TIBS fleet changes

last SG · 2003-08-06T16:21:36+00:00

I think that the current route of services 97, 106, 111 and 502 are temporary. These services will have a more reasonable route in the near future. As I exp...

AntiDennisLance SG

Beats me. I guess Hispano wanted TIBS to choose which windscreen they want.

Interestingly there was a mistake in the delivery of the prototypes. TIBS ordered two prototypes, one Air-con and one Non-aircon. Somewhere along the way the order got screwed a bit and Hispano bodied both with fixed windows and slapped a Hispacold each on both prototypes. But we wouldnt mind since it means more air-con buses, do we? :p Otherwise 426M would have been a Non-aircon bus initially.

The replacement prototype for a Non-aircon O405 didnt arrive until much later as TIB725A.

SBS9818A SG

Interesting. Do you know of any snippets of SBST fleet? If you do, please share!

AntiDennisLance SG

I am a TIBS guy mostly Razz I dont know much about SBST fleet.. the most interesting thing I knew about perhaps would be that during the late 1980's recession, SBS leased about 5 to 10 NZMB bodied Merc OF1417's to TIBS when TIBS needed buses but decided not to spend money on new buses yet.

No, really. No kidding. SBS buses in TIBS livery and carrying SBS license plates.

SBS9818A SG

Yes, I remember our speculation of that, we were confused as to whether they were B57s or OF1417s. Thanks for confirming. Did they use SBS drivers or TIBS drivers? What service were they on? Do you have MSN Messenger? If so can you please add me, [email protected]

AntiDennisLance SG

Yes definitely OF1417's. Distinctive engine noise and higher floorboard than the B57's. And the merc logo on the radiator for confirmation. And some of their license plates, as far as I can remember, are:

SBS 1632 X
SBS 5574 D
SBS 5576 Z
SBS 5577 X
SBS 5583 G

They were leased to TIBS for normal route duties and considered part of TIB's operational fleet during the period of lease so obviously they were driven by TIBS drivers themselves.

They were used mostly in Sembawang and Yishun services as substitute buses. 169, 167, 800, 801, 802, 803 etc. They could only be used in these services because TIBS only printed the desto plates for these services specially for use on the OF1417's.

I have MSN but i cant use it in office. I will add you later on.

SBS9818A SG

OK, interesting, pity there are no photos available. Looks like they were used on Yishun feeders, and if I recall this happened around 1985 from other people's info? For how long were they used and what buses replaced them? Imagine seeing a SBS OF1417 in TIBS livery, would be fantastic.

AFAIK TIBS and SBST have different desto plate styles, don't they? But I thought they used the square slot cards in the earlier days?

AntiDennisLance SG

They were used for about a year or so. In fact the OF1417's were only part one of the solution to their shortage of buses. Part two were the terrible Hino BF177G's taken from CSS/SSB. Remember those Hino's with engines in the front and the exit door all the way at the back? They took 18 of the buses from CSS to be put into TIBS. If you thought the Dennis Lance is deplorable, then the BF177's were simply Hellish.

The OF1417's were never replaced after they were returned to SBS. TIBS cut their services to address the shortage of buses instead. Services 164 was cut and that freed up about 16 buses.

Actually 164 got cut because Clemenceau Ave was sealed off to make for for CTE. Which worked into TIB's favour. No need to buy new buses. Heh.

SBS9818A SG

Oh yes, the Hinos with exit at the rear like coach body! Wonder why TIBS were so short of buses then, because of too rapid expansion and bus shortages? Which means they had leased about 30-odd buses from SBS and CSS? What was Sv. 164 route like before and after the cuts?

So I surmise after the cut of Sv. 164 the SBS OF1413s were returned to SBS while the Hino BF177Gs remained with TIBS? If I recall correctly Clemenceau Ave was reopened in 1990s with an exit from the CTE, only for the exit to be sealed again shortly after? Wonder where does the exit lead to now as everytime I pass by it I see sunlight, but on the ground surface it has been sealed.

