'I watched passengers grow up in my bus': Bus captain of 53 years looks back on career

A bus can represent many things for many different people.

For some, it's simply a way to get from point A to point B. Others see it as a place to be alone with their thoughts as they stare pensively out the window.

For Mr Ong Guan Beng, it's been his "office" for the past 53 years.

"I've seen some passengers since they were in primary school, until they went to university and became doctors - it's like I watched them grow up in my bus," he said.

The 74-year-old bus captain first started his career with SBS Transit as a bus conductor. He was just 21 years old at the time.

In 1975, when the bus conductor role was phased out, Mr Ong trained to become a bus driver.

From the moment he got behind the wheel, he took to the job like a duck to water. He enjoyed the routine of getting up early in the morning, going to the interchange and starting up his bus to take passengers wherever they were headed - as long as it was on his route.

And it was along that route that he would meet the love of his life, Ms Low Ah Nia.

"She was a seamstress. When she went to work in the morning, she would take my bus - service 152 - so I would see her almost every day," Mr Ong reminisced. "Sometimes, if I was on the night shift, she'd board my bus on the way home."

Eventually, Mr Ong worked up the courage to speak to Ms Low, now 72.

"I asked her what time she would be done with work and told her that I would pick her up," he said. "After her shift, I met her at the bus stop, and for the first time, we took the bus together, sitting as passengers."

Three years later, the two got married. Today, they have two children and five grandchildren. 

Over the years, Mr Ong saw his life as a bus driver change - mostly for the better.

"The buses used to have only one door and they didn't have air conditioning," he recalled. "I also needed to count the coins when people paid their fare. Now I just have to make sure they tap their card."

The number of screens, knobs and buttons on the dashboard of buses grew as technology improved. Though he has had to constantly learn new ways to do his job, Mr Ong said it was not too difficult.

"If you put in the effort, it's not a challenge," he said. "You can easily adapt and get used to it."

This year marks the 53rd year in Mr Ong 's career with SBS Transit. It is also his last.

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Today (May 1), Mr Ong turns 74, which means he will reach the upper age limit for his bus driver's vocational licence next year. Nonetheless, he still enjoys every remaining moment on the job.

"I still love my job. I find joy in coming in to work every day and greeting regular passengers when they board my bus," he said.

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.