19/11/2023
Having followed The Bus Collective from when they were at 43 Keppel as fully completed retired SBS Transit buses, to the first few modified units sent to park back at 43 Keppel, to witnessing them lifted into the final room positions and being wrapped up into the room liveries, it was quite a journey this year with the assistance. My thanks and gratitude to the various parties that aided in my capturing of certain stories along the way.
Being a commuter who rode on one of these former Gemilang-bodied SBS Scania K230UBs, it was a nostalgic feeling seeing these former buses now serving as rooms for this resort hotel. Yes, when I first heard of the bus collective through the news last year, part of the skeptical me was wondering, why didn't WTS procure used shipping containers or similar instead? But as I thought more about it, buses are usually overlooked by many as "just another transport solution" and having the buses be the backdrop of the resort is a unique idea that can get people intrigued, and these outgoing buses get a second life with many able to see what a Scania K230UB looked like up close.
Standing proud today are the 20 buses, with their steering wheels and driver's area, retained, while the interior has a few hints of its former life as a service bus (windows pillars and driver area retaining the SBS brown interior color). But make no mistake, the interior is one of the coziest and most luxurious atmospheres that I could feel when on a bus and it was an experience to step into the room. Soft & plushy beds, marble tabletop, rain showers, outdoor tables & BBQ area, I can only imagine how it is at night after one explores the area on one of the many tours offered at the resort. Just kicking back, watching the planes fly overhead, sipping a cold drink before heading to the soft, inviting bed.
https://www.wtstravel.com.sg/grand-opening-of-the-bus-collective/
WTS Travel & Tours Pte Ltd Scania Singapore RVS Allied Global Gemilang Coachwork SDN BHD
