MAN NL323F (A22) – Euro 5

As part of fleet renewal and expansion initiated in the 2010s, SMRT Buses procured MAN NL323F (or MAN A22) buses between 2011 and 2016.

These buses are low-floor, wheelchair-accessible and environmentally-friendly, being compliant with the latest Euro 5 (or Euro V) emission standards back then. Buses are bodied by Gemilang Coachworks with the MAN Lion’s City Hybrid bodywork.

The move to procure MAN A22 buses follow the successful evaluation of SMB138Y, a demonstrator unit operated for two years. Between the Mercedes-Benz Citaro and the MAN A22, the latter was eventually chosen for bulk orders, also called the Production Batch.

With 734 units acquired over three batches, the MAN A22 is the largest volume order of a single bus model in TIBS/SMRT history. Its distinctive exterior appearance and widespread deployment made it a defining addition to SMRT’s varied bus fleet. More MAN A22 buses would later be procured by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in the Euro 6 specification and a different bodywork design.

Under the Bus Contracting Model, these MAN A22 (Euro 5) buses were also leased to Tower Transit Singapore, SBS Transit and Go-Ahead Singapore. One bus (SMB3075A) was retrofitted to an electric bus, and re-registered as SG3100M.

In 2020, twenty buses were converted into dedicated COVID-19 patient transport vehicles, known as COMET MAXI (COVID-19 Multi-Passenger Enhanced Transporter).

Main Article: MAN NL323F

---

Overview of MAN NL323F (Euro V)

In 2010, as SMRT’s fleet of Mercedes-Benz O405 buses approached retirement age, there was a need for a large-scale replacement of 12-metre buses that were wheelchair-accessible and environmentally friendly. That same year, SMRT took delivery of a Mercedes-Benz Citaro demonstrator and a MAN A22 demonstrator for evaluation.

The MAN A22 demonstrator, registered SMB138Y, was fitted with the MCV Evolution bodywork from Egyptian bodybuilder MCV (Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles). The bus entered service in December 2010 and delivered satisfactory performance during its one-year trial period. It was also favoured over SMB136C (SMRT’s Citaro demonstrator) as a suitable bus for large-scale fleet renewal and expansion. SMB138Y was taken out of revenue service in 2012. The demonstrator is covered in depth in this article.

In 2011, SMRT announced purchases of 200 MAN A22 buses, this time with a MAN Lion’s City Hybrid bodywork manufactured and assembled by Gemilang Coachworks. In 2013, another 202 units were ordered. A third batch announced in April 2014 for 332 units were registered from July 2014 to Oct 2016. Thus, a total of 734 Euro V production batch units were procured by SMRT; although some units were diverted to the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP) midway through delivery.

Buses are registered in the following number ranges in consecutive numerical order. Nearly all buses bear the SMB-prefix, although later units bore the SG-prefix as Singapore was transitioning towards the Bus Contracting Model.

• Batch 1 (200 Buses): SMB189A – SMB354P, SMB3001M – SMB3034T
• Batch 2 (202 Buses): SMB1301K – SMB1420A, SMB3035R – SMB3116R
• Batch 3 (332 Buses): SMB1421Y – SMB1650C,  SMB3117M – SMB3169M, SG1700U – SG1748H

Most MAN NL323F (Euro 5) buses share similar technical specifications, as summarized in the table below:

