Introducing...My Beloved Bus
Anyway,if you look at the screenshot below,9074 came out as consolation prize today for the 4D lottery.For so many years I have been looking the the lottery results,today is the first time I saw 9074 in the results.
Why I kept using 9074?If you had known me since my secondary school days,you'll know that SBS 9074 D is my favourite bus in the whole of Singapore.
Till this day,it is still my favourite bus.I first saw SBS 9074 D in 1994,when I was in secondary 2.I was and still is a super fan of buses.Back then,I loved to collect tickets of every bus.SBS 9074 D was one of the last 197s I need to take to complete the whole collection.
I suffered a lot to take this bus.Whenever I needed to take 197,it will always appear in the opposite direction.Or it will always appear at times when I am unable to board it.Pretty sickening isn't it?
Well,I don't believe in failure.I persisited and spent many hours studying the order of all the 197 buses.It was 6 months until my first ride on that bus.
One day,my friend gave me a ticket of SBS 9074 D and wished me luck.Basing on the time on the ticket,I was able to know where the bus was at that moment.
The ticket was dated 14th July,the time was 11:53 am.My friend boarded at his house bus stop,which was at Jalan Bukit Merah,after Hoy Fatt Road.He went towards Bedok.
If the bus reached Jalan Bukit Merah at 11:53am,it should reach my bus stop at around 12:30pm.
15th July 1994.I decided to try out my luck.I waited at my bus stop at 11:45am.Just in case there was a change in timing or shift.I waited and waited.Other buses keep coming.
I decided to wait at a more strategic location.So that if it goes both directions,I could still catch it.
I waited at the junction of Geylang Road and Guillemard Road.
SBS 9059 Z came from Bedok.Then another series of non-aircon double decks came.But I kept waiting...
At about 12:35pm,I saw SBS 9073 G.It was going towards Bedok.My heart sank.I was quite disappointed.I started to turn my head and cross the road to board the next bus back to school.
As I was thinking through my disappointment,another bus came...I saw the advertisement..."INDOCAFE,Tastes Good Black Or White".
I jumped.I could hardly contain my excitement and joy.Finally...SBS 9074 D came.
I quickly crossed the road again to the opposite bus stop.SBS 9074 D stopped in front of me.I was so happy when I boarded the bus.My hands were shaking with excitement as I tried to use my Transitlink card to buy my ticket.
The front seats were filled,I had to sit at the second seat from the front.Back then,it was like the photo below.The bus was fully packed.Anyway,this photo was taken today.
Because I had to reach school by 1:30pm,I had to take a few bus stops and alight to take the next bus back to school.
I took SBS 9080 K back to school.Was nearly late for assembly.But that day was really memorable.I finally "conquered" SBS 9074 D.
My second ride came at a price.But I felt it was worth it.
One Saturday,after my common test,my friend and I decided to take 197 all the way to Jurong East just for fun.
When I reached Jurong East Interchange,there were 4 buses parked there.SBS 9076 Z,SBS 9082 E(the one I took) and 2 other non-aircon double decks.The next bus out was SBS 9076 Z.My friend suggested that we take it home.
He said he needed to go to the washroom first.I accompanied him.
When we came back,I saw the INDOCAFE advertisement again.It's SBS 9074 D again.It just came into the interchange.
My friend said he was going home.I told him I will wait for SBS 9074 D no matter what.If the bus doesn't leave the interchange,I'll keep waiting till it leaves.
My friend boarded SBS 9076 Z and left.I counted the number of buses parked there.There were 5 of them,including SBS 9074 D.That means I had to wait for around 1 hour for SBS 9074 D to depart.Since the average frequency was 12 minutes.
So be it.I will keep waiting.Until my bus leaves.
After a long wait,the driver finally signalled me to board the bus.I finally had a chance to take this bus for a longer distance.I reached home at around 4pm in the afternoon.My parents were very mad with me for being late.I was punished.They made me stay at home for the whole weekend.
To me it was still worth it.It is not everyday that I get a chance to take my favourite bus.From then on,SBS 9074 D became my favourite bus.Till this day.It has been 13 years already.The drivers and advertisements kept changing.But it is always my favourite.
Today is the very first chance I get to shoot a video of this bus.It is also the first time 9074 appeared in the 4D results.This is a special day.
The photo above was taken at Bedok interchange.The bald-headed guy is a new driver.He doesn't know how to control the bus effectively.The bus travelled very slowly.
I was wondering why my bus was 25 minutes late.It was supposed to arrive at 4:23pm at the St Joseph's Church bus stop.I waited and waited.It came at 4:48pm.
When it came,the whole bus was packed.But at least I was able to board it.As you can see in the very first photo,the upper deck is packed.
I reached Bedok Interchange at around 5:40pm.There was a very long queue for service 197.I thought I might not be able to shoot the video because my front seat might be occupied.
But the good thing was that other bus parks were empty.I was able to shoot the whole side view of the bus.As you can see from the photo below,I had to stand 2 bus parks away to shoot the entire side view.
The photo below shows the front view.They repainted the whole bus and removed the Volvo letters from the front.I wondered which idiot placed it there in the first place.This is a Leyland Olympian,not a Volvo bus.
Finally,at 6pm,I boarded the bus.Thank God I was able to occupy the front seat.As you can see from the photo below,it is taken from the left front seat.Where I usually sit when I take double deckers.
As the years pass...the advertisements change,the drivers change.The woman who sits beside me changes as well.But my love for this bus always remains unchanged.
One of my ex-girlfriends was jealous of this bus.I wondered why...
One night,after sending her home,I went to wait for this bus at her bus stop.She was angry with me for getting too excited about this bus.Oh well...she should be jealous.Come to think of it...
If a woman can remain my favourite for 13 years or more,I really salute her.Hahaha so far no one has ever been able to do that.All of my ex-girlfriends have rode in this bus before.
Damn,why am I taking about women all of a sudden?
Well,this bus brings back some nice memories with pretty girls during my secondary days.I'll share them another day.Meanwhile,enjoy the 2 videos that I shot today.
The first video is taken when leaving Bedok Interchange.The background noise is too loud,can't really hear the engine sound well.
The next video is taken after I alighted.The engine sound is clearer in this clip.Enjoy.
posted by Marco at 9:40 AM
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