Maiden trip, a term originally from the shipping industry, has been extended to various other types of transport. For the public bus industry, it can refer to the debut of a particular bus, the introduction of a new route, the first revenue service trip of a particular bus, and so on.
Bus Enthusiast Culture
Many bus enthusiasts pay considerable attention to maiden trips, and take the opportunity to experience and document a newly-introduced bus model or bus route. With the rise of internet culture in the 20th century, more bus enthusiasts are able to quickly receive information about maiden trips and track the whereabouts of buses. It is usually inevitable to encounter bus enthusiasts on maiden trips. The recent Bus Services Enhancement Programme (BSEP) has added multiple bus routes over a short period of time, diminishing the significance of such events.
List of recent SBS Transit maiden trips by bus model:
Bus Model | Registration | Bus Route | Date |
Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro | SBS6000L | 28 | 01 Jun 2011 |
Scania K230UB (Euro 4) | Mixed | 100, 174 | 01 Nov 2007 |
Scania K230UB (Euro 5) | Mixed | 3, 36 | 08 Apr 2009 |
Sunlong SLK6121UF14H | SBS8000Z | 185 | 08 Aug 2010 |
Volvo B5RLE Hybrid | SBS8002T | 506 | 01 Mar 2015 |
Volvo B9TL CDGE | Mixed | 21 | 27 Jun 2006 |
Volvo B9TL Wright | SBS7502Z, SBS7506M | 185 | 01 Nov 2010 |
Volvo B9TL Gemilang | SBS7777Y | 7 | 17 Feb 2014 |
List of recent SMRT maiden trips by bus model:
Bus Model | Registration | Bus Route | Date |
Alexander Dennis Enviro500 | SMB3501L – SMB3503G | 972 | 13 Jul 2014 |
MAN NL323F (A22) MCV | SMB138Y | 961 | 29 Dec 2010 |
MAN NL323F (A22) Gemilang | SMB189A | 963 | Sep 2011 |
MAN NG363F (A24) Demo | SMB388S | 190 | 18 Apr 2013 |
MAN NG363F (A24) PB | SMB8001E | 190 | 15 Mar 2015 |
MAN A95 | SMB5888H | 190 | 05 Nov 2014 |
Mercedes-Benz O530 (Citaro) | SMB136C | 855 | 16 Mar 2010 |
Mercedes-Benz O530 (Citaro) PB | SMB140P | 75 | Mar 2011 |
Mercedes-Benz OC500LE | SMB1H | 190 | 29 Jun 2008 |
Yutong ZK6126 | SMB135E | 854 | Aug 2010 |
Zhongtong LCK6121GHEV | SMB137A | 945 | 19 Jan 2011 |
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Maiden trips in the past:
Bus Model | Registration | Bus Route | Date |
Leyland Olympian 3-axle | Mixed | 7 | 01 Sep 1993 |
Volvo B10MA-70 Superlong | SBS997A | 76 | 19 Oct 1995 |
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Note: PB stands for Production Batch, to contrast it from the demonstrator unit.
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Wright Volvo B9TL debuts on 1 November 2010.
Sunlonh from 185 debuts on 8 August 2010.