Trip 12: Bowels of the West - Part 2

Into Boon Lay - 174, 241, 243

   Kicking off the last trip of the year, I ventured once again to the West side of Singapore. Starting at New Bridge Road Terminal I took Trunk Service 174 all the way to Boon Lay Bus Interchange, passing through Orchard Road, Beauty World and Bukit Batok.

Makeshift bus stop extension to accommodate additional routes stopping here.

Thomson-East Coast MRT works along Outram Road

   Service 174 was my daily commute to school for the past 4 years, passing by Chin Swee Road along which Outram Secondary School is located (shoutout to my subject teachers whom I know are going to read this) Another bus service I have a connection to.

From Orchard to Bukit Batok.

Approaching Boon Lay, 174 also serves Jurong Road and Jurong West Avenue 2, formerly a part of the Pan-Island Expressway. (which is why it's so wide)

    I had my lunch at Boon Lay, where I also ticked off two Feeder Services, 241 and 243. I did Feeder 241 first, which serves residents of Jurong West Street 91 and 92 along with Trunk 99. Also serving Pioneer MRT Station. 

The Clock Tower of the Nanyang Community Club

   Afterwards, I took Feeder 243, specifically 243W, the anti-clockwise loop of the route, which is bidirectional. 243 serves residents of Jurong West Street 81, 82 and more.

The roads and flats that are served by Feeder 243

In and Out - 99, 173, 258

   After doing two loops on the Boon Lay Feeders 241 and 243, I ventured out to take Trunk Service 258 to Joo Koon Bus Interchange. Service 258 serves roughly the same areas as Feeder 243 but connects through to Joo Koon via Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim through Jurong Industrial Estate.

   258 used to serve Boon Lay Bus Interchange itself but was amended to loop outside, along Jurong West Street 64, since June of this year.

Entering Jurong Industrial Estate along Pioneer Road North

   Joo Koon Bus Interchange is integrated with the FairPrice Hub Shopping Centre and houses mostly Jurong Industrial Services. One of the exceptions is the aforementioned Trunk Service 99 which I took.

   The route stretches back into Boon Lay, through Jurong West and East, connecting through to and terminating at Clementi.

Passing through the new commercial developments in Jurong East and arriving in Clementi.

   At Clementi, I had a break before taking Trunk Service 173 to Bukit Batok. This unique service connects the residents of Toh Tuck and Hillview private housing estates to amenities and transport centres such as Beauty World MRT Station and Bukit Batok Bus Interchange.

Winding through Toh Tuck Road and the private houses along this stretch.

Hume Avenue and Lorong Batu Nilam in Hillview.

Restricted Access and The Return - 177, 700

   Being a Friday late afternoon, I had the great opportunity to break duck on one of the routes I always wanted to take. Trunk Service 177 starts at Bukit Batok and loops at Bukit Panjang via Hillview and the Ministry of Defence's Headquarters in Bukit Gombak, located atop a hill.

   177 is mainly used by personnel working for MINDEF and the Army, hence why it only operates during weekday evenings. Since it is a military base, no photography is allowed there, but the view over the hill across to Bukit Panjang is one noteworthy aspect of my ride on this service.

   Finally, to wrap up this hectic year, I took Trunk Service 700 back to the City Centre and to Shenton Way Bus Terminal downtown. Aboard a Mercedes OC500LE bus, a less common bus model currently operating on Singapore Roads.

   700 uses the Bukit Timah Expressway, like Trunk 190, and links Petir Road in Bukit Panjang to Orchard Road and the Central Business District.

Upcoming condominiums rising along Petir Road in Dairy Farm.

Somerset and Suntec City

   And so, I round of 2017 with this last blog post. Though stressful, I wouldn't say that 2017 was a horrific year, but all I want to say is that I look forward to 2018.

Recap of trip:

Routes done - 99, 173, 174, 177 (half), 241, 243, 258 (half), 700

Progress - 77.5/363 (21.35 %)

29 December 2017

Trip 4: Not so long ago...

