June 6, 2012: Ashok Leyland has bagged an order for 50 vestibule buses from the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) under the Indian Line of Credit scheme offered for the improvement of urban transportation in that country. Worth US$ 6 million (Rs 33.34 crore), this represents the CV maker’s first order for such buses from an overseas market. An agreement to this effect was signed by the chairman of BRTC and Antony Lobo, special director -International Operations, Ashok Leyland at Dhaka last week.
Commenting on winning the order, Vinod K Dasari, MD, Ashok Leyland, said: “This represents an important step towards achieving our vision to be globally among the Top 10 Truck and Top 5 bus manufacturers. We were the first to introduce vestibule buses in India and now are excited about introducing this vehicle in Bangladesh. They will help take urban transportation there to a new level in partnership with BRTC with whom we share a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”
Over the years, the company has exported more than 9,500 vehicles (of different models) to Bangladesh through its sole dealer, Ifad Autos Ltd. Last year, Ashok Leyland had bagged the single largest order for 290 double-decker buses worth US$ 23.3 million (Rs 129 crore) from Bangladesh, which was one of the contributory factors in driving the company’s exports to a new high of 12,852 vehicles, reflecting a growth of 25 percent.