Boh (left) and Ho taking photos of a PJ City Bus at the Taman Jaya LRT station in Petaling Jaya. Taking photos of these vehicles is one of the main activities in bus spotting. — Photos: ART CHEN and SAMUEL ONG/The Star
TO SOME people, buses are more than just transportation vehicles.
Bus enthusiasts enjoy capturing images of buses, as well as recording information such as fleet numbers, registration plates and routes to share with like-minded individuals.
According to fan club Malaysian Land Public Transport Fans (MLPTF) chairman Zac Cheong, the hobby, known as bus spotting, is now becoming a “more organised trend” in Malaysia, especially among the younger generation.
Various types of buses parked at TBS in Bandar Tasik Selatan, a popular spot for bus spotting enthusiasts in Klang Valley.
MLPTF has a social media platform where bus spotting enthusiasts share their activities, experiences as well as issues pertaining to the public transport industry.
“While it may be niche, the bus spotting community in Malaysia is very passionate and active. MLPTF has thousands of dedicated bus enthusiasts.
“We see buses as more than just transport. They are mobile pieces of art, engineering marvels and the pulsating veins of our city.
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“The hobby is about preserving history, promoting public transport and building a community. We are documenting the story of Malaysia’s urban development, one bus at a time,” said Cheong, who has been actively bus spotting for over 15 years.
Bus spotters tell StarMetro that their excitement is driven by the possibility of travel around towns and cities, and to witness their development over time.
(From right) Ho and Boh with the captain of a PJ City Bus during a bus spotting session in Petaling Jaya.
Penchant for adventure
For Alvin Ho, 28, bus spotting is an adventure.
“By hopping onto different buses, I can venture into various towns and cities to view and document their charm and observe their development,” he said.
“My favourite spot is Taman Jaya, from which I get to explore Petaling Jaya Old Town (PJ OId Town). I also like Subang Jaya and Ampang. I have tried riding buses in remote areas such as Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam.”
Ho’s fondness for buses began when he first took a bus at the age of three or four.
“My mother and I took a bus from Jalan Gasing to PJ Old Town. The bus, which was grey and blue in colour, impressed me with its design. That motivated me to explore and document details of other buses,” he said.
“The interest died down when I was in primary school, but was revived in secondary school when I needed to take the now-defunct 781 bus to attend tuition classes in PJ Old Town.
A page from Ho’s logbook, in which he recorded details of his bus trip to Klang. — Courtesy photo
“I started to go to various places for bus spotting after graduating from secondary school, when free bus services were introduced around 2015 in parts of Selangor. This was when I started exploring places outside Petaling Jaya, such as Ampang and Pandan Indah.”
Ho also logs all the routes he has taken and bus models he has hopped on.
His penchant for buses has enabled him to discover less well-known routes.
“One of the hidden gems is the 506 bus route which connects Putrajaya Sentral MRT station to 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya,” he said.
“The bus passes through the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP) and I am always captivated by the scenes along the route.”
Ho has also inspired one of his friends, David Boh, to start bus spotting.
Boh said before knowing Ho, he saw buses merely as transportation and would avoid buses that were not operated by RapidKL.
“I got to know Ho through MLPTF, which gathers public transport users and enthusiasts,” added Boh.
“Our first bus trip together was in July 2023 when Ho brought me on Wawasan Sutera bus 710, which connects Klang to Pasar Seni. That was when I started to appreciate buses that are not run by RapidKL.”
Boh, 30, said he liked observing small details on buses, such as their liveries and features.
“I like to look at the advertisements on the buses and appreciate their colours and layouts.
“I also love observing minor bus features such as the sound of the stop bells and when the buses slow down,” he said.
Boh also has a penchant for double-decker buses.
“I once spotted buses in Orchard Road, Singapore, and that was an unforgettable experience. I could see a double-decker bus passing through the street almost every minute.
