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Buses World News

In brief: Worldwide montly news & informations about Buses, Busmakers, Passengers' and the Transport Industry

31.8.12

BUSMAKERS NEWS * India

* Ashok Leyland: Driving into future, to push the envelope in products and technology

Guindy,Chennai,India -The Business Standard, by T. E. Narasimhan -Aug 30, 2012: -- From all accounts, Ashok Leyland (AL), one of India’s leading bus makers, is in cruise control. It has an oversized share of the market at 41.78 per cent, and, along with Tata, which has 41.94 per cent, rules the universe of buses in India... Moreover, Ashok Leyland has a considerable advantage over the smaller players — especially from abroad, like Volvo or Isuzu — with its strong distribution network of 420 nationwide dealers, enviable brand identity, good relations with state transport corporations as well as local sourcing partners... Yet, AL has decided it needs to push the envelope in products and technology. It has done so by buying a 75 per cent stake in British bus manufacturer Optare, in December 2011, with the intention of bringing its flagship bus, Solo, described as a low-floor midibus, to the Indian market. The bus will hit Indian roads in the next few months... This could turn out to be a savvy move. Sometimes, proactive policies while in a position of strength can do wonders to check problem spots that often germinate into full-fledged disasters... 

* Chennai - Ashok Leyland wins another order from Bangladesh for 88 AC buses

Guindy,Chennai,India -Busworld (Belgium) -16 Aug 2012: -- Ashok Leyland announced the winning of an order from Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) for 88 air-conditioned buses for a value worth US$ 6.5 million under the Indian Line of Credit (LoC) scheme offered for the improvement of urban transportation in that country. This order comes close on the heels of the recent order to supply 50 vestibule buses to BRTC... This order will add to the 11,000+ vehicles (of different models) that have been exported to Bangladesh. Ashok Leyland’s international operations touched a new peak last year with a volume of 12,852 vehicles reflecting a growth of 25%...

* Chennai - Ashok Leyland to ink three overseas joint ventures

Guindy,Chennai,India -Busworld (Belgium) -19 Aug 2012: -- Bus maker Ashok Leyland will be sewing up at least three overseas joint ventures in the next two to three months, as it looks to consolidate its presence in new geographies, according to reports in the Indian press. It is in the final stages of inking joint ventures in Indonesia, Chile and Nigeria, with the company keeping a majority holding in each of these partnerships. While Ashok Leyland will be exporting the kits, the foreign partners will be responsible for assembling and marketing the buses...  The company expecting the new joint ventures to give a significant push to its overseas sales...

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28.8.12

BUSMAKERS NEWS * China

* Guangdong - BYD to sell 700 electric buses to Israel

(Photo: BYD's electric buses) 
Shenzhen,Guangdong,China -Busworld (Belgium) -3 Sept 2012: -- BYD has recently received an order to export 700 electric buses to the Israeli transit company Dan Bus, according to reports in the Chinese press. The order, which has already been signed by BYD and Dan Bus, is estimated to bring in around 1.5 billion yuan ($236.86m) for the manufacturer... The BYD electric buses will replace about half of Dan's current fleet. The order marks the first time an Israeli company has imported full-size electric buses to the country. BYD's K9 pure electric bus carries a price tag of over 2.1 million yuan ($331,601), which is why reports value the order at 1.5 billion yuan...

* Beijing - Approves Engine Joint Venture Business License for Navistar and Chinese Truck Maker JAC

(Photo: The world renowned, technologically advanced MaxxForce 7.2 diesel engine) 
Beijing,China -School Transportation News -23 August 2012: -- Navistar International Corporation and Chinese truck maker Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co. Ltd. (JAC) announced this week that the two companies have received formal approval from the Chinese government to move forward with their commercial engine joint venture... The joint venture will focus on meeting the emerging needs of the Chinese commercial truck market by providing JAC with access to Navistar's Euro IV and Euro V compliant technology. The JV also sets the stage for global export opportunities of JAC's light-, medium- and heavy-duty commercial trucks... The products slated for the joint venture include Navistar's MaxxForce® 3.2, 4.8, 7.2 and JAC's 2.8 4DA1 liter engines. The engines offer up to 118 kW power and 45.9 kgf.m torque @ 1,500-2,200 rpm; 140 kW power and 73.4 kgf.m torque @ 1,200-1,600 rpm,243 kW / 132.6 kgf.m @ 1,200-1,600 rpm, and 88wW/28.5 kgf.m @ 2,000-2,200 rpm respectively. All engines deliver quiet, fuel efficient operation...


