SBS9846T, a Volvo B10TL(Super Olympian), on Service 7.
Svc 7 never had B10TLs before, not for a long time anyway. I suspected that it was a replacement bus for SG5999Z, and this was confirmed when the driver, a friend of mine and a regular driver on SG5999Z, shared with me that SG5999Z was indeed out of service today, having broken down it had been sent for maintenance. Another piece of information that the Site Admin shared with me also seemed to make sense, which was that SBS9846T is a Spare Bus(SP) at Bedok North Depot(BNDEP), sharing it with SG5999Z and also the depot from which buses on Svc 7 operate from. Therefore, I took the chance to snap up some photos, then went to the Svc 7 Berth to wait out for the B10TL. Sure enough, after a regular 7(B9TL WEG2) departed, this bus was next, and I boarded it, and snapped some photos of the interior. Between the Clementi and the Orchard sectors, the bus was relatively empty, but as it passed through Orchard Road it became very packed, as expected from the evening peak, and standing space was limited at the lower deck. Due to his experience on the MAN A95s and lack thereof on the B10TL(with the equipment itself contributing), the ride became quite jerky at times and one passenger talked to me about it, although I reassured him that it was due to the aging equipment.
Unfortunately, my ride had to end prematurely as I had to alight at Dhoby Ghaut, where I had an appointment, and with that, my ultra-rare experience on SBS9846T had to come to an end. However, I did not let the chance go to waste, and I took as many photos as I could, which can be seen below.
The moment when SBS9846T pulled into Clementi Interchange - a very unexpected moment, not to mention a very surprising one
As discussed in my previous post, B10TLs are found on routes operating in the east, and it is extremely rare for one to venture to the West, dominated by the likes of B9TLs, MAN A95s and Enviro 500s. On the other hand, B10TLs are dominant in the East areas, especially on 225W(from Bedok), selected routes from Tampines or 25(AMK). With these buses likely being phased out soon as their replacement of 111 Euro 6 DDs prepare to enter service in Singapore, these buses are becoming rarer and rarer as they are slowly replaced and relegated to Training buses or as Spare buses, and I highly recommened anyone who encounters these buses make a ride on them, before they fade into the pages of our history, much like how the Dennis Tridents have quietly exited the public roads for the final time.
