New unknown 3-door bus spotted on Singapore’s roads

This bus was later identified as the LexSWITCH E12 SD.

A photo of a new 3-door bus on Singapore’s roads has been circulated on social media in late-June 2022.

The bus is painted to be what appears to be the Land Transport Authority’s SG♥Bus Lush Green Livery, featuring the two-toned silver borders across the front and the side of the bus. The livery however does not feature the SG♥Bus and operator logo in the photo, which was taken along Tuas South Avenue 5 at Bus Stop 25719.

The face of the bus is defined by striking lines in the headlights, almost similar to the design of a MAN A22 Euro 6, accompanied by a contrasting shade of black in the middle. The aesthetic is boosted by silver lines outlining the curves on the side body panels.

Along the nearside of the bus is 3 sets of entrance and exit doors, a feature seen in newer buses like the Linkker LM312 and CRRC C12 to improve commuter flow.

On second glance one would notice the lack of side mirrors – these have been replaced with wingless mirrors, similar to the Smart-Vision Rearview Cameras trialed on a SMRT Bus in 2019 and featured on the LTA Smart Bus.

There also appears to be a 360 degree surround view camera installed on the bus, similar to the surround view system being installed on Tower Transit buses progressively lately.

The make and model of the bus is not shown, with the driver, manufacturer logo, vehicle license plate explicitly censored in the photo to conceal the details.

Yet another trial bus?

The last single deck bus model procured by LTA was in 2018 for 60 electric buses (50 Single Deck & 10 Double Deck buses). With no new single-deck bus orders since, this bus model would likely be offered as a trial bus, similar to the electric 3-door single deck CRRC TEG6125BEV03 (registered as SG4006X) and electric double deck BYD K9RC (registered as SG4005Z) buses.

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