AntiDennisLance SG

OF1417, not OF1413 :p totally different buses, mind you.

TIBS ran into shortage due to expansion of ridership.. not expansion of service. Service 804 load was getting heavier and heavier with neighbourhood 4 of Yishun booming up. And more people needed services from Woodlands to downtown. Woodlands was also crazily growing in population. And then there was the new service 805.

The BF177's were not really leased from CSS. TIBS did pay CSS the lease but CSS and TIBS were (and IS) the same company! The money transfer were more for accounting purposes. The BF177's had TIBS regos and NOT CSS regos. TIB362M to TIB 379R. Later on the Nissan U31RCN's re-used regos TIB362M to TIB377X. Good riddance to the BF177's.

Service 164 was not cut. It was totally withdrawn. Cancelled. Killed. Zip. At the same moment when 164 was cancelled, service 161 bit the stick and gave up all its Nissan U31S's and received a full fleet of all 18 BF177's in addtion to one solitary RK176 (TIB40S) in return. And not very much after that (when MRT came to Yishun), service 161 was withdrawn too. And that moment spelt the true end of the BF177's too.

So 3 things happened at one go in about 1987/1988 at the end of the recession:
1. 164 was cancelled
2. OF1417's returned to SBS
3. 161 became fully BF177
3a. BF177's kept fully away from other TIBS services

SBS9818A SG

'

Sorry sorry, type too fast. So the BF177s were actually sublet to CSS from TIBS and forced back to TIBS when they needed buses? Ironically TIBS was set up by CSS and eventually the latter got taken over by TIBS! No wonder the U31RCNs recycled registration numbers. So TIB 380P is the first DAF SB220LT, as judging by the regos the DAFs are newer but we all know that's not the case.

Judging from your comments the BF177s were withdrawn in 1991 before the arrival of brand-new U31RCNs? What were the routes of Sv. 161 and Sv. 164 like? So to say the BF177s were "transferred" to TIBS, forced to return them and "died" with TIBS withdrawal of Sv. 161?

AntiDennisLance SG

The BF177's were not sublet to CSS.. they were in the original CSS fleet before TIBS bought over CSS. The first DAF SB220LT was TIB 391D noit 380K. TIB380K to TIB389L were Hino HT238 OAC's running on services 950/951 before transferred to CSS and recently scrapped. TIB390G was a solitary Nissan U31SCN OAC given free to TIBS from nissan and is now in CSS as CSS294H.

The BF177's were not returned to CSS. They really died with 161.

161 and 164 were both from Sembawang Road End Terminal.

161 ran like the current 980 and 167 joined together, which stopped at shenton way.

164 ran via clemenceau ave and continued with the current 143 route to New Bridge Road Terminal.

After 161 was withdrawn then 167 was pulled form Adm Road West terminal to Sembawang Road End terminal.

And yeah, 980 was formerly 160.

So Sembawang services originally were all 16X.

SBS9818A SG

OK, understood, but if the BF177s were with CSS, why register them with TIB suffix and not SH or CSS suffix? To prepare for an eventual transfer of the buses to TIBS or what? So the current 294H is a like "buy 50-get-1-free" kind of deal from Nissan Diesel?

AntiDennisLance SG

The BF177's originally had CSS rego plates. It is only after they were transferred to TIBS and painted with TIBS colours before they had their regos re-registered as TIBS numbers.

I am not too sure about TIB390G/CSS294H, I think it was a gimmick from Nissan to persuade TIBS to choose them over Hino. Nissan was facing stiff competition from Hino for a 10 aircon bus tender which eventually resulted in TIBS buying 10 HT238 OACs in the form of TIB380K to TIB389L. Or it may be a complimentary bus from Nissan as a form of thanks, since TIBS bought so many U31's from them.

It wasnt totally free either, TIBS still had to fork out some money for COE, road tax, insurance, PARF/ARF etc etc though they got the bus for free.

