SMRT Buses : MAN Lion's City Double Deck (A95) /Gemilang (SMB5888H)

 

After SMRT introduced their Enviro500 double deck buses on July 2014, we all thought that it's gonna be the only model that SMRT's gonna operate for a while.

Turns out it isn't gonna be the case in about 4 months time....



SMRT's Enviro500 double deck! Though it quickly became not to be the only SMRT double deck in service in 4 months time.

MAN Lion's City Double Deck meets Alexander Dennis Enviro500!

 

MAN meets MAN!

The MAN Lion's City Double Deck was introduced as part of a one year trial at the request of MAN - this is an excerpt of the official post by SMRT on their Facebook page.

"We confirm that SMRT Buses will put on trial one new MAN double-deck bus at the manufacturer's request. The trial will last a year. This is part of our ongoing effort to test new bus models. Our commuters have welcomed the addition of double-deckers to our growing fleet of buses to meet increased demand." - https://www.facebook.com/SMRTCorpSG/posts/821427307878500

Bodied by Gemilang, it is promoted under the MAN Lion's City branding as a complete bus. There was a prototype that was spotted with a Lion's City Double Deck design in white though the fate of that vehicle is unknown.

MAN Lion's City Double Deck!

The MAN Lion's City Double deck, supposedly in pseudo-old SMRT livery without the SMRT logo apparently painted in grey (or edited?)

As compared to the actual Lions City Double deck! Photo by Michael F. Mehnert @ http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/NEOMAN_A39_2007-03-15.jpg

 

The right hand drive version of the Lion's City Double Deck has subtle change in design, most notably the top of the front and rear of the bus. Most notably, the front upper deck windscreen is and the top of the rear window is curved.

Upper deck rear window being slightly curved. Though the bottom half is similar to that of its European cousin.

 

For those that find the front design familiar, it has design cues that were based off an earlier Gemilang bodied double deck bus that entered service with SBS Transit - SBS7777Y.




Some of the the design cues came from this bus which was also bodied by Gemilang - even some of the interior too.

An aesthetics change is at the front - instead of silver under the windscreen, it is black! Does look better as compared to the ones we've been seeing on the MAN buses.



Black under the windscreen, making the MAN front bumper stand out!

As compared with the existing MAN bus paintjob.

Originally thought to be a new Mobitec signage, it turns out to be an Aesys signge.

The front signage is by Aesys - a first for SMRT Buses.

The offside has a unique feature - though it is not visible at all from the exterior.


Spot the extra window at the staircase area.

Spot the window?



And it's the first public bus to have 3 signal indicators per side for the rear of the bus.

And finally it enters service on 190

And if the interior looks similar - it's because it is also based off the Gemilang bodied Volvo B9TL, which sees the adjustable aircon outlet making an appearance on the Lion's City double deck too.

The interior is a mix of the MAN NL323F layout, SBS7777Y style design (including the ster New City seats)

Similar.

Closer look at the rear half


The upper deck is pretty similar to SBS7777Y too.

The upper deck of SBS7777Y



Similar to MAN NL323F!

The wheelchair bay has no foldable seat on the wheelchair cushion though....

The wheelchair bay, no foldable seat this time round - just a cushion.

 

Following the Enviro's 3 side facing seat arrangement.



Double exit!

The staircase, with a padding at the bottom of the steps to mitigate impacts if you slip and fall.

The front upper deck windscreen of the MAN Lion's City Double Deck!

The front half of the bus~

 

The ride is pretty comfortable and smooth, with the upper deck being very quiet. If you've rode the MAN buses in SMRT's fleet, you've pretty much rode the double deck (kind of) :P




SMRT's now also an operator of the MAN bendy, double deck and rigid - all 3 types of buses as of today! Photo from SMRT's Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/SMRTCorpSG/photos/a.568073366547230.1073741829.566549713366262/822866911067873/?type=1&theater



The new livery for SMRT Buses....after the buzz.

When SMRT's new livery was first spotted, the first reaction was "What the heck is that gap in the middle portion on the bus?".

Cue Counterstrike explosives on the design computer. 

