The Force Traveller Smart Citibus was inducted today into the B.E.S.T. fleet to bring about a paradigm shift in the last-mile connectivity for Mumbai commuters from metro and local stations.

The first lot of five Traveller Smart Citibuses from the 500 such Smart Citibuses planned by B.E.S.T, were flagged off and dedicated to the Mumbai commuters at a grand ceremony by Uddhav Thackeray, President, Shiv Sena, in the presence of local dignitaries and B.E.S.T officials.

The fully air-conditioned, 21-seater (+7 standees) Force Traveller is a hi-tech solution for public city bus operations. B.E.S.T. is currently dealing with low occupancy ratios and unprofitability on feeder routes with its large, normal, single- or double-decker buses. In addition, the Traveller with its low turning radius can manage to navigate narrow and congested routes easily.

The Force Traveller, according to Force Motors, has over the last three decades established itself as the market leader in the 9- to 25-seater van and minibus category. It is today the preferred transportation solution for school bus, staff bus, ambulances and tour/travel applications.

The major differentiating features of the Traveller are a proven monocoque panel van and the proven Mercedes-derived powertrain that offers reliable performance along with best-in-class fuel economy.

Traveller, due to the monocoque construction similar to an aircraft or a modern passenger car, offers superior structural strength, ride quality, low NVH and high durability. The Traveller, made entirely of pressed steel panels fused together in an automated and robotic environment, is almost a tonne lighter than comparable capacity vehicles and hence offers best-in-class power-to-weight ratio and fuel efficiency.

According to Force Motors, the Traveller is also the only vehicle in this category that undergoes the sixth-generation Cathodic Electrophoretic Dip (C.E.D) process of primer application and robotic topcoat application. In the C.E.D process, the full body is immersed in a tank of primer ensuring best in class rust protection and highest level of corrosion resistance. The robotic top coat application and high temperature stoving ensures top class surface finish, gloss and hardness retention for years.