Hey guys, I think I want to start a new series of books named
"Daze of Our Bus Enthusiasts", where we share our experiences going
out and taking K310UDs and stuff as bus enthusiasts. One book will
consist of short stories regarding these experiences, and a few
facts that the general public usually miss. Feel free to share your
experiences below! Here's my short story:
"Too-For-O-Pee"
IT WAS a normal Friday, the fifth of September. That day was a
holiday for me, because it was Teacher's Day and I was a student at
the time. The clock struck five, and I decided to go on another
crusade of my own riding the unridden. This time, I decided to take
a familiar yet intriuging route: 240P.
I had just got off the 154 bus at the Lakeside MRT station, and
a few minutes later 240P came. I flagged it down behind the 98 bus
and decided to see the bus in it's full glory for a brief moment. A
ZhongTong Sunny LCK6103G. What a
waste. I hopped on, along with two other passengers, and off we
went.
The interior of the ZhongTong was bland and boring. Depression
isn't even the word to describe how I felt. All I saw was grey,
grey, and more grey. The airconditioning at the back where I sat
was abysmal. You had to sit in between two seats to feel the wind,
and even then it's weaker than girls when they get emotional. "Door
closing" was gramatically incorrect, and it was located where in
most SMRT buses you would see "BUS STOPPING". Not a pretty sight.
The "BUS STOPPING" sign at the front was an LED ticker, indicating
that Tong Tar was full of tar wasting money on signages like that
for a better choice seen in SBS Transit and SMRT buses. The whole
set-up really felt like a third-rate coach bus that you get on to
go to Malaysia or something, with a single door at the front and a
double door at the middle. All was wrong with this bus.
As we continued along the route, no one got off or got on
anywhere except for Boon Lay Shopping Centre, and it was very
desolate. No one talking, no repeats of Just for Laughs Gags, no
fascinating sound engine, nothing. Figures, I thought, given the
speakers and TV seen on the bus. The end of the line was the
strangest part, however, when I didn't know I had to leave the bus.
Just after the junction along Jurong West Street 64, the bus
stopped, the only other guy walked off the steps, and the driver
raised his hand, lowered it, and raised it again. What the hell, I
thought, wasn't the bus supposed to continue back to Lakeside?
After all, there was the word "LOOP" in block letters at the front
with the laminated sign. I gave in and got off. The doors were
shut, and the bus sped off. My feelings were at the bottom of the
barrel then, and I caught the train home.
And here's a fun fact!
Did you know that 42, as of now, is the only bus service to
follow a figure-eight? It starts it's journey at Kembangan MRT
Station, goes through it's first half of it's route, stops opposite
where it started, goes through it's second half, and is back at
square one, resembling a figure-eight!
Nicely written. I don't dare to take the P buses. They are so
bad (most of them). But very right observation. Have noticed many
times 240P gets max 7-8 pax at Lakeside MRT. Guess 240 comes at a
good frequency, coupled with 246 in between. Hence, people dont
mind waiting for 240/246 rather than taking the 240P variant.
The only way 240P can get more pax is if like 291P/293P, people
are forced to take the bus.
