• The Mandarin term “双节巴士” is the paraphrase of the English terms “bendy bus”, “articulated bus” or “two parts of the articulated bus”.
  Bendy buses are characterised by two bus compartments and three exits. They also have additional safety features, such as CCTV cameras installed at the rear door and the rear compartment of the bus.
• Bendy buses were purchased from Germany and introduced to Singapore by the Trans-Island Bus Service Ltd in 1996 at a cost of $430,000. The model of the imported buses was the Mercedes Benz Hispano Mk1.
• Bendy buses measure 17.5m in length, which is 5.5m longer than the length of a standard bus. They have a total passenger capacity of 136, which is 62 more than the 74 passengers carried by standard buses.
• The Trans-Island Bus Service introduced bendy buses to alleviate congestion on buses during peak hours.
• On 16 March 1996, the bendy bus first made its debut on Singapore roads, running on Bus Service 171, which ran between Yishun New Town and Marina Centre. The first 2 drivers to drive the bendy bus were 41-year-old Abdul Rahim Jusof and 42-year-old Ooi Yaw Hooi.
• On 26 April 1996, the 19m-long articulated bus began running on SBS Bus Service 18, plying between Bedok Interchange and Tampines Interchange. It was the world’s longest bendy bus at the time. It was manufactured by the Swedish company Volvo.
• By 2019, bendy buses made up less than 5% of the total number of public buses in Singapore.

There are more than 5500 public buses in Singapore, with single-deck and double-deck buses making up more than 55% and 40% of these buses respectively, and bendy buses making up the remainder. (Lianhe Zaobao, 26/4/2019)

铰接式公共汽车, 通道车 (Mainland China)

• Bendy buses are different from standard single-deck buses or super-long buses. Standard buses measure 12.5m long and have a capacity of 87 passengers. Super-long buses measure 14.5m long, have a capacity of 110 passengers, and do not have a middle connecting section. Bendy buses measure 17.5m or 19m long, are equipped with three doors and 53-54 seats, and a total capacity of 142 or 147 passengers.