	Batch 1	Batch 2	Batch 3
Registration no.	SMB189A – SMB354P SMB3001M – SMB3034T	SMB1301K – SMB1420A SMB3035R – SMB3116R	SMB1421Y – SMB1650C SMB3117M – SMB3169M SG1700U – SG1748H
Quantity	200	202	332
Registered	15 Sep 2011 – 01 Feb 2013	24 Jan 2013 – 03 Mar 2014	8 Jul 2014 – 5 Oct 2016
Engine	MAN D2066 LUH-32 engine, twin-turbocharged and inter-cooled, 10518cc Power/torque rating of 235 kW (320 hp) @ 1900 rpm / 1600 Nm @ 1000 – 1400 rpm
Emission Standard	Euro V compliant Combines Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) technology with MAN’s PM-Kat® exhaust treatment system. Compliant with Euro V emission standard without requiring diesel exhaust fluids.
Bodywork	MAN Lion’s City Hybrid Built by Gemilang Coachworks under license. Uses Constellium’s EcoRange lightweight aluminium bus body.
Transmission	ZF EcoLife 6 AP 2000 B (6-speed)		1. ZF EcoLife 6 AP 2000 B 2. Voith DIWA 864.5 (4-speed)(SMB1568H & SMB1582R onwards)
EDS	Mobitec MobiLED Connected to Mobitec MobiMASTER ICU 402 controller
Air conditioning	Denso LD8u
Doors	Masats Entrance: Pneumatic double-leaf inward-gliding door Exit: Electric outward-swinging sliding plug door
Capacity	38 seating + 52 standing = 90 passengers 1 wheelchair bay	Original: 38 seating + 52 standing = 90 passengers 1 wheelchair bay Modified: 35 seating + 56 standing = 91 passengers 1 wheelchair bay	35 seating + 56 standing = 91 passengers 1 wheelchair bay
Driver Assistance	See Table Below
Additional Features	Tongda TD-10 Bus line managing and station announcer system Stroller restraint system
		Door movement markings	Door movement markings “Doors are closing” announcement (Front door) Adjustable air-conditioning vents Additional grab pole at wheelchair bay

The most notable change to technical specifications across all Euro V units is the swap from ZF to Voith transmissions midway through Batch 3 delivery. All other specifications remain similar.

All MAN NL323F (Euro V) first began revenue service with SMRT Buses. Under the Bus Contracting Model, MAN NL323F buses were also leased to Tower Transit Singapore, SBS Transit and Go-Ahead Singapore.

Public transport operators have also installed Driver Assistance hardware on their buses, such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and telematics systems:

SBS Transit	SMRT Buses	Tower Transit Singapore	Go-Ahead Singapore
Driver Assistance: TNT Surveillance T-FA Front Alert Camera Mobileye 630 (some units) ST Engineering DriveSafe Intelligent Warning System (formerly I-SAW-U) (some units)	Driver Assistance: Vision Systems Smart-Vision Advanced Driver Assistance System (SMB1316T only)	Driver Assistance: TNT Surveillance T-FA Front Alert Camera Mobileye 630 (some units) ST Engineering DriveSafe Intelligent Warning System (formerly I-SAW-U) (some units)	Not Applicable
Telematics: TNT Surveillance T-SEEDS telematics system (formerly SAGE R-BASIC)	Telematics: NEC telematics system	Telematics: GreenRoad telematics system	Telematics: GreenRoad telematics system (SG1720L only)

The first MAN A22 (Production Batch) made its revenue service debut on 3 October 2011, operating on Bus Service 963.

One bus (SMB3075A) was retrofitted to an electric bus, and re-registered as SG3100M in late 2019. In 2020, twenty SMRT-owned units were converted into dedicated COVID-19 patient transport vehicles, known as COMET MAXI (COVID-19 Multi-Passenger Enhanced Transporter). These buses are discussed in detail in their respective articles:

• ST Engineering Retrofitted Electric Bus (MAN A22)
• Public Buses converted into COVID-19 Bus Transporters (COMET MAXI)

Bus Assembly

MAN bus chassis are manufactured in Germany, and then shipped to Malaysia for body assembly by Gemilang Coachworks Sdn Bhd.

After assembly, inspection and testing, buses are delivered to Singapore by road from Gemilang’s assembly plant in Senai, Johor.

