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

Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) previously evaluated a 3-door MAN Lion’s City SD Concept Bus. Bearing the registration plate SG4002G, the single-deck bus was deployed on a six-month trial from June 2017 to December 2017, operated by SMRT Buses.

The 12-metre long concept bus was built on a MAN NL323F chassis. Although configured as a low-floor chassis, SG4002G was built as a low-entry bus to allow for the relocation of powertrain components to accommodate the rear staircase. Fitted with a modified Lion’s City Hybrid bodywork (also referred to as a MAN Lion’s City SD 3Dr), it also features seats with headrests, USB charging ports, Passenger Information Display Systems, and low-height windows to give seating passengers a better view of the surroundings.

First showcased by MAN Truck & Bus at the LTA-UITP Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition (SITCE) in October 2016, the LTA decided to trial this bus on revenue service the following year to determine the suitability of 3-door single-deck buses in Singapore. After its 2017 trial, the bus was converted into the LTA Smart Bus, a testbed for conceptual features stemmed from ideas submitted by students as part of the 2017 LTA Engineering Challenge.

The bus was scrapped in late March 2023 after its static display stint in LTA’s headquarters at Hampshire Road from 2021.

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Overview

The MAN Lion’s City SD Concept Bus was launched in the morning of 13 March 2017 at a press event in Bulim Bus Depot.

The bus was first showcased at the LTA-UITP Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition (SITCE) from 19-21 October 2016 in a grey livery. It was subsequently repainted in Lush Green prior to revenue service trials, but retained the Singapore skyline design on both sides of the bus. The main design feature is its third door at the rear for alighting only, allowing an easier exit for commuters at the rear of the bus.

At the press event, the then-unregistered 3-door MAN Lion’s City SD was concurrently exhibited with SG5999Z, a 3-door double-deck bus, which began trials with Tower Transit in March 2017. Both concept buses were designed by ST Kinetics and built on MAN bus chassis.

Under a Road Traffic (Authorisation of Use) (No. 3) Notification 2017, SG4002G was permitted to operate on Bus Services 190 and 901, both of which were operated by SMRT Buses. The Authorisation of Use also covered bi-directional Off Service routes between Kranji Bus Depot and Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange / New Bridge Road Bus Terminal, as well as between Woodlands Bus Depot and Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange, and from both Kranji and Woodlands Bus Depots to ST Kinetics along Corporation Road.

Bus Services 190 and 901 are both high-demand routes, which saw the third door being put through its paces.

The Authorisation of Use was valid from 5 June 2017 to 31 January 2018 (both dates inclusive). SMRT previously announced that the bus would be launched in the 2nd Quarter of 2017. This was confirmed on 14 June, when the launch date of the bus was confirmed as 19 June 2017.

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Construction

The bus is a 12-metre long MAN Lion’s City SD, built on a MAN NL323F chassis but configured as a low-entry bus. This differs from other existing MAN NL323F buses in Singapore, which are of the low-floor configuration. The bus is built with a modified Lion’s City Hybrid bodywork, bearing a close resemblance to other MAN NL323F (A22) buses in Singapore.

The construction of this bus was done at Gemilang Coachworks, an authorised MAN bus building workshop based in Johor Bahru, and subsequently delivered to Singapore as a complete unit. Construction of other Facelifted MAN A95 buses for the Singapore market is detailed in this article.

