Buses are typically seen as simply a means of transport, to get from one point to another. To Loh Caden, however, buses are not just a way of life, they ARE his life. How can such a typically ‘mundane’ action bring him so much joy? Caden shares more about his unique passion.
Story by Esther Liaw Wei Mei
Photos courtesy of Loh Caden and Beatrice Bautista
Loh Caden, our bus enthusiast. (Photo courtesy of Beatrice Bautista)
This 14-year-old student from Punggol Secondary is a bus enthusiast, who goes out without fail every Saturday for a full day of joyriding, simply trying out the new bus routes, exploring different parts of Singapore. Other aspects of Loh Caden’s hobby involves photographing and taking videos of buses everywhere, posting them on his Instagram account, @perfectcadenxyz regularly. On this account, he also posts detailed reviews of the bus rides, down to the air conditioning, the service of the bus captain, and even whether the advertisements on the sides of buses have changed!
Caden’s Instagram account, @perfectcadenxyz.
In fact, he even has a few Bus Captain Friends (BCF) that he made from being such a dedicated passenger. In particular, @itsthebcshow, who even gave Caden his bus schedule when he was assigned away to a different route so that Caden can visit him during his future joyrides. While people typically go straight to the back of the bus looking for seats, Caden stays at the front when it is not crowded, taking the initiative to start a conversation with the bus captain to learn more about his passion.
Unfortunately, members of the public have not always been kind towards this hobby. There have been some instances when security was called on Caden and his friend at the bus interchange, while they were taking hyperlapses of the different buses arriving. Caden shrugs as he recounts the memories. “Majority of the public think that people cannot take photos at the interchange, or they think that we are taking videos for suspicious reasons. I know that I’m not doing anything wrong, because I have checked the guidelines online.”
Indeed, on SMRT’s official page, it states that photos and videos can be taken for non-commercial and personal use. But have these instances diminished Caden’s passion in any way? When asked this question, he looked genuinely confused. “I think (true) passion only grows with time.” Maybe so in his case, as he had always been interested in buses, but his passion truly started to grow in 2018, because as he grew older, he had more access to things such as being able to travel around Singapore alone, and the online game platform, Roblox, where he builds intricate bus models.
One of Caden’s Roblox creations.
One of these models takes up to three months to build, as Caden wants it to be as detailed and realistic as possible. In fact, he has built a replica of the entire Punggol interchange with a few friends based on their many trips there to observe the buses.
As for why Caden has this hobby? “Being at home can get boring sometimes” He explains simply. “Buses are my happy place. Only if they are not too crowded, though.” Looking out of the window with music on, seeing the lush greenery of our garden city, exploring new places in the comfort of an air-conditioned bus, these are just some appeals of joy riding for Caden. “I would only recommend this hobby to people who know how to respect the atmosphere of the bus though.”
Something that Caden is most looking forward to would be the five hour bus tour he will be hosting in December with his friend. They are going to hire a private bus and bring passengers on a route completely planned by them to show off the most scenic, interesting, and memorable bus routes in Singapore.
Caden’s uncommon hobby has shown us that there is so much more that you can gain from a bus ride than just getting from point A to point B. Look out the window, appreciate the journey, and don’t miss out on the little things in life.
We can all go… beyond the commute.