Smoking SMRT bus in Singapore’s Punggol revives questions over Mercedes-Benz Citaro fire incidents

Passengers on a SMRT bus were compelled to disembark in Punggol after smoke began emanating from the rear of the vehicle yesterday evening. A video circulating on social media captured over a dozen passengers calmly exiting the bus at a bus stop along Punggol Road. Some of these individuals returned to the bus to retrieve their EZ-Link cards.

The incident is presumed to have occurred on SMRT bus route 110, which operates the Buangkok-Changi Airport corridor, as several passengers were also observed carrying luggage. According to Lianhe Zaobao, the event took place at a bus stop near the intersection of the Tampines Expressway (TPE) and Punggol Road. Upon viewing the video, some internet users speculated that the bus model might be a Mercedes-Benz Citaro, which has been implicated in several bus fire incidents this year. AsiaOne has contacted SMRT for further clarification.

Throughout the first half of 2026, at least three cases of bus fires involving the Mercedes-Benz Citaro model have been reported, as per the Ministry of Transport. Notably, no injuries were sustained during these incidents. February witnessed an SBS Transit bus ablaze on the Pan Island Expressway (PIE). A month later, another SBS Transit bus ignited while traversing the Tampines Expressway (TPE).

In May, a third bus succumbed to flames near Woodgrove Primary School. In response to a parliamentary inquiry in August, Senior Minister of State for Transport Murali Pillai revealed that investigations revealed the bus fires were caused by malfunctions of various components. He emphasized that there was no discernible common root cause, and the affected parts were still within their manufacturer-endorsed operational lifespan.

Consequently, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) mandated public bus operators to conduct supplementary inspections on Mercedes-Benz buses, which yielded no abnormalities. The authority is collaborating with bus operators to enhance the inspection regimen for aging buses and explore potential preventive measures to mitigate the risk of fires.