MAN NL323F (A22) – Euro 6

As part of the Bus Contracting Model, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) procured 150 MAN A22 (or MAN NL323F) buses. These are the fourth batch of MAN A22 buses to be built for the Singapore market, and delivered to Singapore between 2018 and 2019.

In a closed tender (Contract PT337 – Procurement of 250 MAN Buses) which was awarded to ST Engineering Land Systems (previously Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd) in FY2017/18, the order was fulfilled by Euro 6 MAN A22 single-deck (150 units) and MAN A95 double-deck (100 units) buses. Later, the LTA would exercise its option to purchase 150 more MAN A95 buses, for a total of 400 MAN buses.

These buses are low-floor, wheelchair-accessible and environmentally-friendly, being compliant with the latest Euro 6 (or Euro VI) emission standards back then. Buses are bodied by Gemilang Coachworks with the MAN Lion’s City bodywork. Also in compliance with new LTA specifications, buses are equipped with a suite of new features, such as Passenger Information Display Systems (PIDS), driver assistance technology (ADAS / AFS) and two wheelchair bays.

Singapore adopted the Euro 6 (or Euro VI) standards for all new diesel vehicles registered in Singapore from 1 January 2018, representing the latest in emission standards. As such, new buses which were registered from 2018 had to comply with the more stringent emission standards.

Main Article: MAN NL323F

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Overview of MAN NL323F (Euro VI)

The MAN NL323F chassis was abundant in Singapore’s public bus fleet prior to the Euro VI (or Euro 6) order. Following the trial of a demonstrator unit between 2010-2011, SMRT procured 734 units with Euro 5-compliant engines and the MAN Lion’s City Hybrid bodywork, delivered between 2011-2016. As such, the 150 MAN A22 (Euro 6) buses would be a continuation of the MAN A22’s presence on Singapore roads.

Buses are registered from SG1749E to SG1898H in consecutive numerical order. This was in direct continuation after the MAN A22 (Euro 5) buses whose registration numbers ended at SG1748H.

The first three buses were registered on 25 May 2018, leased to SBS Transit and made their revenue service debut on Express Bus Service 851e on 28 May 2018. In late June 2018, SG1752U – SG1755L were leased to SMRT Buses and made their revenue service debut on Bus Service 991 on 8 July 2018. In late August 2018, SG1797R & SG1798M were leased to Go-Ahead Singapore. SG1797R made its revenue service debut on Bus Service 68 on 5 September 2018.

In March 2021, Tower Transit leased SG1809R – SG1811H, SG1821D – SG1839D, SG1845K – SG1847E, SG1859X – SG1878R in preparation for the commencement of its awarded term of the Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package from September 2021.

• SG1821D – SG1835P
• SG1839D, SG1847E, SG1859X, SG1860R, SG1862K – SG1878R

The above buses were not leased to any operator from its registration in December 2018 and April 2020 respectively, where it remained in the Land Transport Authority storage bus fleet till March 2021.

Although all buses were delivered in 2019, the registration of these buses was deliberately prolonged owing to an excess of buses in the local public bus fleet. Registrations concluded on 30 April 2020.

Basic Technical Specifications
Engine	MAN D2066 LUH-51 engine Inline twin-stage turbocharged & inter-cooled, 10518cc Power/torque rating of 320 hp (235 kW) @ 1900 rpm / 1600 Nm @ 1000–1400 rpm
Emission Standard	Euro VI-compliant MAN PURE DIESEL® Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) process and MAN SCRT Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) exhaust after-treatment process, hence requiring diesel exhaust fluids such as AdBlue. Meets the latest Euro VI emission standard.
Transmission	1. ZF EcoLife 6 AP 2000 B gearbox, six-speed automatic 2. Voith DIWA 864.6 gearbox, four-speed automatic (SG1847E – SG1898H)
Bodywork	MAN Lion’s City Bodywork Chassis built in Germany, MAN’s Lion City bodywork supplied and assembled by Gemilang Coachworks, licensed by MAN.
Electronic Display Sign (EDS)	Mobitec MobiLED Ultima Amber EDS (Front) Orange LED Matrix design – SG1749E – SG1803G: 180cm × 26cm size, 216×26 resolution – SG1804D – SG1898H: 192cm × 32cm size, 200×26 resolution (Larger EDS) Gorba imotion LED.e TOPSMART EDS (Side & Rear) Orange LED Matrix design – SG1749E – SG1803G: 32×16 resolution – SG1804D – SG1898H: 40×19 resolution (Larger EDS) All EDS units connected to a Luminator Basic controller
PIDS	LAWO INFOtainment Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) One interior-facing unit (29”), one exterior-facing unit (35.8”) Interior & Exterior Speakers
Additional Specifications	Masats door systems Denso LD8u roof-mounted air-conditioning unit Seeing Machines Guardian Driver Anti-Fatigue System Mobileye 630 Advanced Driver Assistance System Uninstalled ST Engineering DriveSafe Intelligent Warning System iris IRMA MATRIX Automatic Passenger Counting System (Entrance & Exit doors) USB Charging Ports (with covers) Vogelsitze System 750/3 seats Door movement area sticker
Licensed Capacity	Seating: 33 | Standing: 53 = 86 total Not including 2 foldable seats, 2 wheelchair bays

Features

New requirements imposed by the LTA for new buses include an enhanced Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) comprising LED text displays, LCD display screens and interior speakers. In addition, an exterior-facing display screen and an external speaker is included. An Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), driver fatigue detection system, high-definition CCTV cameras, and passenger counters at entrance and exit doors of the bus are just some of the additional specifications required by LTA.

