In October 2025, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) began granting lifespan extensions to Mercedes-Benz OC500LE buses, which were expected to be retired at the end of their 17-year lifespan.
As of early October 2025, 10 Mercedes-Benz OC500LE buses have had their statutory lifespan extended beyond 17 years.
Background
The Mercedes-Benz OC500LE buses were originally procured by SMRT Buses between 2008 and 2009. These buses are:
| Registration | Quantity | Registration Date | 17-year Lifespan Expiry |
| SMB1H | 1 | Jun 2008 | Jun 2015 (Retired) |
| SMB2E – SMB67T (Batch 1) | 66 | Sep – Dec 2008 | Sep – Dec 2025 |
| SMB68R – SMB134H (Batch 2) | 67 | Jun – Oct 2009 | Jun – Oct 2026 |
Batch 1 buses were due for retirement starting in September 2025. The demonstrator bus (SMB1H) was previously retired in June 2025.
Extension
The following buses have received an extension of their statutory lifespan beyond 17 years:
| Lifespan Expiry (17 years) | Buses receiving lifespan extension |
| Sep 2025 | — |
| Oct 2025 | SMB11D – SMB13Z, SMB15T – SMB19H, SMB21A & SMB22Y (10 units) |
More buses may be subjected to lifespan extension nearer to the end of their statutory lifespan in the later months.
See Also:
- Lifespan Extension of Scania K230UB (Euro IV Batch 2) Buses
- Lifespan Extension of Scania K230UB (Euro IV Batch 1) Buses
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://landtransportguru.net/lifespan-extension-mercedes-benz-oc500le/