There are afew more Body Builders in Singapore, Soon Chow isn't
the only one.
Yes, but Soon Chow has a long term partnership with SBS and SBST
already, for more than 30 years in precise, so I think Soon Chow is
the most likely candidate.
For those who keep on complaining about SBST buying the KUBs,
please think before giving all those senseless posts. Buying bus
fleets is not just choosing any brand you fancy and you say you
want to buy and how many you want to buy and that's it, buy. I
believe SBST would not just want or like to buy Scanias only if
they have so many choices to make. They have to take in account of
the price per chassis, the operating costs per chassis, the fuel
consumption and fuel performance for that particular model, etc. If
SBST really had wanted to just buy one brand only, then why is it
SBST still bring in so many demonstrators from other brands as
well??? Those demonstrators are there for a purpose,
evaluation/consideration/more choices, and not just for show.
It is just too bad or maybe say too coincidence that Scania is
able to convince SBST of its performance and other factors like
operating and maintanance issues at this era, just like what Volvo
did with the B10M in the 1990s and Mercedes Benz did with the
OF1413s and OF1417s in the 70s and 80s.
Think Comfort cabs with Toyota Crown Comforts as well to relate
the case.
IMPO, certainly I hope that SBST will buy some Mercedes Benz and
Volvo or other brands of single deckers or even double deckers
one day. But the environment now is different from what it is in
the 1990s. Chassis were cheaper because there is no mandatory need
for WAB and low floor buses, as such kind of buses tend to cost at
higher prices. Things become more expensive nowadays, and operators
need to maximize standardization to keep operating prices low. Even
operators are using more cost effective bus bodies nowadays for new
fleets, just like what it was in the 1970s and 1980s where SBS uses
Soon Chow for almost all of its bus fleets. It is just that we are
lucky that prices were reasonable in the 1990s that we could get to
enjoy more of DM and Alexander products for SBS and TIBS buses. No
matter how happy or unsatisfied with the new bus fleet being
acquired, what the fact is, the operating environment now has
changed, and ever since we stepped into the 21st century.
If there is no mandatory law for acquiring WAB chassis, I
believe SBST will have a wider variety of brands and chassis to
choose from, since acquiring other types of chassis might be
cheaper than a WAB one. Plus they need to consider that the chassis
and engine emissions have to be EURO IV at least, which I believe
is not cheap too. On a personal note, I believe SBST's urgency to
buy the 900 KUBs is because they have to meet the WAB bus criteria
with the 2015 deadline and also it's LTA's fault that kicked in
this stupid regulation too late. And thus the lag in deregistering
of the O405s and N113CRBs. They should have make it mandatory since
the early 2000s to allow operators to have more time for
preparation.
For those who think taking buses are getting boring or interior
that doesn't suit your fancy and because of less variety of
buses, then I suggest you work hard, save up and get your own
transport instead. Else live with it. Bus companies doesn't
always satisfy such kind of fantasies.
On the last note, if you think that the current KUB interior is
boring or whatever, then feedback to them instead of just
complaining here. And feedback to them on more constructive issues
on the improvements, such as the number of seats and widening the
steps at the back aisle, etc. Just like what those
improvements they did from the EURO IV batch to the EURO
V EEV batch. I believe the next 200 KUBs can be even
better than the EURO V EEV ones, if more feedbacks can be given to
them, instead of just complaining and complaining and
complaining...
Lastly stop flamming in this topic.