Basic Technical Specifications
Chassis No.	WMAA22ZZ5F7002910
Engine	MAN D2066 LUH-32 engine, 10518cc Twin-stage turbocharged & inter-cooled Power/torque rating of 320 hp (235 kW) @ 1900 rpm / 1600 Nm @ 1000 – 1400 rpm
Emission Standard	Euro V compliant – MAN’s PM-Kat® exhaust treatment system – Exhaust Gas Re-circulation (EGR) technology and MAN’s own PM-Kat® exhaust treatment system, without the need for diesel exhaust fluids
Transmission	Voith DIWA 864.5 gearbox, four-speed automatic
Bodywork	MAN Lion’s City Hybrid Bodywork Chassis built in Germany, MAN’s Lion City Hybrid bodywork supplied and assembled by Gemilang Coachworks, licensed by MAN.
Electronic Display Sign (EDS)	Mobitec MobiLED EDS (Front & Side) White LED Matrix design — Displays route details Mobitec MobiLED Colour EDS (Front, Side & Rear) Multicoloured LED Matrix design — Displays service number Connected to a Mobitec MobiMASTER ICU 602 controller
PIDS	OSG ScreeneX Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) Two inward-facing LCD display units Mobitec MobiSCREEN Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) One interior roof-mounted unit
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 ST Engineering I-SAW-U Driver Warning System Continental Automotive ProViu ASL360 Surround View Camera System with driver display unit USB Charging Ports (with covers) Vogelsitze Revo S seats Door movement area sticker
Licensed Capacity	Seating: 24 | Standing: 66 = 90 total Not including 3 foldable seats, 1 wheelchair bay

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Launch & Service 190

Ahead of the launch, on 15 June 2017, SMRT’s Official Facebook Page announced that the 3-Door Single-Decker Bus would be launched at a special event at 12:45 pm on 19 June 2017 at Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange. The bus arrived at the interchange at around 11:00 am for a media event, where several passengers-in-wheelchair took turns boarding the bus and checking out the disabled-friendly facilities onboard.

The bus began its first revenue service trip on Bus Service 190, departing at 12:45 pm from Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange to New Bridge Road Bus Terminal.

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Trial on Service 901

On 19 September 2017, SG4002G commenced its second half of its 3-month trial with SMRT on Bus Service 901. The arrangement lasted till 18 December 2017.

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Post Trial

After the trial ended in December 2017, the bus no longer ran on revenue service. It was spotted within ST Kinetic’s compound at Boon Lay in Mid-2018 with its operator logo removed.

In July 2018, ST Engineering Land Systems (formerly ST Kinetics) tested the I-SAW-U Driver Warning System on this bus.

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LTA Smart Bus

 

During the ITS World Congress Singapore 2019 exhibition, the MAN Lion’s City SD Concept Bus was revealed to be converted into LTA Smart Bus, showcasing various conceptual features stemmed from ideas submitted by students as part of LTA Engineering Challenge in 2017.

The bus had undergone major retrofitting to accommodate these conceptual features.

Main Article: LTA Smart Bus

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Design

The main design feature is its third door at the rear, allowing an easier exit for commuters at the rear of the bus. A flight of steps next to the last row of seats lead to an outward sliding door, with an additional retractable step to minimise ground clearance and bring it in line with the height of regular exit doors. Accompanied with additional standing space at the rear of the bus, this results in a significantly reduced seat count.

Similar to SG5999Z, the bus also features three small Mobitec MobiLED Colour Electronic Display Signage (EDS) units for the front, side and rear, allowing the bus to display the service number and special displays in colour. The larger displays on the front and side are conventional Mobitec MobiLED displays, which are white LED matrix displays.

Exterior

When compared to other MAN NL323F buses, the exterior styling of the MAN Lion’s City SD Concept Bus is virtually similar, inspired by the MAN Lion’s City Hybrid design. The front bumper styling is identical to other MAN A95 Facelift buses (registered SG5800M and later) and unique to all other MAN NL323F buses. To provide for adequate headroom throughout the bus, especially for the raised section at the rear, the bus is built taller that production MAN NL323F buses.

In addition to the rear door (which we will discuss later), this bus features additional low-height windows to give seating passengers in the front section a better view of the surroundings. As such, the Lush Green livery was modified with the dark portion running lower than the actual window line, blending in the lower windows with the rest of the bus windows.

While exhibited at SITCE in October 2016, the bodywork was referred to as a “MAN Lion’s City SD 3Dr” in promotional materials.

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Interior

The bus features 24 permanent seats and 3 foldable seats.

