My Bus Rides to RI

My Bus Rides to Raffless Institution

Bee Ngah

For me, and Aziz Sujak, Zainal Abideen, bus 51 from Eunos that runs to city and Havelock when we moved to Kay Poh.

Chin Kong

It's amazing I took bus #12 to North Bridge Road. The same bus number still goes there. Same bus for old and new RI.

Colin

I lived in Joo Chiat, so it's either 33 or 44. When we moved to Grange Rd. Bus no 1 to Geylang/Telok Kurau and walk to Joo Chiat.

Devinder

Bus 12 was my bus route to RI and back home every week day. Fm Mountbatten Road, via Kallang Bridge to North Bridge up to Upper Circular Road (vegetables being unloaded from lorries early morning by the Singapore River warehouses) then up River Valley to the Kay Poh Road  back entrance of RI where the pool was finally built.

Yes, early in the morning, Upper Circular Road was the highlight of the whole ride - the noise, smell, hustle and bustle - amazing activity! If you were lucky to have a window seat you could look down at the activity! And I remember the mornings were cool - temperature wise!

You’re (Sagoff) probably right (that the wholesalers are operating along circular road). At that age I wouldn’t really have known the difference; the important thing was not to fall asleep and get off the bus in time for Kay Poh Road : )

It’s one of the few bus journeys I remember to this day - that too only between my starting and ending points

Yes I suppose there wasn’t a bus route on the posh Grange Road main entrance of the school - anyway don’t know if there was? One bus-stop after me, Lai Huat would usually get onto the same bus; unless he got on an earlier bus than me, which was usually the case. If I saw Lai Huat on the bus, I knew I was going to be on-time. If I didn’t I would panic a little because of getting booked for being late at the back gate! The distance doesn’t seem that long today; but back in the day, it seemed a very long ride - there were always traffic bottlenecks along Mountbatten/Guillemard Circus (remember there was a Circus) then again another massive crawl along Circular Road!

Dhanraj

I was the person who knew all the bus services on the island pretty much. Whenever visitors came to our family I had to take them all over the place and I knew where the buses went and I told family and friends about it. Felt good that I knew the bus services and lines. I used to collect bus tickets especially the ones with the same four digits. I have some. I’m going to take pictures soon of stuff that I have and send it to you guys.

The bus numbers from East to West get bigger. 41A was through Dunman Road I think.

My bus number to school was 16. Yes, there were many pretty girls on the buses I took - service #16.

Lok Haw

42 goes from Tanjong Rhu end (now Costa Rhu) to Paya Lebar

Moh Teck

Devinder, you reminded me of the vegetable wholesalers (at Circular Road). Very brisk business (in the early moment). Could smell the cabbages and vegetables and the cold morning air in my imagination. I think my bus to school is number 16.

Roland

I have happy memories taking bus to Grange Road from Changi Road, near Frankel Ave or going back from RI.

There is a chance to see a pretty Cedar Girl in blue uniform sitting on the bus with her friend in green uniform. We look at each other with interest and sometimes sitting next to each other. Sad that I have no gut to talk to her or ask for phone (no mobile phone yet).

Sagoff

But many buses now has different routes.

The numbering of the buses then depends on the point of origin. Bus No 1 and  2  was from Changi Point. Buses from Bedok was 10, 11, 12, 13 and 13A, later became 14. Opera estate has buses 21. Jalan Eunos has theb50s. Toa Payoh has buses numbering 150s

We were from a school where the students come from all over Singapore. So if you visit friends, we tend to go all over the island too

The numbering comes about after the restructuring of the bus services into 4 companies. Associated Bus Service, Amalgamated Bus Service, United Bus Service and STC

Then they combine all the bus companies to become SBS. Later, Trans Island Bus came into being. And now we are back to 4 bus companies. It is a circle, ain't it?

It's (vegetable wholesaler market) is actually along circular road. But when the wholesale market is in operation, bus no 12 will go further down the road, past the old subordinate courts, if I remember correctly