Be Kind to the Bus Captain

Haven’t taken the bus in a while, and I was impressed by this new sign on the bus. It’s true. We need to be kind to the bus captain and we shouldn’t tolerate it if they are abused. These days the employees driving the bus are really nice and always wish you good morning and say thank you when you get off. It’s such a wonderful way to be.

I remember in the olden days when the bus drivers used to jerk us about till we would go flying from one end of the bus to the other. Also they whizzed by as we tried in vain to wave a bus down. They also scolded us if we didn’t have the correct fare ready in time. What a world of difference. But strangely, I remember the rude drivers fondly because they added colour to my teenhood. We laughed so hard when our friend slid from the back of the bus to the front like she was on roller skates when the bus made one of its frequent sudden brakes. Teenagers can be so cruel, but she was laughing in the end too. Another thing I recall is that often we got on the bus for free, because some drivers impatiently waved us in assuming we had a monthly student bus card even when we didn’t. The bus conductors also never checked on us on those occasions. Maybe they were thinking, poor students, let them have a free ride. This happened a few times when we took the bus from the bus stop in front of our school.

What I don’t miss? – the lack of air-conditioning and cleanliness. Now all the public buses are air-conditioned which is much needed in a tropical climate. The new ones are super clean too, just like the MRT (subway train). It’s also great that we can use the same contactless card for the bus as well as the MRT.

What were your experiences on the Singapore public bus service like? Or what about the bus service in your country? Do you like taking the bus?

photo by bookjunkie

About bookjunkie

Blogging about life in Singapore & recently cancer too.
This entry was posted in Culture & Society, Singapore Living and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to Be Kind to the Bus Captain

  1. floramoreno says:

    I would rather ride the bus here than take the MRT. I find it more comfortable of a trip. And I am super impressed with how great the public transportation is here. I don’t really miss my car.

    Flora

    • bookjunkie says:

      yes it can be pretty good if you’re located near a bus stop that has more than a few bus service numbers going by. Especially if you have one that goes directly to your location and you don’t have to switch buses.

      the best public transportation I experienced was in Adelaide and the free tram rides.

  2. Crystal says:

    My biggest frustration with the bus is when I’m asked to fold my stroller. It is far safer, and easier to travel with my daughter in the stroller…if the bus is busy, of course I don’t mind, but I’m often asked when the bus is empty, too! Once she was sleeping and I pretended I didn’t speak English (I responded in French with the equivalent of “I don’t speak English, sorry”) until they got tired of trying to tell me stuff, especially when I was already past them and standing off to the side, blocking no one and not taking up space that anyone was using. I didn’t enjoy doing that, but that day I really had no other choice.

    When I’m with my daughter, it’s often far easier to the take the MRT and then walk (which has side benefits of being good for me). Or if it’s a short trip, I’m starting to try leaving the stroller at home (she’s 2…she can walk well, but doesn’t have a ton of stamina) assuming that I (or between myself and my helper) can figure something out if she tired.

    On my own…love the bus. Except when the air con is broken.

    • bookjunkie says:

      If I had a stroller I would take a cab…I am so clumsy I wouldn’t know how to manage without getting frazzled…it sounds very cumbersome. I used to see one of my friends struggle with her stroller and I wondered how she always managed.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.