Powered by Natural Gas - 175

   Back at Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal for today, I started with Trunk Service 175, a service that deploys several Volvo B10BLE Compressed Natural Gas-powered buses. There are only 12 of these buses in Singapore, they were acquired in 2002 for a trial on Compressed Natural Gas-powered vehicles, and were very environmentally-friendly for the time due to its low exhaust emissions,

Volvo B10BLE reversing out, with distinct natural gas tanks on its roof.

Interior

   These buses are not wheelchair-accessible due to their lack of a wheelchair-ramp, despite having step-free entry. Hence, they are likely to be phased out before 2020. It is always great to ride these non-standard bus models once in a while, as a break from the buses I'm always used to taking.

   Route 175 runs from Lorong 1 Geylang through to Clementi, passing through Bugis, Orchard Road, Depot Road, Pasir Panjang and West Coast.

Outside Clementi MRT Station (175)

 Clementi Feeders - 282, 284, 285

Clementi Bus Interchange

   Upon getting off 175 after reaching Clementi, as well as having lunch, I took the unique Feeder 284, unique because it is the shortest daily operating bus service in Singapore. (excluding 902, which only operates on weekday peak hours)

Clementi Avenue 4 End (284)

   Out of Clementi Interchange, the route takes the bus north along Clementi Avenue 4. After reaching its end near Sungei Ulu Pandan, the bus u-turns and makes it straight back to the Interchange, serving a grand total of 3 bus stops and travelling just 1.7 km.

   After barely 15 minutes of travel time on Feeder 284, I took loops of the other two Clementi Town Feeders, 282 and 285.

Clementi West Street 2 (282)

   Feeder 282 mainly serves Clementi West Estate, situated along West Coast Road, looping at Clementi West Street 2.

West Coast Road, served by both 282 and 285.

   Feeder 285 travels the other direction on West Coast Road, looping at Pandan Loop, an industrial estate, despite not being classified as an Industrial Service.

Pandan Industrial Estate (285)

Old but gold - 107, 165

   Finishing the Clementi Feeders, I arrived back at Clementi Interchange wanting to venture outwards. Luckily, a bus deployed on Trunk Service 165 arrived. The bus was an older one, a Volvo B10M Mark IV. 

   These buses were the dominant types on the Singapore roads no more than a decade ago. Now only a fraction remain, all to be retired by Christmas, deployed mainly on routes 151 and 175. Some of them also service routes out of Clementi, such as 165.

   The bus ran through Holland Road, Upper Thomson and Ang Mo Kio on its way from Clementi to Hougang Central. By this point, it also started to rain.

Riding out of Clementi Interchange (165)

Upper Thomson Road (165)

   Hougang Central Bus Interchange, as it turns out, is also a hotspot for these older, non-wheelchair-accessible buses. There were also similar Volvo B10M buses on routes 112 as well as the aforementioned 151.

   Besides these single-deck buses, there are also a few older double-decker buses. Most of them are low-floor and are hence have step-free entry, but are not wheelchair-accessible due to a lack of a ramp. Much like the Volvo B10BLE from earlier.

   To get back to the city, I took Trunk Service 107, aboard a Dennis Trident, one of the older double-deckers. The bus travelled to the City Centre via Upper Serangoon Road and through Kallang Bahru and Beach Road, terminating at Shenton Way Bus Terminal.

Departing Hougang Central (107)

Approaching Beach Road (107)

In the CBD, near Lau Pa Sat (107)

   Using the 106, I made the short trip to Marina Centre to catch another bus home. I recalled how different the buses were a decade ago when the public buses lacked standing areas and actually had steps, they even have distinct sounds. Though the towns they drive through didn't change much, the buses themselves did. 

   Nowadays, almost all buses are wheelchair-accessible and are step-free. With any type of progress and growth, however, some things have to be left behind. Including the comfortable bouncy seats of the old buses and the experiences they carry.

Recap of trip:

Routes done - 107, 165, 175, 282, 284, 285

Progress - 23/371 (6.20 %)