 * Tianjin - The First Pure Electric Buses Equipped with Lishen Power Batteries Start Operation

(Photo: The first batch of 40 pure electric buses brought in by the Tianjin Municipal Public Transportation Group were put into operation) 
Huayuan Hi-tech Industry Park,Tianjin,China -Lishen (PR) -20 Aug 2012: ... In the opening ceremony authorities gave the keys of pure electric buses to the cadres and the representative drivers of Tianjin Bus. The trial operation of pure electric buses and Haitai Comprehensive Charging and Changing Station mean the beginning of large-scale demonstration of pure electric buses... Haitai Comprehensive Charging and Changing Station stands on the east of Lishen Outside Outer Ring Factory, and could give service to 180 pure electric buses and monitor the operation of pure electric buses at any time... The used 40 pure electric buses are equipped with 60 sets of Lishen self-developed high-performance and high-quality power batteries...

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25.8.12

PROGNOSIS * USA

* Colorado / USA - Report: More than 75,000 Electric Drive Buses Will Be on Roads Worldwide by 2018

(Photo from Inhabitat - South Korea Unveils World’s First Commerical Electric Bus) 
 Boulder,COL,USA -Pike Research (PR), by Richard Martin -August 22, 2012: -- No other category of heavy duty vehicles has seen more adoption of electric drivetrains than buses. In North America, hybrid models have captured as much as 40 percent of new transit bus purchases in recent years. Electric drivetrains – whether for hybrid systems, battery electric, or fuel cell – hold appeal for the bus market for many of the same reasons they do for light duty vehicles: the promise of moving away from oil, efficiency gains, limiting greenhouse gas emissions, and, in many cases, lower operating costs. According to a recent report from Pike Research, a part of Navigant’s Energy Practice, the global market for electric drive buses is expected to grow steadily over the next six years, with a compound annual growth rate of 26 percent from 2012 to 2018. By 2018, the report concludes, more than 75,000 electric drivetrain buses will be in service around the world...

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14.8.12

DIGITAL TACHOGRAPHS * Europe

* Switzerland - New technology does not prevent fraud

(Photo from Siemens/Strada: Digital tachographs - new technology does not prevent fraud)
Geneve,Swiss -Jornal Strada -August 2012: -- The European Union intends to review the use of digital tachographs and adopt improvements in safety and efficacy in terms of profitability, which favors a reduction of operational and administrative charges for road transport... The IRU is intended to ensure greater security, at a reasonable cost to prevent fraud in tachographs as well as better enforcement of sanctions , harder for violators of tachographs, stressing that combating fraud tachograph is essential to the sustainability of road transport services...
The IRU is strongly opposed to the compulsory installation of all devices with positioning satellite once they cease to make tamper-proof digital tachograph...  "A more complex and expensive technology will not stop the offenders, but there will be increasingly tougher sanctions",  argued the Chairman of the Committee on Social Affairs of the IRU, Georges Causse...

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PUBLIC TRANSPORT * India

* Pune - PMPML to Acquire 500 New Buses in 2012

Swargate,Pune,India -Bus Coach India -August 2012: -- The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) will have 500 news buses and manpower of 2,500 by the year end... Prashant Jagtap, director of PMPML said that out the 500 buses, the PMC will buy 300 buses while the PCMC will buy 200. The buses should start plying by December... Public transport system in the twin cities needs nearly 3,000 buses. The PMPML has nearly 1,650 buses at present, out of which 450 are off the road due to various reasons. So, on an average only 1,200 buses are plying... Jagtap said that along with procurement of buses other issues like recruitment and restructuring of PMPML routes were also discussed during the meeting. The PMPML has decided to restructure all the 330 bus routes in the city for better management of services...


* Delhi - 7 cluster buses on new route

New Delhi,Delhi,India -Bus Enquiry -July 20, 2012: -- Friday sees the release of 7 new cluster buses on a route in Delhi. With this addition the number of cluster buses on Delhi roads will touch 300. According to Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS), the company monitoring the operation of cluster buses, Route No.214 will also have cluster buses from Friday...  The commuters will have the advantage of traveling direct to New Delhi Railway Station from Seemapuri...


* Delhi - State buses to get automated ticketing system

New Delhi,Delhi,India -Bus Enquiry -1 Aug, 2012: -- The Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways is now looking beyond highway upgradation. It is planning a countrywide state-owned bus service that can boast of completely automated ticketing system. A corpus of Rs 25 crore will be set aside in this year’s Union Budget for the ministry to introduce automated ticketing in state transport corporations and the country’s IT capital Bangalore will be the first to see the system unroll... 
 

* Andhra Pradesh - APSRTC officials unearth fake bus passes

(Express Photo: APSRTC Vigilance Director VV Srinivasa Rao showing fake bus passes at a media conference at Jubilee Bus station in Hyderabad on Friday) 
Hyderabad,AP state,India -Times of India/Bus Coach India -11 August 2012: -- APSRTC officials found 290 fake bus passes during their surprise checks in the city. APSRTC managing director, AK Khan, on Wednesday said criminal cases would be registered against those found with fake bus passes... All the 290 fake passes were found in the city and checks need to be conducted in other parts of the state, he added... The occupancy ratio (OR) of APSRTC has gone up to 75-80%. The revenue collection for August first week has also gone up by Rs 27 crore... 