The entrance doors are conventional inward-swinging leaf doors. Supplied by Masats of Spain, they are powered by electric motors for quieter operation, unlike the ones fitted on other MAN A22, A24 or A95 buses, which use compressed air. Middle and rear exit doors are outward-sliding plug doors also supplied by Masats.

All seats in the front portion of the bus are designated as priority seats. A ‘Bus Stopping’ indicator at the front of the bus illuminates when the bell is pressed.

Low-height viewing windows are a unique feature to this bus, which gives passengers a better view of the surroundings. One window is installed at each side of the bus, next to the four facing seats.

Handstraps, previously fitted to this bus, have been replaced with conventional plastic hand grips.

The bus is installed with a mix of conventional bell-pushes on the columns, and palm-type bell pushes on vertical stanchion poles and the wheelchair bay, have also been installed, as compared to conventional push-type bells used on all other buses.

A seating area next to the middle exit door has three foldable priority seats, giving commuters the option to stand when the bus is crowded. These seats can be magnetically locked in the stowed position from the driver’s cab, but the feature is not used.

The wheelchair bay accommodates one passenger-in-wheelchair (PIW) and is marked out with a yellow sticker.

At the rear of the bus is a small standing area and the third door, which is used for alighting only. Two rows of seats have been removed to accommodate these features.

A set of three steps leads down from the elevated rear platform, inclusive of a retractable step that extends outwards only when the door is open. Two card readers are installed at the rear door despite enough room for one person to exit at a time, possibly to offer redundancy in case of a faulty reader. Due to the limited headroom, a warning sticker cautions passengers to mind their head, while a small cushion protects against head impacts with the door mechanism housing.

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Passenger Information Display System (PIDS)

Two kinds of Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) are installed. At the front of the bus, two window-mounted OSG ScreeneX LCD panels scroll through en route bus stops. In the centre of the bus, a ceiling-mounted Mobitec MobiSCREEN displays a static page and has yet to be programmed with passenger information.

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Exit doors

The second and third doors of the bus are sliding plug doors supplied by Masats, which extend outwards before sliding out sideways. The dual-leaf middle door is also fitted with a manual wheelchair ramp for passengers-in-wheelchair, while the third door is used only for passengers exiting from the rear of the bus.

Both doors are independently controlled from the driver’s cab.

From the elevated rear platform, a set of three steps are used for the rear exit. The last step is retractable, extending outwards when the door is opened, bringing the bus closer in line with the kerb.

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Driver’s Cab

Built on a MAN NL323F chassis, the driver’s cab is very similar to that of other MAN buses, including the positioning of equipment such as the New On-board Bus Equipment (NOBE), Common Fleet Management System (CFMS), coinbox and CCTV monitors, which allow the driver to monitor both exit doors.

A driver fatigue and distraction detection system, first showcased at the Our Bus Journey Carnival onboard SG5999Z, has been retained on the bus. The driver’s seat will vibrate if the system detects that the bus driver is sleepy.

Unique to this bus is a Surround View Camera System, believed to be the first time such technology has been installed on a public bus. Four cameras mounted on the bus (front, rear, left and right sides) generate a top-down view of the vehicle in real time, with audio alerts if the bus approaches too close to other road objects. The system enhances the driver’s situational awareness on the roads.

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SMRT Facebook Posts:

Click to expand

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Gallery: (Passenger Service | Route 190)

Gallery: (Passenger Service | Route 901)

Gallery: (Pre-launch)

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Gallery: (SMRT & LTA supplied photos)

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LTA Trial Bus Series:

 

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See Also:

• MAN NL323F (A22)
• Alexander Dennis Enviro500 Mock-up Bus
• MAN Lion’s City DD L Mock-up Bus
• LTA evaluates 3-door MAN Lion’s City DD Concept Bus

External Links & References:

• SMRT Promotional Facebook Post
• LTA Promotional Facebook Post
• Road Traffic (Authorisation of Use) (No. 3) Notification 2017

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