The digital matrix effect, pixels, magic dust, splash effect whatever that people call them that was scattered over the wheels, seemed like as if someone had planted some virtual C4 explosives and and blew the livery up at that portion. 

This was probably the original idea. Probably.

The odd combination of yellow, red "orange lookalike" and black on a sliver background looks pretty nice, but as usual, after getting used to it. Sliver/light grey was like an odd choice for a base colour, usually only private bus operators will opt for it. When Singapore Bus Services transited (pun intended) to SBS Transit, the white from the red & white livery was retained while introducing a new design & a new colour - purple.

And the left side looks slightly plain as the effect is interrupted due to the doors. Admittedly it probably could be executed better given that it's the side that most of the passengers will see.

The left side of the new livery - the aircon pod was also painted black after the first photos were captured. The front Citaro badge however did not make it back to the bus

But sliver gives a very unique effect - the bodywork of the bus suddenly looks very premium, something of the effect that you'll get from cars. And it might hide the dusts and dirt better than white, which was showing them up pretty easily.

Also of note is the inclusion of black paint on the electronic signage area for the electronic signage, might be due to visibility reasons.

Dirt & dust shows up very easily on the white bodywork, giving the look and feel of the bus being less well maintained.

Note that the first bus we talked about was the Citaro, SMB140P. That's because (in my personal opinion) it's the nicest looking after the new paint job. The MAN & OC500LE feels weird, especially due to the front (and for the back in the OC500LE). Even though some time have passed, the front of the MAN & OC still seems a bit weird, but the MAN still takes the cake for that.

Let's start of with the MAN, the only fault with the new paint job is how the lower front is rendered.

SMRT's preview for the new livery. (Just kidding).

In the old livery, the portion below the windscreen is painted black, and it allows for the signature MAN Lion's City front design to stand out in white & red (with black bumper).

The MAN NL323F with its new paint job. Still awkward looking "grumpy" front of sorts.

In the new livery, the black area is lost for a much bigger SMRT logo for the front which is below the windscreen. Previous test attempts by SMRT to have a larger logo while retaining the black area might have made the bus look awkward, like SMB190U.

Bigger than usual SMRT logo, but might have stood out awkwardly

Still a case of needing to get used to it. And for the OC500LE, it was the nicest looking in the old SMRT livery until....

The old livery brings out a European "charm" for these OC500LEs. 

The front (still) looks robotic.

The black portion of the front under the windscreen is missing, and like the MAN bus it also sacrificed the black area under the windscreen to have the SMRT logo in a more prominent position. But oddly, the Citaro's SMRT logo still remains at the same place (as the black under the windscreen is probably not able to be painted?).

And an awkward sliver area above where the red portion used to go above the housing for the Mercedes Benz logo to get a straight yellow across.

And also in a pursuit to for a bigger SMRT logo for the rear, the whole black area under the rear windscreen is completely painted over. It looks rather ugly at first but now, as with everything, get used to it.

Have to get used to it....have gotten used to it.

Oddly, it also seems like the case where the actual bus turns out to be better than those in the photos at times, with some commenting that it does look better in person than in photos. The livery does remind of the old Trans Island livery, with its orange & yellow livery now being red (orange lookalike) and yellow with a distinctive pattern over the wheels.

As of date, only SMRT's wheelchair accessible bus types had been painted with the new livery, there was a fleet of MAN NL323F with the new livery deployed, but only SMB140P and SMB30Z from the Citaro & OC500LE fleet are painted as of now. The TIBS fleet are expected to also get the new livery for the buses that still have a substantial lifespan remaining, such as the Mercedes Benz O405G fleet.

Old or new? The new does look better at the end of the day, once you get over the initial shock of the changes made on the buses. Really love the sliver base colour for the livery.

And as compared to the SBS Transit : SBST's livery catches the eye more easily - simple & modern.

Jokes had been made about the new livery -

Hadouken!

The livery look like Germany's flag, upside down....?

Germany flag?

After the initial excitement over the new look, it's overall a bit underwhelming. Still need to get used to the new colour scheme and how some of the buses look drastically different overall. In a way, the new livery could be better implemented to the OC500LE & MAN buses while retaining and flowing with certain characteristics from the bodywork design.

