A SMRT Bendy Bus was involved in an accident with a car in Yew Tee, leaving the damaged bus stuck on a pavement. The incident unfolded in the afternoon of Sunday, 8th January 2017, outside Block 689B and near the junction between Choa Chu Kang Drive and Choa Chu Kang Cres. The bus involved was TIB1214B, a SMRT Mercedes-Benz O405G plying Service 302 at the time of incident.
This is the second major accident involving a public bus in 2017. The first accident occurred on 6th January 2017 (Friday), involving a SMRT Single-Decker Bus and a SBS Transit Double-Decker Bus at Bukit Merah Bus Interchange. Four months ago, a SMRT bendy bus of the same model got itself stuck in a field at Kim Keat Avenue.
| Incident | Accident involving Bendy Bus and Private car |
| Bus Involved | SMRT Buses Mercedes-Benz O405G Habit (TIB1214B) Operating on Feeder Bus Service 302 (Revenue service) |
| Location | Choa Chu Kang Drive / Choa Chu Kang Cres junction, near Block 689B |
| Date/Time | 8th January 2017, 1400hrs |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 5 |
Details regarding how the accident unfolded is unclear, but the SMRT Articulated Bus (TIB1214B) is understood to have been running on Bus Service 302 at the time, travelling straight along Choa Chu Kang Crescent, and then swerved sharply to the left. The bus mounted the kerb, and collided with trees at high speed, leaving it with a broken windscreen, dented body panels and a ruptured articulator bellow. A private car was also damaged in the accident.
Initial pictures of the accident show the bus stuck within the grassed pavement, with its windscreen broken and front body panels badly damaged. It took out a town council signboard and part of a metal railing before bring stopped by a tree, partially uprooting it. Surrounding trees impacted by the bus also crashed down on the vehicle.
A police cordon was quickly set up around the accident site. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) sent three ambulances and one fire engine to the scene. According to the SCDF, five people involved in the accident were taken to the hospital conscious and stable, with injuries such as abrasions, headaches, giddiness and palpitations.
Three of the injured were children – two of whom were 7-year-olds taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. The other child was a 12 year old girl, who was sent to the National University Hospital together with a woman, 60. The bus driver, 52, was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
Bus Involved
The bus involved was a Mercedes-Benz O405G Habit (Registration number TIB1214B), an articulated bus owned by SMRT Buses. Registered in December 2001, the bus had been plying the roads for over 15 years, and was 23 months away from the end of its 17-year statutory lifespan, when it would have likely been scrapped.
These model of buses were bodied by Hispano Carrocera of Spain. The relatively light damage sustained despite the high impact collision is testament to the high build quality of these buses.
Timeline
- 1405hrs: Accident occurs. Police and SCDF informed about the accident.
- 1555hrs: Tree removal contractors arrive
- 1620hrs: Car towed away
- 1715hrs: Tow truck arrives
- 1757hrs: Towing chain snaps and tow truck windscreen is damaged
- 1900hrs: Second tow truck arrives
- 1920hrs: Second tow truck successfully pulls the bus out
- 1940hrs: Accident cleared and bus is towed away
Recovery Process
At 1555hrs, contractors arrived in a cherry picker truck to clear damaged trees and branches, in preparation for the towing of the bus. The resulting accident damage became more evident after the trees were removed.
At 1715hrs, a tow truck from People’s Vehicle Recovery Service arrived tried to pull out the bus with a towing chain. During the first attempt to rescue the bus at 1755hrs, the towing chain snaps, damaging the tow truck’s windscreen in the process. The bus moves only about a metre.
At 1900hrs, a larger tow truck from the same company arrives at the scene. Using another tow rope, the bus was eventually released at 1920hrs.
Loose debris, including the front bumper were removed, before the bus was hooked up to the tow truck and towed away at 1940hrs.
This is the second major accident involving a public bus in 2017. The first accident occurred on 6th January 2017 (Friday), involving a SMRT Single-Decker Bus (MAN A22) and a SBS Transit Double-Decker Bus (Dennis Trident) at Bukit Merah Bus Interchange. The SMRT bus was likely to have been speeding and swiped the SBS Transit bus before impacting a crash barrier, sustaining severe damage.
Four months ago, a SMRT bendy bus of the same model got itself stuck in a field at Kim Keat Avenue after the driver attempted a u-turn in the field after getting lost.
Gallery (Miscellaneous):