Bus Dealership

ST Engineering Land Systems (formerly ST Kinetics) is the local importer and distributor for MAN Truck & Bus buses. The company is a division of ST Engineering, a large engineering group involved in the aerospace, electronics, land systems and marine sectors. It often engages Gemilang Coachworks for bus bodying, which is the case for the MAN A22 (Euro V) buses.

Apart from delivering MAN buses to the Singapore public transport fleet, ST Engineering Land Systems is also involved in many land transport-related projects, such as the delivery of three-door buses (concept double deck / concept single deck / 50 production double deck (3 doors), and the development of autonomous driving technologies and driver assistance systems.

Refurbishment

Refurbishment for operator-owned MAN A22 Euro V buses started in 2023, with the first unit SMB235A spotted back on revenue service in May 2023.

In 2024, refurbishment of MAN A22 Euro V buses begun under the Land Transport Authority Contract PT805 – Mid-Life Refurbishment for Buses.

---

Exterior

The bodywork used on these buses were similar to MAN’s Lion City Hybrid buses, but manufactured by Gemilang Coachworks of Malaysia, under license from MAN. Like other MAN buses, the chassis was built in Germany. They were then assembled by Gemilang in Malaysia before final delivery to Singapore. One of the most distinguishing features of the production batch is the enlarged roof design, which in the original Lion’s City Hybrid, helps divert air to cool electrical components located on the roof. For the production batch of MAN A22s, the roof is less useful and simply conceals the air-conditioning pod.

The first two production batches were initially delivered in SMRT’s Beige and Red livery. After the launch of SMRT’s new “pixel” livery in January 2014, the third batch of buses were mostly delivered in the new livery. 26 buses were painted in LTA’s Lush Green livery. Later buses also featured a newer SMRT logo in full red, as opposed to the older red-black logo.

Batch 3 buses feature a slight design change to the rear engine cover, with the registration plate holder mounted flush on the engine cover, rather than being located inside a recessed area. MAN A24 and MAN A95 buses used this design of engine cover.

Interior

Like most single-deck buses in Singapore, the MAN A22 (Euro 5) buses are configured with two doors: an entrance door at the front, and an exit door in the middle. The entrance doors are conventional inward-swinging leaf doors, while the exit doors are outward-swinging sliding plug doors. They are supplied by Masats S.A. of Spain. A vocal “Doors Are Closing” chime, similar to those used on SMRT’s North South and East West lines, is played when the exit doors are being closed.

Seats were supplied by Vogel Industries of Malaysia (Model: System 750/3) in blue and purple, with priority seats in red. The front wheel arch seats, however, are formed with fabric laid down directly onto moulded bodywork panels.

Being a low-floor bus, the bus offers step-free access from entry/exit doors until the last row of seats. Notice the difference in interior seating configurations.

The interior of the bus is laid out in two different seating configurations, featuring either 35 or 38 permanent seats. The seating configurations are summarized in this table:

	Configuration 1	Configuration 2
Buses	All Batch 1 buses; some Batch 2 buses (Total: 278 buses)	Some Batch 2 buses; all Batch 3 buses (Total: 456 buses)
Layout	38 seating + 52 standing = 90 passengers 1 wheelchair bay	35 seating + 56 standing = 91 passengers 1 wheelchair bay
Description	4 abreast seating throughout the length of the bus	2 aisle seats removed between entrance/exit doors – 3 abreast seating (wider aisle) 1 aisle seat removed at rear seating area replaced – to reduce obstruction of aisle which angles towards one side at the bus’ rear – seat replaced with stanchion pole

Batch 2 Buses with the Configuration 2 seating layout are:

• Production Batch 2: SMB1341U, SMB1363G – SMB1420A
• BSEP Batch 2: SMB3052R – SMB3116R

Grab poles and hand grips are located on both sides of the aisle. All seats also have hand grips to provide commuters with additional support.

Bus stopping bell-pushes are located around the bus cabin, either mounted to stanchion poles or on the pillars in-between windows. Emergency hammers are also located on these pillars.

