS Transit blue arrow service, was it? It should be SBS.
-
It's not a LA but a LO2x. I saw the bus while on an educational visit to CDA.Originally posted by iveco:Anyone from SCDF here? I have seen something about a LA used for training at the Civil Defence Academy. Can someone back me up? -
Was its rego plates still around or did SCDF take them off?Originally posted by tranquilice:It's not a LA but a LO2x. I saw the bus while on an educational visit to CDA. -
The rego plate was removed.Originally posted by iveco:Was its rego plates still around or did SCDF take them off? -
Ermm.. i think theres some mistake.. from what i know, there wasnt any Bendies on 103 864 and 865... only bendies on 82..Originally posted by Apex-LW'21:SBS2569P (MB O305) was converted to MAGIC BUS sponsored by Apple Computers.
I know that TIBS Svc 82, 103, 864 & 865 were using Bendy Buses in 1997-1999. -
I can remember TIB886T & TIB887R were the bendies serving 864 in 1999. Bendies were not used for svc 865 & 866.Originally posted by sBs_boy:Ermm.. i think theres some mistake.. from what i know, there wasnt any Bendies on 103 864 and 865... only bendies on 82.. -
My mistake.. yap.. 864 did have box bendy.. But i dont Recall taking any Bendies on 865 ever since it started to serve my house bus stop..Originally posted by Apex-LW'21:I can remember TIB886T & TIB887R were the bendies serving 864 & 865 in 1999. Bendies were not used for svc 866. -
Despite popular belief, that Mercedes was actually an OF1413 chassis. It was assembled by Cycle & Carriage and made to look like an O302. The real O303 has much better styling, for eg. squarish headlights, and a V8 engine. Below is a picture of a Mercedes O303.Originally posted by Apex-LW'21:AIRCON 168 was used by MB O303 as well (ex-SABS)
http://suhirman.fotopic.net/p13910199.html -
I remembered seeing the CAC Victories on Aircon 8 and Aircon 76 as well. There was once an article in the papers of a service 76 Guy Victory which crashed into a car. Coincidentally, both vehicles have the same 4 digits on their registration plates!Originally posted by Apex-LW'21:CAC Guy Victories were also deployed on Svc 390. (SBS 6718A was the bus with Svc 390 desto)
Information from Singapore Bus Handbook. -
Can't be. The Van Hool B10M was registered before the Nissans, in 1985. There was no 118 at that time.Originally posted by Apex-LW'21:Volvo B10M -Van Hool (SBS9C) was first deployed on Svc 118. It was used as a training bus during its final years in SBS. It is an air-con bus. -
Did that number come out during the weekend's 4D draw?Originally posted by The_Bus_Guide:I remembered seeing the CAC Victories on Aircon 8 and Aircon 76 as well. There was once an article in the papers of a service 76 Guy Victory which crashed into a car. Coincidentally, both vehicles have the same 4 digits on their registration plates! -
It might be Aircon 3 or 168. Can't remember already...Originally posted by The_Bus_Guide:Can't be. The Van Hool B10M was registered before the Nissans, in 1985. There was no 118 at that time. -
LAs were used on 190 & 302 before.
I also can remember 161 & 168 uses LO2x in 2002, it might be SBS7163T, SBS7118A and SBS6947E. Although 161 & 168 is FAC svc, they still use LO2x NAC buses.
-
Rego of buses that are down for free rides
SBS 9311U
- Chicken Mcrispy(on Sv 111)1998 or 1999
- Fidelity(on Sv 107)2004 and 2005(there is also on other buses on Sv 97, 14,80[SBS 9279E])
SBS 9652K
- Nokia Ad(on Sv 107) 2005 (some on 9808D and etc)
Are there only these 3 compaines that offered free rides or are there more????
If have feel free to post here
Are there services that are down for free rides for the entire fleet???? I remember only Sv 864. If there are feel free to post here too -
SBST 168(Bedok - Woodlands) did on the first week or something like that if you have the free ride coupon and you are suppose to show it to the BC and drop it into the coin box. I found mine in my letter box, however, the flyers were not given out at the Ints. The inspector at Bedok Int only frantically give out the Sv168 service guide. I still have the left over of the flyer with the coupon missing.
-
Adding on, there were free rides on the first day of operation for Citybuzz, click here for more info.
-
While I was an NSF in 2001-03, the wrecked bus at CDA was an Atlantean. However, the bus was gone as I near my ORD. When was your educational visit? Maybe they have replaced the wrecked Atlantean with a wrecked Olympian. Anyway. I'll re-confirm when I go for my reservist.Originally posted by tranquilice:It's not a LA but a LO2x. I saw the bus while on an educational visit to CDA. -
Info i found about the Hock Lee Bus Riots, my 1st useful contribution, i hope it may be useful. Taken from MOE.
The Hock Lee Bus Riots (12 May 1955)
INTRODUCTION
Singaporeans have enjoyed many years of political and social stability. It is thus easy to take this stability for granted. Life for Singaporeans was however not always that peaceful in the 1950s. An unfortunately violent episode was the Hock Lee Bus Riots, a bloody chapter in SingaporeÂ’s history which resulted in the death of four people and the injury of another 31.
UNDERLYING CAUSES OF THE RIOTS
The poor working conditions of the bus workers was the most basic factor. They worked long hours at low pay for bus companies which were often poorly managed. As a result, many joined unions in the hope that these workersÂ’ unions could help them obtain better working conditions and higher pay. Their dissatisfaction provided politicians opportunities to foster social instability for their own ends.
