The BusBlogFeature returns after a long absence. Ever since the last entry posted June 9 2007, the local bus scene has seen buses, new and old, making its debut and making a name in the history books. In this entry, I will feature SBS Transit’s latest single-decker, the Scania K230UB.

The Scania K230UB is SBS Transit’s newest member of the single-deck family. The K230UB is part of a series of new generation of bus and coach chassis, which was launched by Scania a couple of years back. Scania, in its part, has been aggressively marketing the product. One may say it has certainly pay off, judging by the popularity of Scania coaches in Singapore. The only other K230UB operator in Singapore is HiPPOTours. The order from SBS Transit, for as many as 500 units, is the biggest sale of its kind to date in Asia.

The K230UB is part of the fifth-generation family of bus chassis. It is designed to replace the popular L94UB chassis. Wondering what “K230UB” means?

K = Longitudinally-mounted engine
230 = Horsepower
U = Urban operations
B = Bus chassis

In short, the K230UB is an urban bus chassis with a longitudinally-mounted engine at the rear, rated at 230hp.

SBS Transit announced in 2007 of the acquisition of 500 new wheelchair-accessible single-deck buses, aimed at replacing as many as 1,000 older generation of single-deckers. The deal, worth some SGD180million, made headlines because of it’s new features and an environmentally-friendly engine. The K230UB when first launched, is Singapore’s greenest public bus, meeting the strict Euro-IV emission standards.

The K230UB is powered by the new 9-litre engine, DC9 16, rated at 230bhp (KUB family also offers horsepower ratings of 270 and 310). To meet the Euro-IV emission standards, the engine adopted the Exhaust Gas Circulation (EGR) technology. It is mated with the fuel-efficient 6-speed ZF6HP504C+ gearbox. Fitted with bodywork supplied by Malaysian-based Gemilang Coachworks, it seats a total of 29 passengers. Provisions for 2 Passenger-In-Wheelchair (PIW) are also provided onboard. In comparison, the Volvo B9TL WAB can only accommodate one PIW at any one time.

Interior air-conditioning is provided by Denso of Japan. The bus is fitted with an Electronic Destination System display (EDS), in contrast to the conventional plastic acrylic plates, easing the inconvenience of Bus Captains removing the plates due to the height of the desto holder. The EDS is also used for the nearside and rear of the bus. Ergonomically-designed bucket seats are supplied by Vogel-Sitze. The bus also features the kneeling function, auto-leveling and outswing plug door, now a common feature on all new public buses.

The K230UBs are registered in the 8000 range. As we speak, close to 300 units have been registered, with the rest expected to hit the roads before year’s end. Generally, the production models can be grouped into 2 batches. Minor modifications to the front and rear bumper were made to the second batch, no thanks to the ultra-low clearance of the bumpers which suffered substantial damages when it hit the kerbs. The first batch consists of 100 units, with the remainder 400 units grouped into the second batch.

On the interior, the low-floor design allows easy boarding for the senior citizens. The manual wheelchair ramp is fitted at the exit. The design of the chassis is such that the rear of the bus must be raised. Thus, two small steps just after the exit leads to the seating area at the back of the bus. The very last row is not very comfortable, due to the low ceiling. A seatbelt is also attached to the middle seat of the last row as an added safety feature. The newer batch of buses is equipped with the ‘granny seat’, located just behind the driver. CCTV cameras located on the exterior and interior of the buses, are also unique to the K230UB.

Revenue service commenced on November 1st 2007, on Services 100 (Serangoon to Ghim Moh – 10 buses) and 174 (Boon Lay to New Bridge Road – 3 buses). As of July 5th, the K230UB are operational on 34 SBS Transit services island wide. Deployment-wise, the K230UB have attracted special attention because until recently, none of the buses were deployed on a Bedok North Depot (BNDEP) service. It is said that road conditions and several other infrastructure anomalies were factors that have forced SBS Transit to delay deployment of the buses to BNDEP. However, since late-June, Service 291 was the first BNDEP-based service to officially deploy the K230UB. The second BNDEP-based service that is progressively receiving the new buses is Service 17 (Pasir Ris to Bedok).

Several new single-decks are also being evaluated concurrently, 2 of which are already here. The new WAB demonstrators are the Volvo B7RLE and the M.A.N 18.240. Another demonstrator unit, believed to be a Mercedes Benz OC500LE can be expected soon. SMRT Buses on the other hand have also introduced its own WAB single-decker, the Mercedes Benz OC500LE. The bus has since overtaken the K230UB as Singapore’s greenest bus.

Statistics

• Model : Scania K230UB (longitudinally-mounted engine at the rear, rated at 230hp, urban bus chassis)
• Bodywork : Gemilang Coachworks
• Fleet Size : 500 (production units) + 1 (demonstrator unit)
• Registration : SBS 8033D to SBS 8532E, SBS 8888D
• Deployment : Services 3, 17, 24, 26, 27, 34, 51, 52, 53, 57, 60, 62, 63, 64, 69, 100, 105, 119, 123, 128, 130, 131, 133, 151, 154, 156, 157, 163, 165, 174, 183, 185, 199, 232, 238, 243, 262, 265, 268, 269, 291 and 293.
• Passenger Capacity : 29 (seated), 2 Passenger-In-Wheelchair (PIW)

 

all photos are copyrights of Kenny and Faizal

 

This entry was originally published on July 8, 2008.