SMRT Buses : MAN NG363F A24/Gemilang (licensed Lion's City G design by MAN) (SMB388S)


It all started with this bus. Without it, there'll probably be no SMB388S today.

SMB138Y when it was newly introduced into service



SMB138Y, the first ever MAN NL323F A22 low floor bus with a public transport operator (SMRT Buses). Bodied by MCV with the eVolution bodywork, it had a 1 year trial and was successful, resulting in the production variant being brought in.

SMB189A was the first production unit to be brought in, bodied by Gemilang with the Lion's City Hybrid design that is licensed from MAN. Apart from the bodywork design being different, the use of Mobitec electronic signage and the change of the door systems from Ventura (SMB138Y - slower exit door closing) to Masats (with a faster exit door closing), the specifications for SMB138Y and SMB189A (and other production vehicles) are near identical.

 

SMB189A awaiting inspection before registration - the first production unit of MAN NL323F A22.

SMB138Y and the production batch meets~

Though the layout is near identical, the production batch lacked one crucial feature from the demonstrator - something to grab on after the wheel arch seat for standing passengers. So SMRT Buses rectified it in the later batches registered under the 13XX series with the modified specifications.

 



SMB138Y's interior



SMB189A's interior (the rear half was modified to become 100% low floor minus the step later on when the bus entered service after a while).

In the SMB13XX series MAN NL323F buses, there are additional grab handles poles at after the driver cabin, wheelarch seats area and at the first pair of front facing seats. Additionally, this unit SMB1341C has a single seat arrangement for what used to be two pairs of front facing seats on the right side, the only unit as of post date to have this configuration.

Given the success of the NL323Fs, it wouldn't be a surprise if SMRT Buses brought in a MAN bendy bus. It's analogues to how TIBS brought in the Hispano bodied Mercedes Benz O405 in large numbers and later the first ever bendy bus, a Mercedes Benz O405G registered as TIB838H was brought in, bodied with the same Hispano bodywork.

 

The MAN NL323F A22 and the Mercedes Benz O405 of the SMB and TIB (Trans Island Bus Service) era of SMRT Buses meets. In some ways, both buses are analogues in terms of comfort, power and appeal, and later resulted in an articulated version of the type to be brought in.

Speaking of TIB838H, as mentioned it's the first ever (demonstrator) bendy bus to be brought in as a trial for high capacity buses, and it's an articulated version of the Mercedes Benz O405 and later saw production versions of it in 3 other bodywork variants (Hispano MK II & Habit + Volgren CR221L) being brought in by TIBS.

 

From Trans Island's official website - TIB838H when brand new.



TIB838H when it was still in service, about 1 and a half years before it was retired and scrapped.

The production Hispano (MK I) bodied O405G with its rigid O405 cousin.

As TIB838H was reaching its 17 years end of lifespan, a replacement bendy bus was brought in - and the articulated version of the NL323F A22, the NG363F A24 was brought in.

Initially delivered without a plate, it was trialled and tested for a few months (probably) before being fitted with a unique plate prior to registration - SMB0000W. It's not an official plate, but a plate used for promotional shoots and stuffs like that and about the same time it also went for vehicle inspection for registration. Do check out this MAN Singapore webpage to see PA0000P and other 0000 plates in the photos.

 



Much as everyone loves this unique registration plate SMB0000W, it's not an official plate due to the number 0000 and cannot be registered - the checksum is also wrong, it should be 'K'.



Yeah, not photoshopped, SMB0000W - it's real~

Later, it was registered as SMB388S - the same auspicious lineage of the registration for TIB838H (which was specifically reserved in the ELBO bodied Scania fleet registration range between TIB833X to TIB848D). Perhaps a tribute?

 

SMB388S undergoing driver familiarisation~

The rear of the bus as it leaves 313@Somerset on its training route (said to be training for service 190 bus captains).

Bodied by Gemilang, the design + bodywork parts is standardised with the NL323F buses. The bottom half of the entire bus is essentially an elongated MAN NL323F bodywork with an articulator strip in the middle, while the top half has no Hybrid "hair" configured. Essentially, a Lion's City G bodywork except it's a bit taller than the standard Lion's City G. Not sure why though, and it's apparently marketed as "Lion's City GL".  It is fitted with the same Masats door system like the NL323F buses.

