Buses World News
In brief: Worldwide montly news & informations about Buses, Busmakers, Passengers' and the Transport Industry
ALTERNATIVE FUELS * USA
* Pennsylvania - Natural gas drillers target U.S. truck, bus market
(Photo by Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press: Waste Management driver Alan Sadler fills his truck with CNG gas at the company's filling station in Washington, Pa. Years from now, motorists needing a fill-up might see natural gas pumps sharing space at the neighborhood filling station with ones dispensing gasoline and diesel)
Scranton,PA,USA -Associated Press/The Detroit News, by Michael Rubinkam -November 26, 2012: -- If the trash truck or bus rolling down your street seems a little quieter these days, you're not imagining things. It's probably running on natural gas... Surging gas production has led the drilling industry to seek out new markets for its product, and energy companies, increasingly, are setting their sights on the transportation sector... Touting natural gas as a cheaper, cleaner-burning alternative to gasoline and diesel, drillers, public utilities and government officials are trying to boost demand for natural gas buses, taxis, shuttles, delivery trucks and heavy-duty work vehicles of all sorts, while simultaneously encouraging development of the fueling infrastructure that will be needed to keep them running... The economics are compelling. Natural gas costs about $1.50 to $2 per gallon equivalent less than gasoline and diesel. That can add up to tens of thousands of dollars in savings for vehicles that guzzle the most fuel... Fleet managers are taking notice. Companies as diverse as AT&T, Waste Management and UPS are converting all or parts of their fleets to natural gas, as are transit agencies, municipalities and state governments...
* Utah - Wireless EV Charging Technology Comes To Mass Transit
(Image via USU: The Aggie Bus, shown here in USU’s Advanced WPT Charging Bay, achieved several significant milestones. It is the first bus developed and designed by a North American organization that is charged with wireless power transfer technology)
Orem,UT,USA -Earth Techling, by by Nino Marchetti -26 Nov 2012: -- As mass transit fleets strive to be greener, electric and hybrid bus offerings are becoming increasingly common. Charging the electric ones though limits how much time they can be used though, but this may be changing as innovation at Utah State University recently culminated in what’s said to be a first of its kind electric bus that can be charged wirelessly in a way which allows for battery top offs during its daily operations when the bus stops to load and off-load passengers... A demonstration happened earlier this month of the Aggie Bus, which rolled onto the streets carrying passengers just 16 months, said the university, after it demonstrated what it calls “the first high-power, high-efficiency wireless power transfer system capable of transferring enough energy to quickly charge an electric vehicle.” It was developed by USU’s Wireless Power Transfer team, in cooperation with the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative’s Advanced Transportation Institute at USU...
* Virginia - Fleets in Regional Propane Autogas Program Save $1.62 Per Gallon on Fuel
Harrisonburg,VA,USA -Press Release: Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program/ GLOBE NEWSWIRE –Nov 26, 2012: -- Vehicle fleets across 12 U.S. states in the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program saved an average of $1.62 per gallon last quarter filling up with propane autogas vs. gasoline. Total fuel cost savings in this quarter alone exceeded $100,000, with almost 250 tons of greenhouse gas emissions displaced... To date, autogas fleets in the Program have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2,000 tons and displaced more than 1 million gallons of gasoline...Alliance AutoGas provides the fuel supply, fueling infrastructure and vehicle conversion equipment for Program fleets. Though the Program is concentrated in the Southeast U.S., notable Program fleet Veolia Transportation is converting 300 taxis nationwide to propane autogas, recently launching Baltimore's first propane-powered taxi fleet...
Labels: alternative fuels
BUSMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE
* Jiangsu / China - Higer reports on China's growing LNG bus population
(Photo from Higer Bus Co)
Suzhou Industrial Park,Jiangsu,China -Busworld (Belgium) -30 Oct 2012: -- Chinese bus manufacturer Higer Bus Company Limited, has contributed to public information about natural gas buses with the publication of green paper – Natural Gas Bus (NG) – in September... Higer reports LNG vehicles are developing fast in China, with the number expected to reach 200,000 by the end of the 12th Five-Year Period in 2015... According to data from 50 bus manufacturers, Higer states that 18,837 NG buses were sold in 2011, increasing 29.82%. Sales proportion of NG buses in total buses increased from 6.54% to 7.78%. Meanwhile, 29 of 50 bus manufacturers set foot in the NG bus market... In 2011 5,670 LNG buses were sold, accounting for 30.1% of total NG buses...
