Mercedes-Benz OC500LE

Previously on Page 1:

• Introduction & Background
• Technical Specifications
• Interior Overview
• Driver’s Compartment

Initial demonstration by TransPerth and evaluation 

Mercedes-Benz OC500LEs made their first appearance in Singapore on 8 May 2004, when a TransPerth OC500LE (TP1854) was brought into Singapore for an one-day evaluation in the Orchard shopping district.

The bus was a Euro IV CNG model, bodied by Volgren (CR228L) and registered as CNG1854 under a Special Purpose License. Members of the public were invited to sightseeing trips around Orchard while SBS Transit and SMRT conducted evaluations for the bus. The bus later returned to Perth to continue revenue service.

Following the evaluation run, SMRT Buses would make a purchase of its first batch of OC500LEs a few years later, in 2008. The bus was destroyed by fire in December 2009.

SBS Transit Mercedes-Benz OC500LE Demonstrator:

In 2009, SBS Transit received a demonstrator unit of the Mercedes-Benz OC500LE for evaluation. It was of identical technical specifications to its SMRT counterparts, but with a smaller EDS unit supplied by Gorba AG.

Originally planned for registration as SBS8032G (after SBS Transit’s demonstrators SBS8030L and SBS8031J), the bus was rejected and returned to Mercedes-Benz’s local dealer, Cycle and Carriage. The Scania K230UB was SBS Transit’s preferred chassis and went on to become SBS Transit’s largest bus intake to date. The bus was later sold to private operator Chitson Transport Service Co Pte Ltd, refitted with coach-style seats and registered as PA9588S.

Subsequently, the bus was retired in 2021.

Gallery: (Exteriors)

External Links & References:

• Mercedes-Benz OC500LE – Wikipedia
• Mercedes-Benz OC500LE – SGBuses
• Mercedes-Benz OC500LE – SGWiki
• http://igunzel.perthbus.info/report.php?vid=TP1854
• World-class and the global number one: Bus chassis from Mercedes-Benz – Daimler Global Media Site [Accessed 22 Mar 2021]
• MB_brochures_a4-297×210 (mercedesbenzmena.com) [Accessed 22 Mar 2021]

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