The Bus Collective is a resort hotel located at Changi Village in Singapore. Operated by the local travel agency WTS Travel in partnership with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Singapore Land Authority, it is the first hotel in Southeast Asia to be built using repurposed public buses, having been constructed using twenty decommissioned buses formerly operated by the local bus operator SBS Transit.[1] It held its grand opening on 5 November 2023 and started accepting guests on 1 December.
| The Bus Collective | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Entrance to The Bus Collective with converted buses in the background | |
 | |
| Former names | The Bus Resort |
| General information | |
| Address | 5 Telok Paku Road, Singapore 508883 |
| Coordinates | 01°23′22″N 103°59′21″E / 1.38944°N 103.98917°E |
| Groundbreaking | 28 August 2022 |
| Opened | 5 November 2023 |
| Landlord | WTS Travel |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 20 |
| Website | |
| thebuscollective.com | |
Background edit
In 2022, SBS Transit (SBST) retired 97 Scania K230UB buses. This was due to a new agreement between SBST and the Land Transport Authority concerning the transition of the Downtown MRT line to the New Rail Financing Framework Version 2, to replace older buses with newer ones.[2] According to Philip Raj, a hospitality consultant for WTS Travel, the idea for a hotel constructed out of retired buses came about during internal discussions on how to boost business amid declining demand for travelling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to find "a new way of getting guests to experience something different".[3]
History edit
In July 2022, several ex-SBST Scania K230UBs were spotted in a parking lot at Keppel. The dealer agency RVS Allied Global owned these vehicles at the time.[4] It would later be revealed that these buses were reserved for the tentatively named "The Bus Resort". A groundbreaking ceremony was held on 28 August 2022 and was attended by Maliki Osman, a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and the Member of Parliament for East Coast GRC.[3][5] In total 20 buses were scheduled to be converted to hotel rooms.[5]
The hotel, renamed "The Bus Collective", held its grand opening on 5 November 2023, which was once again attended by Maliki, and started accepting bookings for 1 December onwards.[6][7] Each bus received an exterior wrap, and all rooms are 45 square metres (480 sq ft) in size. Some original bus components were retained as features, such as the driver's cabin and windows. One of the rooms was designed to be wheelchair accessible.[6][7]
Reception edit
The initial announcement of the concept of a bus resort received mixed responses from netizens. In a report by Today, some readers were put off by the reported price of S$300-S$400 per night. Netizens have also branded the concept a "gimmick" and compared it to a trailer park.[8] Others praised the "eco-friendly" idea of repurposing retired buses and noted the success of a similar concept in Malaysia in which an abandoned bus was converted to a homestay accommodation.[8] Some have humorously asked whether they could pay for the stay using EZ-Link, a travel card used by many Singaporeans during their commute.[8]
Future expansion edit
In two separate interviews with The Straits Times and CNBC, WTS Travel's managing director, Mickey Sia, said that the company was keen to further expand the concept of repurposing retired buses to outlying islands such as Pulau Ubin and that he believed the concept had "the potential to resonate with audiences in other locations within the Asia Pacific region".[6][7]
See also edit
- Upcycling and repurposing
- Jumbo Stay, a hotel converted from a retired Boeing 747
References edit
- ^ "WTS TRAVEL & TOURS PTE LTD (198900083E) - Singapore Business Directory". SGPBusiness.com. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "20211111 - SBST - FFA Announcement and Its Press Release.pdf" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2023.
- ^ a b Abdullah, Zhaki (28 August 2022). "New resort at Changi Village to be built out of old buses". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "RVS Allied Global on Facebook". Facebook. 24 July 2022. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ a b Goh, Charlene. "Resort with rooms made out of upcycled public buses to open at Changi Village in April 2023". Today. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ a b c Sun, David (5 November 2023). "Repurposed bus hotel in Changi Village opens for bookings for stays from December". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ a b c Quek, Jie Ann (27 November 2023). "Southeast Asia's first luxury hotel made from retired buses opens in Singapore — take a look inside". CNBC. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ a b c Imran, Izzah (29 August 2022). "#trending: Pay more than S$300 to sleep in a bus hotel? No thanks, say some Singaporeans". Today. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.