* Brazil - Scania delivers underpinnings for trolleybuses to Sao Paulo
(Photo from Scania)
Sao Paulo,SP,Brazil -Busworld (Belgium) -2 Nov 2012: -- Scania will deliver chassis modules to a new fleet of 101 trolleybuses to be operated by Ambiental Trans on dedicated, electric bus lanes in the megacity of São Paulo in response to stricter regulations to combat climate change. When developing the trolleybus, Scania departed from the design of a 15-metre 3-axle low-entry bus with hydraulically steered tag axle behind the drive axle. Passenger capacity is a full 96 instead of 80 for a conventional two-axle city bus, which in fact is close to that of an articulated 18-metre bus, but with much reduced technical complexity...
* India - Volvo to Invest Rs 3800 crores; for Buses and Trucks
(Picture: Bangalore Volvo bus)
Hyderabad, India -Philip 9876 -November 23, 2012: ... In India, Volvo has strong presence in the bus segment. It supplies low-floor buses to various state government transport departments and private service carriers. Volvo, the world’s second-largest truck maker by revenue, and Eicher Motors have a 50:50 joint venture, VE Commercial Vehicles, which sells the Volvo brand of trucks and Eicher-branded trucks and buses... Volvo makes trucks under the Renault, Mack, UD Trucks and Eicher brands, as well as under its own brand. Along with Daimler and Scania, the company is in the race to grab a slice of India’s truck and bus market... The company joins a host of global automakers planning to use India as a manufacturing hub for parts and components. Many companies also plan to make India their export hub... Volvo would work with Eicher to hasten localisation of parts for engines produced at the Pithampur plant...
- ELECTRIC BUSES -
* The Netherlands - City of Den Bosch tests eleectric bus with proov induction charging
Den Bosch,Netherlands -Busworld (Belgium) -31 Oct 2012: -- In the Dutch city of Den Bosch a test has begun with an electrical bus, whose accumulators are charged through induction. The bus and the induction charging system have been developed by the Dutch company Proov, using among others technology from Conductix Wampfler. The basic vehicle is a Volvo 8700 citybus, which by Volvo-dealer Bluekens and Emoss has been fitted with an electric driveline and batteries. At each stop the accumulators are charged fast through induction, which means that the bus is able to cover its route without an enormous amount of batteries on board...
* Guangdong / China - SORL wins electric air compressor contract form Shen Zhen Wuzhoulong
(Photo: Shen Zhen Wuzhoulong Motors Group)
Shēnzhèn,Guangdong,China -Busworld (Belgium) -13 Nov 2012: -- SORL Auto Parts, Inc. a supplier of brake and control systems to the global commercial vehicle industry, recently announced the Company received a 400-unit order for its new electric air compressor from Shen Zhen Wuzhoulong Motors Group... In addition to Wuzhoulong, the Company has also received indication of purchasing interest for the same products from other large bus manufacturers in China... SORL's new generation of electric air brake compressors are powered by an electric motor, thereby increasing fuel conservation and reducing pollution... Shenzhen Wuzhoulong is the largest alternative energy bus manufacturers in China...Labels: busmakers news worldwide
PUBLIC TRANSPORT * WORLDWIDE
* India - No tollback for BRT in Delhi, Court says
Delhi,India -Busworld (Belgium) -26 Oct 2012: -- An India court declined to roll the back bus rapid transit corridor projects saying the “bitter medicine” of public transport was necessary for India... It was the response to a lawsuit filed earlier this year by an 84-year-old activist filed a lawsuit in the public interest asking an Indian court to scrap a road project in South Delhi that carved out separate space for buses, pedestrians and cyclists.One of his arguments was that car users are special, therefore deserve to travel faster, and were being hindered by the BRT, as it is known, which includes a dedicated bus lane.Bus commuters, not being as important, could afford to lose a few minutes here or there, was the argument in the petition of B.B. Sharan wrote... The court ended its discussions with an interesting statement: “These ‘wealth creators,’ we are sure would like to live in a developed country,” said the bench. “A developed country is not one where the poor own cars. It is one where the rich use public transport” ...
