SMRT ‘rescue’ bus encounters punctured tyre after picking up stranded passengers along PIE
Passengers on an SMRT bus that encountered an issue along the PIE were herded onto another bus meant to “rescue” them, only for that bus to run into another problem in the form of a punctured tyre.
TikTok user @kj0509jk shared a video of the incident on June 10, panning the camera across a crowded upper deck of Service 972 bus that had stalled along the expressway at about 11.45pm on June 10.
The video then cuts to a clip of passengers alighting the vehicle to board another bus that had stopped behind them.
“Supposed to ‘rescue’ us… that bus broke down as well!” an on-screen caption reads, as the video shows another photo of commuters standing outside the bus.
The clip ends with the commuters “boarding the third bus”.
“What are the odds? What a bus ride…” the user adds in the post’s caption.
Stomp has reached out to kj0509jk for comment.
Buses stopped due to unusual sound from undercarriage, tyre puncture: SMRT
In response to Stomp’s queries, deputy managing director of SMRT Buses Vincent Gay said the initial bus was travelling along the PIE when the driver heard an unusual sound from the vehicle’s undercarriage.
As a precaution, the bus driver pulled over at the road shoulder and made arrangements to transfer passengers to the next bus.
“Unfortunately, when the next Service 972 bus arrived at the pick-up point, the Bus Captain discovered a rear tyre puncture. All the passengers were subsequently transferred safely on the next 972 bus by 12pm,” Gay added.
He noted that bus drivers followed “standard safety protocols”, and took the opportunity to thank passengers for their understanding.
‘Why both can break down?’ Netizens puzzled
Some netizens expressed outrage over the incident, while others were amused by what they described as a “once in a lifetime” occurrence.
“The rescue bus needed a rescue,” one netizen joked, while another said they wanted to “buy 4D”.
Others raised concerns about the maintenance of the vehicles.
“Are they not maintaining these buses? Why BOTH can break down?” a commenter mused.
However, a few netizens pointed out that such incidents were “nothing new”.
“We talk here but the bus captain face the stress,” one netizen wrote.
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