The last row has only four seats, with cabin space being taken up by the cooling package mounted in the right rear section.

Towards the rear of the bus, the chassis design forces the aisle to bend slightly to the left. To improve aisle access for rear passengers, buses with the new seating layout (Configuration 2) have one forward-facing seat removed, and replaced with a stanchion pole.

Wheelchair accessibility

Wheelchair accessibility is offered via a manual wheelchair ramp installed at the rear door, and a wheelchair bay opposite the rear door. The wheelchair bay also doubles as a standing area, and a foldable seat for two people is integrated into the wheelchair backrest.

Unfolded prams are allowed onboard buses when the bus is not crowded, and can be positioned in the wheelchair bay. A stroller restraint system is offered for this, having been retrofitted on all MAN A22 buses in 2019.

Additional variation features between batches

• Air-conditioning vents in the first two batches of MAN A22 (Euro V) are non-adjustable, spaced equally throughout the bus. Adjustable ball vents were fitted on the third batch of buses.
• Two additional grab poles were installed at the front of the bus from the 2nd batch of buses onwards. Yellow door movement stickers were also affixed on the floor near the front door.
• On Batch 3 buses, the “Doors Are Closing” chime also plays when the front door is closed

Handover Ceremony

On 1 October 2011, SMRT organised a handover ceremony at Hort Park, featuring SMB189A and SMB191S.

On 3 October 2011 (just two days later) ​SMB189A made its debut on Service 963 and 963E. Originally equipped with an additional step before the rear row of seats, the step was subsequently removed. No other MAN A22 bus was fitted with the step.

Malaysian SPAD Registration / Cross-Border Buses:

SMRT Buses

In 2013, 20 MAN A22 buses were registered with the Malaysian Land Transport Public Commission (Malay: Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat, or SPAD) for deployment on cross-border Bus Service 950, replacing the previous fleet of Mercedes-Benz O405 and Mercedes-Benz OC500LE buses.

SPAD-registered buses are:

• SMB260B, SMB261Z, SMB262X, SMB263T, SMB264R, SMB265M, SMB266K, SMB267H, SMB268E, SMB269C, SMB283K, SMB284H, SMB285E, SMB286C, SMB287A, SMB295B, SMB296Z, SMB297X, SMB298T & SMB299R

SBS Transit

In 2022, several MAN A22 (Euro V) units were registered for Cross Border operations, replacing the previous fleet of Scania K230UB (Euro IV) buses.

These are:

• SG1705G, SG1709X, SG1710R, SG1711M, SG1714E, SG1715C, SG1716A & SG1722G

---

Government-owned BSEP/BCM Buses

For background information on the BSEP, read the Bus Services Enhancement Programme article.

Before the Bus Contracting Model (BCM) was launched, the LTA had directly funded the purchase of buses under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP) launched in 2012, where these resources were used to launch new bus routes and enhance existing ones. Whilst registrations for Batch 1, 2 and 3 MAN A22 buses were ongoing, a portion of buses from each batch were diverted to the BSEP, where they were registered as SMB3001M – SMB3169M.

Technical specifications of the BSEP-registered buses are identical to the Production batches that they were taken out from. Later units were delivered with SMRT Buses’ new livery.

• Initial batch: SMB3001M – SMB3034T
  = Similar to Batch 1 specs
• Second batch: SMB3035R – SMB3116R
  = Similar to Batch 2 specs
• Third batch: SMB3117M – SMB3169M
  = Similar to Batch 3 specs

Deliveries ended in early 2016 with the remainder of buses registered under the Bus Contracting Model (BCM) instead. Initial units were delivered with SMRT Buses’ new livery while later units were delivered in the Lush Green livery.

• Third batch: SG1700U – SG1748H
  = Similar to Batch 3 specs

In total, 218 buses (out of 734) were transferred to Government ownership, procured under both the BSEP and BCM.