“Although we also have double-decker buses in Malaysia, their numbers and frequencies are far lower than those in Singapore,” he said.
Bernard Wee, 47, said he enjoyed travelling to Klang and Shah Alam, where he had found less common bus models.
“In Klang, I love spotting buses around Mydin supermarket. The less common models are usually deployed on feeder routes around the city. This is where I can spot old Nissan and Hino midi buses,” said Wee.
“In Shah Alam, my favourite spot is the Bus Terminal 17 in Section 17, as there is a wide variety of buses that pass through there.
“I also enjoy commuting by bus every day. I look forward to going to work as I enjoy every moment of the ride,” said the Singaporean, who frequently visit Klang Valley.
Having had an interest in buses since he was nine, Wee said he discovered the fun of bus spotting after taking photos of buses.
“Since then, I have been wanting to capture photos of all the different bus models and their liveries,” said Wee, adding that he has photos of more than 100 bus models.
Wee said he preferred spotting older buses before their eventual retirement.
“Buses on trial are also my priority for spotting as they are not permanent.
“The most interesting bus that has appeared in Malaysia so far is the electric “bendy” bus which was deployed on trial basis in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year. It was the first articulated bus in Malaysia,” he said, referring to the GoKL articulated buses.
For Mohd Qaydir Ahmad Rashid, 49, his love for buses started in the mid-1990s when he was studying in Shah Alam.
Mohd Qaydir occasionally takes buses to try new models and explore new routes.
“I began observing the different bus models while I was waiting for my bus at bus stations or stops.
“The diversity in design, liveries, technology and overall evolution of the buses are truly appealing,” he said.
Mohd Qaydir said some of the popular spots for bus spotting enthusiasts in the Klang Valley are Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) in Bandar Tasik Selatan, Pekeliling Bus Station in Kuala Lumpur and Terminal Bersepadu Gombak in Batu Caves.
Although he is no longer a regular bus user due to work and family commitments, he still took the bus from time to time, to try new models, explore new routes or simply enjoy the ride.
Wee likes travelling around Klang and Shah Alam to find uncommon bus models.
Eccentric interests
Bus spotting is not a hobby without challenges.
Wee said his friends viewed his hobby as eccentric.
“I am often asked what is so interesting about this hobby. I tell my friends that I will never get lost while commuting as I have vast knowledge of bus routes and timing, which helps me plan my trip better,” he said.
However, Wee admitted that irregularity of buses, especially in suburban areas, made bus spotting challenging.
“Sometimes, buses don’t turn up according to the time shown on the (transit) apps. This needs to be improved,” he said.
Mohd Qaydir said bus spotting activities could sometimes be perceived as “suspicious”.
“I have seen a man being questioned by security personnel when he was taking photos of buses at TBS,” he said.
“Such unnecessary questioning could be quite intimidating for bus enthusiasts, especially for those who have just started.”
In addition to service inconsistency, Mohd Qaydir said limited public access to the list of bus fleets, route details and bus retirement plans also made it difficult for bus spotters to track the buses’ development.
“It is challenging to track new demonstrator units or older models before they are phased out. For example, some of the iconic, older buses such as Cityliner and Intrakota were retired without any announcement.
Cheong says spotters are documenting Malaysia’s urban development, one bus at a time.
“In some countries, bus operators publicly announce the retirement of specific bus models and even organise special events for enthusiasts to ride them one last time. I suggest such a practice to be adopted in Malaysia too,” said Mohd Qaydir.
Boh said the low frequency of buses and inconsistency of bus services, partially caused by an insufficient number of active buses, posed a challenge for bus spotters.
He said he has faced unfriendly bus captains who questioned him for taking photos inside the bus.
“I tell them politely that I am a bus enthusiast and show them my social media pages where I post photos of buses. Most people would then understand our passion,” said Boh.
“After all, bus spotting is another hobby. We just need to be open-minded enough to acknowledge that there are people who are passionate about buses.”
