No problem.
Ok, before people start accusing us of flaming. All these have
no personal attacks what so ever.
Now....let's talk.
"Productivity" here was with reference to the justification for
fare hikes. It struck me as very funny when SMRT claims it has been
"trying" to improve productivity when in the end one BC ferries so
few pax.
SMRT has little experience with MAN buses. I would be guessing
that servicing and indent and even driving the MAN etc etc will be
a learning experience for everyone there. Of course I daren't say
too much about future servicing costs, but we've had types that
gave mainteinance headaches (Dennis products comes to mind)....and
even the L113s are falling apart. While the bus's
durability might indeed be dependant on the brand, the size of
the spare parts market plays a major role rather than the mere
presence of the market itself. There are many Scania buses
in SG...but the 113s for SBST and SMRT were never known to be
terribly reliable.
SMRT's most reliable bus is the 0405....that is doubtless. My
guess is that beyond the good old chassis, having 700 0405s in
SBST played a role in this. MB would be commited in servicing this
huge number of buses. Just about the other types in SMRT's fleet is
falling apart, including the 0405Gs which turbocharges the 0405's
engine making it more complex and forces it to work harder. I am
not sure if servicing costs for all these types actually went down
upon purchase. It also boils down to how SMRT BCs love to whack
their buses.
In short, you can have MAN as good as can be, but its not a
given that the mainteinance costs will be reduced just because the
order exceeds 100 or any given number. Perhaps to reduce
mainteinance costs that way, you might be needing to exceed a large
figure like 300....which was why I found it mystifying why SMRT
retract/did not order the Citaro to hitch on SBST's back.
Will MAN even be a mainstay in SMRT's fleet? If based on the
past, I highly doubt so....that throws further doubt into the
wisdom of purchasing these MAN buses and then switching back to
Merc for eg.
Anyway, I still am looking forward to seeing the MAN. I
mean...we've had one or two MAN here and there all these while,
here's something unprecedented.
I would'nt comment if smrt has been productive or not, in fact,
i dont stand by both companies because i really feel that both smrt
and sbst can and still have much room for improvements in many
areas.
With regard to smrt having zero MAN experience, and the spare
parts market, don't forget MAN shares their components between
buses and trucks. And where would you be able to find trained MAN
trucks mechanics? We actually have over a thousand MAN trucks
running around, and i would say they are being treated worse than
how smrt sl treats their vehicles.
I wonder too, why did SMRT not buy citaros. They are good
workhorses and of high quality, just like the o405 has been, and
proven in many countries all over the world. Possibily like
lemon1974 has mention, STK gave them a really good
deal/package.
Well, i'll finally get to enjoy the turbo whistle which i missed
after 2 years of hearing it. 