Pro-communist politicians were most interested in fostering unrest and violence. By doing so, they hoped that the British authorities and the anti-communist local government led by David Marshall would be discredited, thus giving them opportunities to seize power. These pro-communist politicians formed a faction within the PeopleÂ’s Action Party, which in 1955 was an opposition party. Two young and charismatic communist-inspired instigators were Fong Swee Suan and Lim Chin Siong. The latter controlled sixteen unions and was seen as the official representative of the workers by the masses and the Chinese press. The objectives of the pro-communist politicians were clear from the speech made by Fong Swee Suan, who controlled the bus workers union, during the May Day rally in 1955: "All workers must unite and should not hesitate to organise themselves into trade unions to struggle for their own welfare. Workers must know that there is bound to be some bloodshed in the course of a revolution and they must rise and unite."
The temptation to test the mettle of the government was also strong. Singapore had just held a Legislative Assembly Election in Apr 1955 and the Labour Front led by David Marshall formed the minority government by a narrow margin. Since the government did not get a strong mandate from the people in an election which only 51.4% of the voters bothered to vote, the pro-communists decided to embark on a militant confrontation, with the student and labour movements in the forefront of attempts to foster violence.
THE STRIKES AND RIOTS
The Hock Lee Amalgamated Bus Company was one of several small bus companies operating in Singapore in the 50s. The bus workers of Hock Lee belonged to two unions, the Singapore Bus WorkersÂ’ Union, controlled by Fong Swee Suan, and the Hock Lee EmployeesÂ’ Union, which was backed and endorsed by the Hock Lee Management. The Hock Lee Management successfully resisted attempts by FongÂ’s union to take over the pro-management union much to FongÂ’s ire. Fong decided to mobilise workers under his control.
The opportunity to foster social unrest came when some Hock Lee Bus workers belonging to FongÂ’s union started a strike for better pay and working conditions. Although a settlement seemed likely at one stage, the pro-communists in the union were not interested in this. They were more interested in exploiting the dispute to whip up the emotions of the workers and to have a confrontation with the government. On 23 Apr 1955, Fong declared an official strike of Hock Lee workers, urging all bus companies to stage a sympathy strike if the dispute was not settled. The dispute escalated when the Hock Lee Bus Company retaliated by dismissing 229 workers belonging to FongÂ’s Union. Strikers went on hunger strike and picketed the depot, supported by students from the Chinese Middle Schools who provided song-and-dance for their entertainment. The Bus Company refused to be intimidated and managed to put 40 out of 70 buses on the road. The stage was set for an imminent showdown.
On 27 Apr, the police tried to break up the strikers, resulting in 15 of them being injured. This gained more support for the strikers from workers and students. Following police advice, the company decided not to operate their buses. On 30 April, the bus company offered to reinstate the sacked workers even before the Court of Inquiry, ordered by the Ministry of Labour to look into the matter, came to a decision.
The issue, however, remained unresolved. Sympathy strikes by other workers were held and there were threats of a general strike. The attempt by the Court of Inquiry to defuse the situation by ruling that two-thirds of the Bus WorkersÂ’ Union and one-third of the Hock Lee EmployeesÂ’ Union should run on separate routes with full reinstatement of dismissed workers enjoyed short-lived success. The dispute with management flared up again over trivial issues and picketing resumed at the bus depot. On 8 May, the police riot squad was brought in to disperse the picket. On 11 May, FongÂ’s Bus WorkersÂ’ Union declared a two-day strike in protest against the use of force. With that declaration, all bus services in Singapore would come to a standstill.
The government decided that decisive action had to be taken. On 12 May , the police moved in to break up the pickets. Jets of water from fire hoses were used by the police while the pickets retaliated by throwing stones and bottles. By the afternoon, "reinforcements" in the form of students had arrived and the battle raged on with tear gas, bottles, cangkuls and stones into the early hours of the following morning.
One student, Chong Loon Chuan, was shot and wounded in the lung, one mile away from the nearest hospital. Instead of sending him there to receive medical treatment, pro-Communist students made a martyr out of him, parading him around for two and a half hours to further inflame the emotions of the mob. By the time he was sent to the hospital, he was already dead. A policeman, Detective Corporal Yuen Yan Peng also had his car set on fire by the rioters and died as a result. A journalist, Gene D. Symonds, was set upon by the mob and received fatal head injuries. A fourth man, Volunteer Special Constable Andrew Teoh Bok Lan, was critically injured by the mob, and died in hospital soon after. The police managed to overcome the resistance by the dawn of the next day, but not before four people had been killed, and thirty one injured.
CONCLUSION
The Hock Lee Bus Riots was the most serious and bloody of the 275 strikes in 1955. The social unrest was to everybodyÂ’s loss. Economically, 946 354 man-days were lost at a time when poverty and unemployment were rampant. The studies of many Chinese school students were badly disrupted when they were provoked by Communist-inspired leaders into lending support to workers involved in industrial disputes. For the individual, serious social turmoil meant a reduced sense of personal security. The Riots is an important reminder that social stability is crucial to our continued growth and success.
The above article was prepared by the National Education Branch (MOE). -
My visit was sometime in late 2002.Originally posted by The_Bus_Guide:While I was an NSF in 2001-03, the wrecked bus at CDA was an Atlantean. However, the bus was gone as I near my ORD. When was your educational visit? Maybe they have replaced the wrecked Atlantean with a wrecked Olympian. Anyway. I'll re-confirm when I go for my reservist. -
Not forgetting about 'The Great STC Strike' in the 1950s.
In 1971, there were 4 amalgamated bus companies, then subsequently reduced to 3:
Singapore Traction Company (STC)
Amalgamated Bus Company (ABC)
Associated Bus Services (ABS)
United Bus Co. (UBC)
After its reorganisation, STC does not improve on its standard, poor frequency, irregular fare structure & bus routes and no proper bus shelters. STC had to closed down its operations as it suffers great financial losses.
Some of STC routes were given to UBC in 1971 when STC closed down.