July 3, 2012: Following successful trains of New Delhi and Navi Mumbai, Volvo Buses has begun trials of the Volvo 8400 low-floor CNG city bus in Mumbai. Ashok Patil, chairman of Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply & Transport Undertaking (BEST) flagged off the bus from Oshiwara depot. Manish Sahi, managing director of Volvo Buses in India, was present on the occasion.
Akash Passey, senior vice-president – Business Region International, Volvo Bus Corporation and chairman of the Board, Volvo Buses in India, said: “The Volvo 8400 low-floor CNG city bus has been adapted for specific needs and is an effective solution to address sustainable public transport and clean technology concerns. We are happy that BEST has decided to run trials with this bus. We are confident that passengers in Mumbai will experience the quality, comfort and motivation to travel that this bus offers.”
Volvo city buses currently ply in 13 Indian cities (Bangalore, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune, Mysore, Mangalore, Faridabad, Chennai, Vellupuram, Thiruvanathapuram, Kochi, and Hyderabad). The design of the low-floor CNG city bus is an outcome of close collaboration between product designers in Sweden and India. Built at Volvo Buses manufacturing plant in Hoskote near Bangalore, the bus typifies Volvo’s strengths in terms of reliability, better performance, optimal operating costs, passenger and driver comfort and safety. It has the best power-to-weight ratio in its class and a perfectly matched driveline enhances the driving performance. The low-entry at the front and in the middle, means it is easy to get on and off, even for passengers with impaired mobility.
The CNG variant also houses Ecolife, the new transmission which aims to offer the driver and passengers a superior drive experience. It offers significant fuel reduction opportunities due to a fine-tuned optimised gear system which operates at the most efficient speed ranges in terms of fuel consumption. The bus is equipped with intelligent systems to recognise when the vehicle is moving into idle or into gear thereby reducing fuel consumption again.
On the safety front, Volvo Buses says the CNG city bus has unique features such as self-diagnostics and sensors for crash, heat and fire detection that increase safety levels in the bus. Ity includes the latest safety features including Automatic Transmission; Electronic Braking system; anti-roll; front under-run protection device; Disk Brakes; electro-pneumatic safety doors; anti-skid protection, hill start aid with grade ability, brake temperature, warning, poor brake performance warning. Features that help not only to protect passengers but other vehicles on the road too.
The Volvo city bus on trial in Mumbai is disabled-friendly, providing easy stepless entry and features within for wheelchairs.