The buses are also equipped with 2 wheelchair bays. The Diesel-Hybrid buses (Volvo B5L Hybrid), Euro 6 Double Deck Diesel buses and Electric buses will also feature 2 wheelchair bays.

Exhibition

SG1800P was featured at the Singapore Business Night organized by ST Engineering Land Systems, held at Singapore Expo Hall 1 on 30th October 2018. It sported a “1000 Buses for Singapore” advertising wrap, marking the symbolic 1000th MAN bus chassis delivered to ST Engineering by MAN Truck and Bus.

Solar Panel Trial

In March 2021, solar panels were installed on the roof of 2 Go-Ahead MAN A22 (Euro 6) buses (SG1798M and SG1843R) as part of a six proof-of-concept trial.

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Exterior

The exterior styling of the bus bears a mix of styling elements from previous and concurrently-produced batches of MAN A95 buses, such as the large grey stripe on both sides of the bus, and a large headlamp design likely inspired from MAN Trucks. The front bumper design, identical to that used on Euro 6 MAN A95 buses, have the fog lights removed.

These buses were bodied by Gemilang Coachworks of the MAN Lion’s City bodywork, licensed by MAN. However, unlike integral units of the MAN Lion’s City which have a different exterior design, the local units bear bodywork elements heavily borrowed from the MAN A22 buses previously procured for the local market. Furthermore, these buses do away with the curved roof attachment previously fitted to Euro 5 units (modelled after the Lion’s City Hybrid bodywork, and fitted entirely for aesthetic purposes), which had thus far been a distinctive feature of local MAN A22 buses.

The initial 55 buses (registered SG1749E – SG1803G) have a smaller EDS. Subsequent buses were fitted with a larger EDS on the front, side and rear.

Main Article: Design modifications to MAN A22 (Euro 6) buses

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Interior:

The interior of the bus features 33 permanent seats. Being a low-floor bus, the bus offers step-free access from entry/exit doors until the last row of seats.

Like most single-deck buses in Singapore, the MAN A22 (Euro 6) 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.

Seats were supplied by Vogel Industries of Malaysia (Model: System 750/3) in sky blue and grey, with priority seats in red. The front wheel arch seats, however, are formed with fabric laid down directly onto moulded bodywork panels. The seat covers are made of a high-friction PVC material that offers greater seating comfort over older bus seats.

As part of new LTA requirements, the bus features two wheelchair bays, both located opposite the exit door. They each accommodate one passenger-in-wheelchair (PIW), and are not equipped with USB charging ports.

Priority seats, which are indicated in red seat covers, occupy two rows of seats just ahead of the exit door.

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. Metal stanchion poles and handlebars, formerly finished with a smooth reflective coat, now bear a brushed metal finish similar to that earlier used on the 3-door MAN Lion’s City SD Concept Bus.

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.

To accommodate the larger size of underfloor components (likely the MAN SCRT system), the seating area behind the left rear wheel is raised, similar to that of Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses.

Driver’s Compartment

The layout of the driver’s compartment is similar to previous batches of MAN A22 buses, with an updated steering wheel design. The yellow fare collection box has also been replaced with a turquoise one.

The turquoise display unit on the bottom left is the New On-board Bus Equipment (NOBE) fare collection system controller. To the right of the NOBE is the Trapeze Common Fleet Management System (CFMS) display unit. The gear selector, door controls and the handbrake lever are located on the right of the driver. A CCTV monitor, located above the driver, assists with monitoring of the surroundings. Air-conditioning and Electronic Display Sign (EDS) controllers are co-located with the CCTV monitor above the driver.

Also new to the MAN A22 (Euro 6) buses is the Driver Anti-Fatigue System as a requirement, with the camera unit and infrared illuminator installed on the top right of the dashboard. The unit is supplied by Seeing Machines.

Additional Features

USB Charging Ports

The bus is equipped with USB charging ports (with covers) for all seats, but not for the two wheelchair bays and their foldable seats. A single charging port has room for two USB cables, with an output of 1A and 2.1A.

The charging ports are located in the middle of every pair of seats for the benefit of both seat users. Previously, USB charging ports were mounted along the side panels of the bus, resulting in inconvenience for commuters in aisle seats wanting to use the charging port. For the pair of wheel arch seats located above the front axle, charging ports are located on the side.