About Us

Our History

Surpassing 80 years of industrial experience.
Indisputable Rich Heritage and Pioneering Legacy.

With a foundation in ship building in the 1920s, Mr Soo Soon Chow diversified his business into an industry which he had envisioned to be of tremendous potential – transportation. 80 years ago, with an insatiable entrepreneurial spirit and on a quest to provide innovative engineering solutions, Mr Soo Soon Chow founded Soon Chow Workshop. The business then expanded over the years incorporating various projects from not only the private but government sectors. Consistent good track record over the years elevated the reputation of Soon Chow, making it one of the most recognized companies in the commercial automotive industry.

  • Yr 1925

    1925, Construction of the Mosquito Mini Passenger Bus. Soon Chow's contribution to the private transportation scene included the pioneer introduction of the Mosquito buses. . .

  • Yr 1938

    1938, Early first bus bodies built by Soon Chow. These bus bodies were put together in the 1930s in preparation for a demand in the transportation services. Bus bodies were quickly assembled. . .

  • Yr 1940

    1940, During the colonization by the British, orders such as this mobile canteen has enabled many food operators a flexibility to move places and run their businesses. Soon Chow was the first. . .

  • Yr 1959

    1959, Police Special Riot Vehicle with Water cannon capabilities. With much skilled expertise, Soon Chow was tasked to design and built the police riot vehicle. These vehicles were simply a bus. . .

  • Yr 1963

    1963, An enhanced version of the Police Special Riot Vehicle. Over time, experiences helped the authorities work even closer with Soon Chow on the necessary and enhanced guidelines. . .

  • Yr 1971

    1971, Emergence of the wholly built full size passenger buses. The evolution of the passenger bus has created buses with more capacity which Soon Chow built from scratch in the late 1960s. . .

  • Yr 1973

    1973, Special Fraser & Neave (F&N) transport truck. Soon Chow's involvement in the F&N transport truck is evident in the 1970s with F&N collaboratively working with Soon Chow. . .

  • Yr 2006

    2006, First SBS buses rolled out to serve the public. Bus bodies built by Soon Chow.

  • Stay tuned for more updates

Yr 1925

1925, Construction of the Mosquito Mini Passenger Bus. Soon Chow’s contribution to the private transportation scene included the pioneer introduction of the Mosquito buses. These buses could carry up to 7 persons. Construction for such buses was not complicated but at that time its practicality proved invaluable. Children’s fares were exempted if they do not meet a height requirement. One can get more reference from prominent bus blog : http://wwwyeohongeng.blogspot.sg/2011/07/my-experience-with-bus-transport-in-50s.html

Yr 1938

1938, Early first bus bodies built by Soon Chow. These bus bodies were put together in the 1930s in preparation for a demand in the transportation services. Bus bodies were quickly assembled by hand through skilled workmanship that had proven reliable and indispensable.

Yr 1940

1940, During the colonization by the British, orders such as this mobile canteen has enabled many food operators a flexibility to move places and run their businesses. Soon Chow was the first to innovate and built these mobile carriers incorporating a bus body that can be towed simply.

Yr 1959

1959, Police Special Riot Vehicle with Water cannon capabilities. With much skilled expertise, Soon Chow was tasked to design and built the police riot vehicle. These vehicles were simply a bus with an exceptional elevated section where police troopers were to able to get a commanding view of a crisis. Specifications for mounting a water cannon were also part of the design.

Yr 1963

1963, An enhanced version of the Police Special Riot Vehicle. Over time, experiences helped the authorities work even closer with Soon Chow on the necessary and enhanced guidelines. This resulted in an improved design for the riot vehicle for greater protection and improved efficiency.

Yr 1971

1971, Emergence of the wholly built full size passenger buses. The evolution of the passenger bus has created buses with more capacity which Soon Chow built from scratch in the late 1960s right up to the 2000s for the SBS Transit. These buses were used frequently for travel by numerous passengers all over Singapore.

Yr 1973

1973, Special Fraser & Neave (F&N) transport truck. Soon Chow’s involvement in the F&N transport truck is evident in the 1970s with F&N collaboratively working with Soon Chow on its design and built. The truck allows workers to effortlessly load and unload beverages but occasional accidents and uneven roads have proved losses for the company when bottles came tumbling off sideways.

Yr 2006

2006, First SBS buses rolled out to serve the public. Bus bodies built by Soon Chow.

Stay tuned for more updates