Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, many Singaporeans haven’t been able to travel for most of the year, and one popular destination that’s surely being missed is Hong Kong.
However, buses can’t spread the virus, and as such, one “Singaporean” has been able to spend retirement in the Chinese city after plying Singapore roads for years.
An SBS Transit double-decker bus was taken out for a spin in Hong Kong’s Kowloon district recently, prompting us to envy its ability to travel without undergoing quarantine.
In photos shared on Facebook by Yau Tsim Mong district councillor Leslie Chan, the bus was seen at Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier Bus Terminal on Saturday (3 Oct) afternoon.
The ex-SBS Transit Bus was undergoing a road test, he said.
But why was a retired bus from Singapore having a road test all the way in Hong Kong?
Apparently, after being retired, the Volvo Super Olympian B10TL (Volgren) model bus was bought by private collectors in Hong Kong.
It was then shipped to the city on 3 Aug, said the Hong Kong Buses Discussion Board in a Facebook post.
When it was in operation, it carried the licence plate SBS9844Z.
Apparently, whoever bought the bus decided to keep the licence plate, which can be seen in the photos, albeit with a strikethrough.
They also kept the SBS Transit livery and the front LCD display intact.
For those who take public transport frequently in Singapore, it’s indeed a surreal sight to see the familiar bus plying the roads of a foreign country.
According to Land Transport Guru, this particular bus was deployed to Ang Mo Kio Depot in its former life in Singapore.
It was used on bus routes 161, 133, 55 and 25, so if you’ve taken these services you might have ridden on it before.
The bus was registered on 11 Apr 2003 and de-registered on 10 Apr 2020, exactly 17 years later as per its statutory lifespan.
However, it seems to be still going strong in Hong Kong.
Here’s a video of its adventures on HK roads so far:
We’re happy that one Singaporean is able to spend its golden years aboard after 17 years of faithful service in Singapore.
Frankly, we can’t help but be a little envious that it can retire in Hong Kong when ordinary Singaporeans can’t even travel to the city for a little retail and refreshment.
When we can finally do so, we’ll hope to catch our compatriot there living it up on the roads.
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Featured images adapted from Facebook and Facebook.
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Stickers and red packets from the collection were also relisted on Carousell.
The elderly man was sitting in the passenger's seat at the time.