AntiDennisLance SG

Rachel_Lim SG

Changes yet again Razz

From KJDEP to WDLDEP Mr. Green
- TIB 425R (Last seen on Svc 963 on 08/08/2003) Very Happy
- TIB 426M (Last seen on Svc 970 on 09/08/2003)

AntiDennisLance SG

Recent new observations:

AMKDEP to WDLDEP
=================
TIB 1073 R - ex-61, currently free agent at WDL

KJDEP to AMKDEP
===============
TIB 769 Z - currently free agent, spotted once on 851 (broken down)

AMKDEP to KJDEP
===============
TIB 1097 Y - remains in 106 but is now based in KJDEP instead of AMKDEP. 106 is no longer served by AMKDEP.

Rachel_Lim SG

I remembered TIB769Z had once belonged to WDLDEP, and being deployed on Service 75. Then it had disappeared for quite some time when I found it on the feeder services at Woodlands Interchange. Then it disappeared again, and found it eventually on Service 61, knowing that TIB769Z must have landed up at either KJDEP or AMKDEP. Currently free agent ? It must have been. I thought it was deployed on Service 61, but often saw it without the Service number placed at the rear of the bus Confused

off_service SG

TIB 1076 H, ex service 61 bus, is now officially in Woodlands Depot. Seen on service 900 today.

AntiDennisLance SG

Today is the first week day since the withdrawal of 520 and introduction of 67C.

Broadly speaking, the withdrawal of 520 enabled service 851 to have a more normal and manageable schedule and perhaps a more bendy-friendly schedule. Previously the planners had to interspede 8 of 851 12m buses to go on 520 during peak hours and retiring 8 more 851 buses (including some bendies) during off peak hours while the 8 12m's from 520 return to 851 after peak hours.

Today I am so pleasantly suprised! Monday (25 Aug) is Bendy-Galore weekday for service 851, with no less than 12 bendies spotted throughout the day. Previously such a phenomenon would have been thought possible only on a Sunday.

Bendies observed on 851:
=====================
TIB 974 Y (spotted morning & evening)
TIB 984 T (spotted evening)
TIB 1023 K (spotted morning & evening)
TIB 1057 M (spotted morning & evening)
TIB 1081 S (spotted morning)
TIB 1096 A (spotted morning)
TIB 1098 U (spotted morning & evening)
TIB 1099 S (spotted morning & evening)
TIB 1100 X (spotted evening)
TIB 1138 M (spotted morning & evening)
TIB 1200 R (spotted evening)
TIB 1201 M (spotted evening)

As noted, many ex-106 bendys were on 851 today.

Lets hope this is for good and permanence.

Other observations:
================
TIB 1113 J - 980 (usually on 851)
TIB 0364 H (!) - 854
Unidentified Lance 245 on 854
TIB 1208 U - 812
TIB 1055 T - 812
TIB 1124 C - 806
Unidentified Lance 245 on 969

svc 167 has a marked increase of O405's, including TIB 461 K and TIB 817 T.

svc 853 also has a marked increase of O405's.

It seems incredible the withdrawal of 520 could have benefitted so many services. If so then it surely have been a good thing.

There have been many new free agents floating around services and not settled anywhere. They are:

TIB 0940 U
TIB 0975 U
TIB 0976 S
TIB 1055 T
TIB 1208 U
TIB 1120 M
TIB 1124 C
TIB 1126 Y
TIB 1131 G
TIB 1137 R
TIB 1147 L

Seems like the cutting of 106 and withdrawal of 520 have produced many spare bendys.

25th Aug is really a day to remember for Yishunites. Hope TIBS will continue increasing their attention to Yishun and not to just keep on pampering WDL/CCK/BPJ/BBT.

off_service SG

In case no one notices, TIB 972 C took over a Bendy Bus (Should be TIB 1111 P if I'm not wrong) during the evening peak.

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