And instead of Mobitec signage fitted on the MAN NL323Fs, it is equipped with Gorba electronic signage, except that the side is now fitted with a bigger unit that can display route details unlike the Mercedes Benz O405G buses with upgraded Gorba signage with a side display only able to show route number,

The exterior is equipped with 3 LED side blinkers per side, while the rear has the same LED tail lamp configuration as its NL323F cousins.

It's also the first public bus in Singapore to be equipped with Spheros airconditioning system.

 

Spheros airconditioning system - top view.

The MAN Lion's City G - It looks more stocky and shorter than SMB388S - and more solid looking too.
(Photo source : euregiobus.de, used for the purpose of illustrating the MAN Lion's City G bus)

Offside of SMB388S on the first day of service on 190 plying between Choa Chu Kang & New Bridge Road.

Once on board SMB388S, well....the excitement of a new bendy bus wears off very quickly.....>.<

 



We've seen this before somewhere.....oh, earlier on in the article, SMB1341C's interior (missing two chairs). Except this is longer.



The interior of SMB388S is almost the same as the SMB13XX series MAN NL323Fs, what one would be seeing if he/she regularly boards a MAN NL323F A22. The only difference for the front half is that it has 2 pairs of front facing Vogelsitze per side instead of 3 pairs before the wheelchair bay/exit door - due to the shorter length of the front half of the bendy bus.  The seat layout is similar to that of the Lion's City G.

 

The front is also the same too, apart from a few minor differences.

 

Same parts. lol



The same control box styling as SMB138Y & production batch, housing the electronic signage control, Spheros aircon control and the CCTV screen.



The driver cabin view - the only addition to the default NL323F view is an extra TV that provides a view of the rear installed between the dashboard and EZlink reader console. 

The driver dashboard with an extra button for the second exit door. Part of the TV screen for the rear view camera can be seen too.

At the wheelarch seats at the front, instead of having a curved handle on the wheelarch seat, it's now a metal handle.

 

Metal handle on the wheelarch seat

As it is not using the Lion's City Hybrid design, the first window after the driver cabin/entrance door has no sticker pasted on the left/right side of the windows.

 

Unlike the MAN NL323F A22, there's no sticker thing here as part of the Lion's City Hybrid bodywork design.

Moving on to the middle, the articulator curtain accordion is translucent, allowing sunlight into the articulator section in the daytime. Hope they do keep it clean if not the translucent articulator would just be showing dirt and stuffs under the sunlight.

 

Translucent!

Grab poles are installed on both sides of the articulator instead of a pole in the middle of the turntable.

Another view of the translucent articulator - the shadow is the connector between the middle piece to the rear carriage.

And towards the rear half of the bus.

It's the first bendy bus in Singapore to have rear facing seats at the rear half. Since the wheelchair bay & ramp is at the front half of the bus, there is seats opposite the exit door, and a divider pole for in the middle of the exit door. Apart from that, quite similar to the NL323F's rear half.



Deja vu, minus the wheelchair bay/space and foldable seat.

View from the rear to the front - the divider pole can be seen at the exit door

SMB388S's rear half seems to be longer than the Mercedes Benz O405G rear half.

Overerall, the bus is about the same as the MAN NL323F A22, except it's longer and sounds different given it's equipped with a Voith gearbox. Anyone used to the lively ZF gearbox of the NL323Fs will feel odd when taking the NG363F for the first time due to the difference in gear changes when accelerating/cruising. Also, it has a weird handbrake sound or something.....not sure what's it about.

Comfort wise is expected from the NG363F - the NL323F itself is already a very comfortable bus. 'Nuff said, try it yourself! The Spheros aircon system feels cool but at times doesn't seem to cool very well until after a while.

SMB388S~

And given the success of the MAN NL323Fs, it is likely that there'll be production batch of the NG363F A24 but it remains to be seen though. Let's see SMB388S's journey for the next 17 years!

SMB388S turns out in style as it prepares to depart New Bridge Road Terminal~