SMRT Buses installs Alux rims on a bendy! (TIB895S)

In May 2010, TIB572Z had its original Mercedes rims replaced to a set of aluminium rims.

Alcoa or Alux?

It was originally thought to be Alcoa rims, but later it was confirmed to be using Alux rims, which is a Korean brand.

Fast forward to December 2010, a fellow enthusiast first spotted TIB895S at Tampines interchange on 67 sporting the new rims.



TIB895S, a new look.

TIB895S is the second bus in SMRT's fleet that recieves the new rims. It is also the first bendy to recieve aluminium rims.

There were comments that the rims make the bus look "American". The black areas are the original black paint on the axles/hub connection to the rims itself. The combination of black and sliver together with the livery gives it an eye-catching appearance.


A closer look

 Though finally, it will end up gathering dust and dirt that it will turn into what we see on TIB572Z a few months later

Due to dust and dirt, the shine was lost.

Off Service back to depot.

Trivia : As of this post, Ang Mo Kio Depot and Kranji Depot, have each installed a set of Alux rims on one of their bus (AM TIB572Z, KJ TIB895S) , leaving only Woodlands Depot that hasn't.

Might be a trial for SMRT Buses to use aluminium rims for new buses?

Update : TIB895S has no more Alux rims

TIB597C recieves CoolAir EDS (Update with EDS controller & night photo!)

CoolAir Electronic Destination Signage (EDS) in Singapore is a rather common sight for SBS Transit's 500 Euro IV Scania K230UBs, which is also their first batch of buses fitted with CoolAir EDS en-masse. Recently, SMRT Buses fitted a Coolair EDS on TIB597C.

• Comparison: Front

TIB597C on 61. 

The EDS fitted on TIB597C is signifcantly smaller, hence the black borders on both sides of the display window. The format of the EDS is formatted with the route number displayed on the nearside.

• Comparison : Side

The side EDS of TIB597C is the rear EDS for the Scania K230UB. The fonts are the same.

TIB597C heading towards Eunos.

Overall, the EDS seems to be easier to view from a distance then the current KUBs and shutter speed for this EDS is 1/50 to 1/60.

Update : A couple of friends asked me wether if the EDS will also be "a blob of orange" for night shots.

CoolAir EDS on TIB597C, a shot at night.

Verdict : Yes it does through the camera lens. Though viewing with the naked eye, it does look quite clear.

And for those who are curious about the EDS controller :

Standard CoolAir EDS controller, displaying 496.

SMRT Buses : Refurbished door release cover.

The front emergency door release cock of some SMRT Buses are being refurbished to have a new emergency door release cover concealing the door cock.

Thr original "button" door cock on a Scania L113CRL Strider.

The new emergency door release cover concealing the door cock on TIB905Y.

This refurbishment could be likely due to passengers accidentally pressing onto the front door cocks, resulting in accidental door closings while boarding. There are quite a handful of SMRT Buses having the new emergency door release cover installed.

SMRT's bus refurbishments

Unlike rival SBS Transit's refurbishments, SMRT Buses' refurbishments give the bus interior and exterior a total overhaul with a fresh new look for commuters.

INTERIOR

Scania ELBO interior before refurbishments.



Scania ELBO interior after refurbishments


EXTERIOR

Scania ELBO exterior before refurbishments



Scania ELBO exterior after refurbishments

Goodbye Coolair EDS!

SBS8405P with its new EDS on 162.

Spotted today along Orchard Road, SBS8405P sports a brand new Electronic Destination Signage by LECIP. It is believed that the Coolair EDS the bus was originally fitted got corrupted beyond repair.

The formatting is similar to the Hanover EDS used by the Euro V batch, hence one might mistake this to be a Euro V Scania.

TIB846J is refurbished!

Following TIB840A's refurbishment, the second ELBO to be refurbished is TIB846J (a perm bus on 187). Unfortunately for me, the bus's aircon broke down but still continued on revenue service on the trip which i took.

The airconditioning broke down during revenue service, but the bus was not taken out of service (fortunately) at the time of this shot.
The driver's window being fully open is testament to the stuffiness in the bus.

The interior of TIB846J. Note the paper on the far right corner which covers a faulty EZ-link reader.

Hope that TIB846J's airconditioning can be fixed up soon to provide commuters on 187 with a comfortable ride!

Edit: Forgot to add this on, the Volgelsitze struts supporting the seats aren't painted grey this time round like TIB840A.

SBS Transit : Tail Light refurbishments

SBS Transit is currently in the process of refurbishing their older fleet's tail lights to newer ones similar to the Volvo Super Olympian's tail lights.

Old tail light set.

The new tail light set features a slightly bigger signal indicator and integrating the reflective safety strip into the set.

A comparison between the old set and the new set.

