So it’s 8am, Monday morning. You’ve skipped breakfast and your shoes are scuffed. Your pressed shirt starts to soak up the perspiration brought upon by the wonderful weather we have here.

Things aren’t going as well as they should on your first week. Take a cab again? Maybe you’ll try the bus. Here’s why you should.

Start and end your day with Singapore’s seemingly normal mode of intercity transportation. Singapore buses are a staple of local life and a closer look shows how interesting and quirky our mobile blocks are.

Straight to your serviced apartment (or thereabouts).

You’re never usually too far from a main bus stop here in Singapore. Even if you are, more often than not, you’ll be close to a ‘feeder’ bus that will take you there. The beauty of this small island is that its public transport system reaches out far and wide. Its also very comprehensive; littering bus stops all along the road. Each is a stone’s throw from the next.

If you need help, take a look at the dashboard located at the bus stop. We would recommend planning your trip beforehand with apps like google maps; efficiently suggesting bus routes for your travels. Buses are convenient and cheap.

Decked with 24-inch viewing screens (windows), our public buses also offer sights around Singapore during each trip. Jokes aside, it is a really good way to get a look around the island. Since the bus routes cover close to every inch of Singapore so you can familiarize yourself with your place of stay/work easily.

Choose your seat

Now that you’re on board, you would like to find a seat, especially if you have a long ride ahead. Let’s take a look at these prime real estate options.

• Standard Seat

These are your vanilla thrones. They flood the bus and aren’t really that fun.

• Back Seat

‘Cool kids only’. Back in the day, only the cool ones got to sit at the back of the bus. With a side-step leg rest and no gap behind the backboard, this spot offers ultimate relaxation.

If you are lucky enough, past commuters might have given you some extra reading material on the backboards of the the seat in front of you. Nothing like learning by immersing yourself in the local language.

• Double-decker Front Seats

Now for a kid, these seats offer a scaled-down version of a rollercoaster. You get a full view of what the diver sees but without having to drive. It’s great to keep the little ones entertained this way.

• Slide Side Seats

These seats have been known to cause motion sickness and the awkward view of staring straight at your fellow commuter. However, there is a secret to getting the best out of these parallel seats.

Just after the third or fourth side seat, you’ll find a slight nudge in the consecutive seat placements. This nudge is a great backrest. So instead of rocking from side to side, secure this gem and have a more enjoyable ride with comfortable support.

Your neighbours.

The mornings on public buses are a smorgasbord of individuals trying to get to work or school on time. You’ll see sleepy students, noisy aunties, breakfast smugglers (you’re not supposed to), and the occasional nail clipper’ (yes, some people DO clip their nails in the bus- ‘Hygiene’ on the go)

Taking the same bus every day at the same time usually means you’ll see the same people. You will develop unspoken relationships with friendly smiles and nods. After a while, you will realise that this becomes a good way to gauge if you are on time. If you see the same faces when you board the bus, high chance you didn’t miss your planned bus.

Enjoy the experience.

No matter what bus you get, the ride from one point to another can always be interesting. So get up a bit earlier, save a bit of money and soak it all in because the Singapore bus offers much more than just transportation. Its pure entertainment.