Volvo bags 240 buses order from Bangalore

Volvo Buses has bagged an order for 240 city buses from the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), which had first rolled out the company's modern, air-conditioned city buses two years ago.

“Passengers are very satisfied with the comfort provided by the Volvo buses,” says Upendra Tripathy, managing director of BMTC.

The 240 buses from Volvo will be delivered during 2008 and early 2009. While 40 of them will ply between the city centre and the new airport, the balance will operate various routes in Bangalore.

The buses are to be built in Volvo’s plant in Bangalore. While the chassis will be produced in the joint venture plant with Volvo Trucks, the bodies will be made at Volvo’s new body plant which was inaugurated in January this year.

Volvo’s city bus in India is built on the B7RLE chassis and the body is designed on the Volvo 8700 European model. It features low entry, a wheelchair ramp and air conditioning. The 290hp engine meets the Euro III emissions standard.

“BMTC’s decision after two years of testing to now make a larger investment is an important step in our company’s development,” says Akash Passey, managing director, Volvo Bus Body Technologies India. “Currently, we are the market leader in luxury, air-conditioned inter-city buses and we are now also making a major advance in the city bus segment,” he said.

“In addition to Bangalore, we have sold city buses in Pune, Chennai and Mysore. With our own bus body plant, we now have all the possibilities to grow, in India as well as in export markets,” added Passey.