In Singapore, there is only one kind of bus - air-conditioned bus.
I tapped my stored value card on the reading machine as I board the bus and realized something is wrong as I walked in.
The bus was hot and stuffy.
I looked at the air-con outlets located at the top corner of the bus ceiling. There seemed to be air coming out as I could hear some sounds but it wasn't cold air. Or was I wrong?
It was really terrible to get on a bus with the air-con not working after chasing it in this humid tropical climate and it was worse when the doors closed as the bus moved off.
And there's no windows which could be opened due to the design of air-con buses. So there was no ventilation at all.
The seats were almost fully occupied.
The passengers were all trying to bear with the heat from the looks on their faces. A lady was using a piece of paper to fan herself. I was rather puzzled that they could still be sitting close to each other and right behind the bus. I was already feeling the heat standing near the exit door, which gave me a bit of relieve as the door opened at each bus stop along the way.
As it's just a few bus stops to the train station, I decided to bear with the few minutes of discomfort. I wondered if these passengers are also going to alight at the same stop as me.
Then I heard what seemed to be the driver talking to someone which I could not make out what was said.
"Did the driver just call the HQ to asks for instruction given this situation?" I wondered.
Anyway, the bus continued on its route.
The bus driver even honed at a lady engrossed on her mobile phone as he approached a bus stop just in case she wanted to board it.
As more passengers boarded the bus on each stops along the route to the train station, the expressions on their faces were rather funny and interesting.
All of them had the look on their face "Oh shit!" when they realized the air-con is not working. One guy even hesitated whether to stand or sit or get down the bus at the next stop from his body gesture. it looked as if they've boarded a pirate ship.
Well, the bus is functionally working as it can still transport passengers to their destination. But with the air-con not working, the trip is going to a real unpleasant one. I would have definitely alighted and waited for the next bus if my journey is a long one.
As I alighted from the bus with quite a number of passengers at the train station bus stop, many others are boarding at the same time.
And I wondered why the driver did not inform them that the air-con is not working before they board.
Passengers will then have a choice whether they want to bear with the discomfort if the journey is a short one or to wait for the next bus.
P.S. I'm pretty sure the bus company has a SOP (standard operating procedure) for such a situation and drivers are taught on what to do. But if the driver has indeed called the HQ for instruction, probably he didn't know what to do. And if he continues picking up passengers along the way, does it mean he is still waiting for instruction from the HQ?