* Andhra Pradesh - RTC to regularise 3000 drivers, conductors

(Photo
Hyderabad,AP State,India -The New Indian Express -29th July 2012: -- After a month-long consultation, the AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) and the National Mazdoor Union (NMU) reached an agreement on Saturday. The RTC management agreed to 32 of 36 demands of the NMU and both the parties signed an agreement at a meeting in Bus Bhavan... The main demands that were accepted are: immediate regularisation of 3,000 contract drivers and conductors and regularisation of the remaining 17,000 contract drivers and conductors after the government’s approval...

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11.8.12

BUSMAKERS NEWS * China

* BYD to partner with Tianjin Bus Group on electric bus production

Tianjin,China -What's on Tiajing -1 Aug 2012: -- Wang Zhiping, vice mayor of Tianjin, met Wang Chuanfu, who is the chairman of BYD Company Limited, on 30th July and presented the signing ceremony of the establishment of Tianjin BYD Automobile Company Limited, which was co-invested by Tianjin Bus Group and BYD Company Limited...

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9.8.12

BUSMAKERS NEWS * USA

* Minnesota - ABC Companies Acquires TMC Group, Inc. 

Faribault,MINN,USA -ABC Companies (PR) -8 Aug 2012: -- ABC Companies announces its investment in the small and mid-size bus manufacturing market through its acquisition of the assets of TMC Group, Inc. located in Elkhart, Indiana...   The new operating company will be known as Ameritrans Bus, Inc. ABC anticipates investing additional capital in the business to increase production and capacity... The small and mid-size bus products will continue to be distributed through the loyal dealer network already established by TMC Group, Inc...

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3.8.12

BUSMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Serbia - Neobus factory for sale

Novi Sad,Serbia -Busworld (Belgium) -3 Aug 2012: -- Neobus AD, bus and coach factory located in Novi Sad, Serbia, is for sale. Major shareholders have decided to withdraw from Neobus and sell their 86% of shares... The facilities of approx. 17.000 square meters are located on 126.000 square meters of land in industrial area of Novi Sad... Neobus AD is a long time partner with Volvo Bus Corporation as a bodybuilder of their chassis... After meeting due diligence requirements, Neobus AD signed the agreement with Daimler earlier this year to build bodies on Mercedes-Benz chassis of midibuses and 12-meter buses and coaches... Also, in cooperation with VDL Bus and Coach, Neobus has manufactured bodies of Lexio model, destined for German, French and Italian markets... 


* Sweden - Volvo to demostrate green efficiency at IAA 2012

Stockholm,Sweden -Busworld (Belgium) -2 Aug 2012: -- Buses and associated services that save fuel, money and the environment will be Volvo’s theme at the major IAA Motor Show in Hanover in September. The focus will be the company’s sought-after Volvo 7900 hybrid bus. Since serial production commenced in 2010, Volvo Buses has sold more than 750 hybrid buses to 17 countries...  The Volvo 7900 Hybrid has approximately 37% lower fuel consumption and climate impact than a corresponding diesel option and only half the amount of emissions of nitrogen oxides and particles... The body of the Volvo 7900 Hybrid is built largely of aluminium and fiberglass, which entails low weight and thus also low fuel consumption and the possibility to carry more passengers. Volvo’s hybrid buses are equipped with a smaller diesel engine and an electric motor. The energy generated when the brakes are applied is utilized, which means that fuel consumption is radically reduced. At bus stops, the diesel engine switches off and the bus operates quietly and completely exhaust-free on electricity... 

* Sweden - Volvo Buses' new 8-litre diesel engine, the MD 8.  Euro 6 standard

Stockholm,Sweden -Busworld (Belgium) -2 Aug 2012: ...  At the IAA, Volvo Buses will also introduce its new 8-litre diesel engine, the MD 8, which meets the Euro 6 standards for emissions...  The MD 8-litre engine will be available in three different variants, from 280 up to 350 hp. The middle variant, at 320 hp, will also be available for biodiesel. The new engines, in addition to SCR technology (selective catalytic reduction), also use EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) technology... Visitors to IAA will also be able to test sit Volvo’s completely new range of bus seats, and the new telematic services. The system entails that operators will be able to reduce fuel consumption and increase availability in the bus fleet... 


