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The fleet of 11 Hino buses (TIB947B-TIB957Y) are usually confined to the west, serving Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang on routes 925 and 975. It occasionally runs on other Kranji Depot services, making it a rare sight given the small size of the fleet.
The demonstrator Hino (TIB905Y) is found exclusively in Bukit Batok on service 941, occasionally running on other Kranji Depot services.
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| TIB905Y with the original Volgren bodywork. It would later be modified to have a "smiley" front and differentiate from SBS Transit's Volgren bodywork-ed buses. |
Trivia: The Hino buses are the second type of Japanese buses to be used in SMRT's fleet, the first being the Nissan Diesel buses. Unlike their Nissan Diesel cousins which came completely built up with Japanese (Fuji Heavy Industries) bodywork, they were completely built up with Volgren bodywork for a modern look. It was also first trialled on TIB905Y. The Volgren bodywork would later be modified in the front design and used on other chassis such as the O405/O405G and Dennis Lance chassis
Another trivia on TIB905Y...
ReplyDeleteNot many knew of the fact that TIB905Y was actually one of 2 buses built by Gemilang based on the Volgren bodykit, on the Hino HS3KRKA chassis for demonstration purposes for markets in Singapore and Malaysia. WGH980 was registered in Malaysia and entered service with Nadi Putra of Putrajaya Federal Territory. It was later sold to Milan Travel of Penang to make way for newer buses. However, it's fate was abruptly sealed shortly after operating for Milan Travel. After months of storage, it was later withdrawn from revenue service, citing high cost of maintenance as the culprit. Not surprising as it was the only such Hino chassis in Malaysia featuring a one-step aisle. Hino AKs, RKs and RMs remains popular with operators throughout Malaysia, as a citybus or long-distance express coaches.