These Government-owned buses were also the first buses to spearhead the transition to the BCM (Tendered Contract) as these buses were already owned by the Government (elaborated in next section: Transition to Bus Contracting Model).

Under the BSEP (and later BCM), these buses are subject to deployment regulations, such as being free from commercial advertising, and deployment only on BSEP bus routes or enhanced bus routes under the BSEP scheme. The LTA could track bus positioning, passenger loading statistics and other parameters in real time.

---

Transition to Bus Contracting Model (BCM)

Main Article: Transitioning of Buses to BCM

As part of the Bus Contracting Model (BCM)​, LTA would purchase buses from both SBS Transit and SMRT Buses to lease them to the winning transport operators of the various route packages. The bus models initially involved in the transition were Government-owned buses procured by SBS Transit and SMRT, such as SBS Transit’s Mercedes-Benz Citaro and Volvo B9TL Wright buses, and SMRT Buses’ MAN NL323F, ADL Enviro500 and MAN A95 buses.

For MAN A22 buses, in the BCM’s early stages, the LTA recalled buses initially registered under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP) and BCM for transfer to new operators. These buses, in service with SMRT but owned by the Government, were rerouted to operators of the first few BCM packages, such as Tower Transit (for Bulim Bus Package) and Go-Ahead (for Loyang Bus Package).

Several MAN A22 Buses are also transferred to SBS Transit & Tower Transit for the Seletar Bus Package & Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package respectively.

In 2022, several former SMRT MAN A22 buses were redeployed to operate under SBS Transit in other depots such as Ulu Pandan Bus Depot.

---

Retrofitted Electric Bus

Main Article: ST Engineering Retrofitted Electric Bus

A MAN A22 (Euro V) bus, formerly registered as SMB3075A, was retrofitted into an electric bus. The proof of concept was performed by ST Engineering in partnership with Linkker, an electric bus manufacturer in Finland.

---

COVID-19 Patient Transport (COMET MAXI) / Private Bus Operations

Main Article: MAN A22 Buses Converted into COVID-19 Patient Transporters

In April & May 2020, twenty buses were converted into dedicated COVID-19 patient transport vehicles, known as COMET MAXI (COVID-19 Multi-Passenger Enhanced Transporter).

Ownership of these buses was transferred to Sheares Healthcare. Buses are operated by SMRT subsidiary Strides Transportation.

In 2021, these buses were sold off and operated by various other private operators.

---

3-Door Concept Bus

Main Article: MAN Lion’s City SD – 3-door Concept Bus

A three-door concept bus was built by ST Engineering on the MAN A22 (Euro V) chassis. Check out the main article for more details.

---

Major accidents & incidents:

Registration	Service	Incident Date	Description	Location	Link
SMB222L	171	11 Jan 2016	Accident with a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) heavy vehicle carrying a foldable longspan bridge; 6 passengers and 1 driver taken to hospital. Bus subsequently de-registered and scrapped	Mandai Avenue	[1]
SMB1310J	858	1 Sep 2022	Accident with a car; Car driver and 1 bus passenger killed. Bus subsequently de-registered	Junction of Woodlands Ave 9 and Woodlands Ave 4	[1]
SMB313H	307	20 Jul 2024	Accident with a van; Van driver and 3 bus passengers sent to hospital where the van driver died subsequently.	Choa Chu Kang North 5	[1]

 

---

Gallery:

---

Additional Specifications

SMB235A was previously fitted with SuperFabric seat covers for a period of time before being replaced with conventional seat covers. The trial was never announced, but was featured on promotional materials from SuperFabric.

---

See Also:

• MAN Lion’s City SD Concept Bus – Euro V MAN A22 bus chassis bodied as a low-entry three-door bus.
• SMB138Y: MAN NL323F Demonstrator
• MAN NL323F (Main article)

External Links & References:

• —

Back to Bus Models
Back to Bus Articles