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 [email protected] and SG [email protected]
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