* Tennessee / USA - Opportunity charging increases the range of electric buses 

Chattanooga,Tennessee,USA -Busworld (Belgium) -29 July 2012: -- Tests at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have proven that the concept of opportunity charging through induction will significantly increase the range of electric buses. Tests under the lead of Prof. J. Ronald Bailey, director of the Center for Energy, Transportation and the Environment, have shown that using opportunity charging while passengers are boarding can increase the range from less than 80km (50 miles) to more than 193km (120) miles without any other changes on the bus... Overall efficiency was found to be more than 90%. Electromagnetic field strengths inside and around the bus have been found to be well below the international standards for exposure. The test results were presented recently at the EVS26 in Los Angeles by Bailey...


* China - Chongqing operating 95 Yutong LNG buses

Chongqing,China -Busworld (Belgium) -28 July 2012: ... The first batch of LNG bus projects have been put into operation in Chongqing, where 95 Yutong LNG buses ply 14 intercity routes. The 95 Yutong LNG buses comprise 74 units of model ZK6127 HAN9 and 21 units of model ZK6938 HAN9... The LNG buses are advocated and supported by government because of their lower operation costs and environment-friendliness. Because the LNG consumer price is approximately 70% of diesel, Yutong says fuel costs can be cut by 30%... Yutong’s market share of LNG buses, reportedly ranked first in China, has been steadily increasing. Since March 2012, Yutong have successively received big orders from projects in Ningbo, Beijing, Suzhou and other cities, selling 129 units of LNG city buses and 75 units of LNG coaches. Another 100 LNG city buses were delivered to Langfang, Hebei province recently... 


* Japan - 3000 Citybuses for Myanmar
Tokyo,Japan -Busworld (Belgium) -26 July 2012: -- A Japanese private company and Myanmar’s ministry of rail transportation are due to launch a special bus line in Yangon on the basis of a joint-venture business under the permission of Myanmar Investment Commission. The buses will be built by various Japanese suppliers... About 3000 city buses will be imported from Japan. And in the first phase, 350 will start running within one to three months, according to the sources from the ministry...


* Germany - Daimler Bus Will Deliver 150 Buses to DB Fleet Management

Berlin,Germany -In Auto News, by Ana -August 7, 2012: -- Daimler Buses has closed a deal with DB Fleet Management for 150 buses to be delivered beginning 2013. The delivery of the Mercedes-Benz and Setra brand urban and intercity buses will be made gradually and all of them will be used in urban and regional transport operations. All the buses for DB Regio Bus are low-emission, fuel-efficient, feature the environmentally friendly BlueTec SCR diesel technology and were manufactured in accordance with the Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle emissions standard. All the buses will be manufactured at EvoBus plants in Mannheim and Neu-Ulm...

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STUDY: Bus Rapid Transit * USA

* DC - Projects Improve Transit Service and Can Contribute to Economic Development

(Graphic/Image from GAO: BRT projects may include separated lanes for buses, platform-level boarding, off-board fare collection, signal priority at intersections, and real-time arrival information, but no U.S. system takes advantage of all those features)
Washington,DC,USA -GAO, by David J. Wise -Jul 25, 2012: -- What GAO found: U.S. bus rapid transit (BRT) projects we reviewed include features that distinguished BRT from standard bus service and improved riders’ experience. However, few of the projects (5 of 20) used dedicated or semi-dedicated lanes— a feature commonly associated with BRT and included in international systems to reduce travel time and attract riders. Project sponsors and planners explained that decisions on which features to incorporate into BRT projects were influenced by costs, community needs, and the ability to phase in additional features... The BRT projects we reviewed generally increased ridership and improved service over the previous transit service. Specifically, 13 of the 15 project sponsors that provided ridership data reported increases in ridership after 1 year of service and reduced average travel times of 10 to 35 percent over previous bus services... Capital costs for BRT projects were generally lower than for rail transit projects and accounted for a small percent of the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) New, Small, and Very Small Starts’ funding although they accounted for over 50 percent of projects with grant agreements since fiscal year 2005... We found that although many factors contribute to economic development, most local officials we visited believe that BRT projects are contributing to localized economic development. In addition, BRT project sponsors highlighted other community benefits including quick construction and implementation and operational flexibility...

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1.8.12

BUSES SALES * Sweden

* Singapore – SBS Transit places order for a further 550 Volvo double-deck buses 

(Photo: SBS Transit Volvo B9TL double deck bus) 
Stockholm,Sweden -Volvo's Press release -19 July 2012: ...  Volvo Buses has now secured a further order for 550 Volvo B9TL double deck buses with a value over US$ 200 million. The customer, SBS Transit, has once again opted for environmentally friendly Euro V Volvo engines, although these are not yet a requirement in Singapore...  SBS Transit is one of Volvo Buses’ most important customers. Since 1981, Volvo has delivered more than 2,000 buses to the Company...  The chassis will be produced in Borås, Sweden, while the bodywork that is to be made in aluminium by Wrightbus will be mounted in Singapore...

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