There are some buses like SBS9428S (pictured above) having only one set of tail light refurbished, with the other likely being replaced soon. Majority of the buses are expected to recieve this refurbishment.

This new set of lights are more prominent and easier to see, enhancing safety for the traffic behind.

TIB840A - not an ELBO anymore!

Managed to catch a ride on TIB840A this morning while it was on 852.

The interior air con ducts are there, all the interior are repainted/refloored. The familiar Arianne bucket seats are replaced with standard Volgrelsitze. The sliding windows from the NAC days are now replaced with a full screen glass and the aircon is reworked to provide aircon. Though the familiar rattling and vibration still remains, the whole bus seems so odd, from a bus that was STOMPed for being dirty and stuffy to a totally different vehicle.

Overall, the feel of the ELBO is really gone. Honestly, i miss the ELBO's old interior. But changes are for the better tomorrow. =)

TIB1105H - A new lease of life.

A SMRT Mercedes O405G Hispano Habit, TIB1105H was burnt in a fire two years back, and SMRT opted to repair the bendy instead of scrapping it.

TIB1105H before the fire. (Photo by Varun Naidu)

An article from the local newspapers about the fire on TIB1105H here & here (source unknown). As one can see from the article, the bus looked like a total write-off being burnt and gutted out.

Returning on to the roads: A completely new yet nostalgic TIB1105H.

Fast forward to 2010, TIB1105H finally returned on the roads on 23rd August after being on layup status for 2 years, after road test by SMRT and the kind folks from Mercedes Benz tech.

Immediately, one can notice the two extra pods mounted on top of the Habit bodywork. It is the Konvekta units, also used on the OC500LEs. It makes this bus look unique and odd as all of the Hispano Habits have original underfloor airconditioning units.

Stepping on board the bus there will be many familiar features of the interior design, but it is updated and refreshed to today's SMRT specification

The interior is updated and refreshed, while retaining the charm of the Habit's interior design.

The redesign probably took place in a time period when the OC500LEs were still coming in, and the seats of the Mercedes O405 rigids were being replaced with purple/red seats. This results in a bizzare hybrid of an OC500LE / refurbished O405 interior. Most noticeably, the trademark TIBS orange grabpoles that graced the Habit bodywork's interior has been updated to a modern sliver.

Design based on the OC500LE's Gemilang blueprint.

The driver cabin is now a glossy blue rather than matt pastel blue.

The accordion/bendy joint, retaining the glossy blue from TIBS days and light brown from SMRT's updated spec.

Moving towards the rear of the bus, one can start to feel the difference between the normal Habit buses and TIB1105H.

A different type of aircon filter design for the Konvekta aircon units.

The lighting cover bears similar resemblance to the OC500LEs cover, and the handgrip returns to a circular type.

Another shot from the rear to front.More new features can be seen here, such as the new glossy grey aircon ducts and new bus stopping bell

Oddly there is no Passenger Information System installed, instead it returns back to the old Date/Time/Day Bus stopping LED signage from the TIBS days.

The OC-type flooring.

The new seats with the purple/red cushions.

The seats on the rear row is slightly stuffy and hot due to the engine's heat transmitted to the interior of the bus. There seems to be very little engine noise insulation installed between the engine and the interior, making it unpleasant/ hard for conversations or sleeping at the rear. I found myself having to constantly raise my voice to talk to another fellow bus enthusaist about TIB1105H while the bus was on the move.

TIB1105H - A new lease of life.

Overall, the rebuilding of this bendy provides an insight of what SMRT's maintanience team at the depot are capable of doing. It also provides a preview of what SMRT may be specifying for the interiors when they purchase new buses in the future.

And lastly,
Welcome back TIB1105H! (WLDEP SP) [23rd August 2010].

SMRT's Scania ELBO refurbishments

TIB840A, newly refurbished on 965 [S/Shift] at Admiralty station on the last trip

It was an unprecedented move by SMRT Buses to refurbish the aging and degrading ELBOs. Some units were scrapped a few years back due to problems and complaints, and the ELBOs were thought to be fully phased out in favour for new buses.

The changes to the bus are

• OAC (Original Air Conditioned)-type windows, giving it an OAC-look. Gone are the unique looking sliding windows.
• Interior has been gutted out and repainted, with new interior fittings such as the new aircon outlet and light covers.
• New Volgelsitze replaced the old dusty Arianne bucket seats.

A pity that some of the ELBOs were already scrapped, as it was deemed difficult to maintain and recieving several complaints about the ELBO fleet. Now with the refurbishments, we can expect the ELBOs to stay for the entire length of the lifespan duration.

Trivia : The Singapore Bus Enthusiasts's profile pic features us on a farewell tour back at December 2009, as the ELBOs were originally planned to be slowly phased out of service.