"We wanted a competition that would challenge the skills of our bus captains. Of the many kinds of driving competitions, we chose the Scania format. The different stages reflected our objectives for safety, skills and fuel economy amongst our bus captains,” said Mr Gan Juay Kiat, COO of SBS Transit.
“I am most impressed with the outcome. Our bus captains had also enjoyed themselves as they pitted their skills in a friendly competition,” he added.
The competition started with a total of 108 bus captains, with each of them undergoing a preliminary round of maneuvering obstacles. From these, the top 27 drivers were selected for the finals with each finalists undergoing a road test and a final round of maneuvering obstacles.
The maneuvering obstacles were especially challenging; bus captains had to maneuver their buses with a margin of error of centremeters. Among the tougher obstacles are the L-reverse; 'The Plank' where bus captains had to driver forwards and backwards over a 20cm-wide plank; and the slalom which requires tight turns around marked cones.
Throughout the competition, the brand new SBST Scania K 230 UB city buses were used for the competition.
In the end, Mr Ng Hun Chew emerged champion. Mr Ng was joined on the podium by fellow Ang Mo Kio Road Group drivers Mr Chua Yang Ann (2nd place) and Mr Chiang Lay Huat (3rd). He walked home with a trophy; a cheque for S$ 1,000 (around SEK 4,300) and a 'championship jacket'.
An ecstatic Mr Ng later said, “The obstacles involving reversing were the toughest. But I’m very happy and honoured in becoming the champion. The key to winning is to not panic, remain calm and keep the stress of the competition to the lowest levels possible.
Mr Norman Koh, General Manager of Scania Singapore Pte. Ltd. said, “This competition had been a great success, and further strengthens the partnership between SBST and Scania. Scania’s commitment to road safety and promoting excellent fuel economy is shared with SBST, and this initiative is definitely a win-win situation for all.”