* Europe - EBSF: The future of puyblic local transport comes a step closer
(Video from YouTube, by UITPvideos -4/07/2012: Scientific Chronicles #19 - Public transit: Information systems of the future Smartbus, the EBSF IT Architecture)
Brussels,Belgium -Busworld -25 Oct 2012: -- Four years of project work, 48 partners, 7 demonstration projects and a total budget of around 26 million – these are just some of the statistics generated by the European Bus System of the Future, or EBSF for short, which is the biggest road-related transportation project to be funded by the European Commission to date. The UITP presented the results of the individual EBSF projects, or so-called "Use Cases"... As a comprehensive, widely networked research project for the design and development of an innovative, high-quality European bus system of the future, four years ago the EBSF project took on the goal of demonstrating the capabilities of a new generation of urban bus networks and creating the basis for an integrated systems approach (vehicle, infrastructure, technology, operation) with takes future passenger requirements into account... Nine months of regular service operation have provided a very clear picture of the practical application of such systems. While follow-up work still has to be carried out on some ideas, others have proved suitable for immediate implementation... The design of space using leaning areas and folding seats was in fact so well received that the Bremerhaven Transport Authority has already applied the idea by retrofitting the design to many of its vehicles. Newly acquired vehicles will basically help to continue to implement the idea... Another success was achieved in the area of passenger information systems. Two-thirds of the fleet have already been fitted with 20-inch monitors. The mixture of infotainment, news reports and transport connection information proved so popular among passengers that the transport operator sees this as a significant measure for increasing the appeal of the bus service... Although passengers did not consider a lot of the additional equipment such as WLAN, 240 V sockets and the seat identification system to be absolutely essential, such measures were nevertheless viewed positively within the context of modernity...
* Chile - New global database on BRT Systems
Santiago,Chile -Busworld (Belgium) -27 Oct 2012: -- Three global organizations have teamed up to launch the most comprehensive, public database of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems around the world... The new site, http://BRTdata.org, was created by EMBARQ, the World Resources Institute’s center for sustainable transport, and the Across Latitudes and Cultures – Bus Rapid Transit Centre of Excellence (ALC-BRT CoE), in collaboration with the International Energy Agency (IEA)...
BRT is one of the fastest growing public transport systems. Approximately 134 cities worldwide, from Bogota to Beijing, have implemented BRT systems or priority bus corridors, serving more than 22 million passenger trips daily.
BRT is a mode of public transport that flexibly combines stations, vehicles, services, running ways and intelligent transportation system elements into an integrated system... Worldwide, 129 new corridors have been implemented since 2000, and 37 since 2010. Latin American systems move more than 50 per cent of global BRT daily passenger trips. As many as 25 Brazilian cities have 87 bus corridors, totalling more than 560 km, more than any other country. Of Asia’s 24 BRT systems, 18 began operations since 2006. Systems in 13 US cities together carry nearly 600,000 passenger trips each day...Labels: public transport systems worldwide
BUSMAKERS NEWS * USA & Canada
* South Caroline / USA - GM boosts its stake in electric bus maker
(Photo: Proterra fast charge image Powering the Proterra bus)
Greenville,S.C.,USA -The Detroit News, by Melissa Burden -November 21, 2012: -- Automaker's venture capital unit, 6 others invest $23M in firm... GM Ventures, the venture capital arm of General Motors Co. created in 2010, has invested for the second time in Proterra Inc., a company that makes a battery-electric, fast-charge bus... Proterra plans to use the new cash infusion to grow delivery of its battery-electric EcoRide buses to new customers and markets. The EcoRide can complete a fast charge in 10 minutes and has up to 40 miles of range... In 2011, GM's venture capital arm invested $6 million into Proterra, as part of $30 million Proterra raised...
* Ontario / Canada - Breakthrough order for Nova Bus in Toronto
(Photos by WDWMAGIC: Articulated Nova Bus LFS Arctic)
Toronto,ONT,CAN -Busworld (Belgium) -28 Oct 2012: -- Nova Bus has secured an order valued at $143 million for up to 153 articulated buses for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Delivery of the first 27 LFS Artic is scheduled for 2013... The corrosion- and fatigue-resistant stainless steel structure of the LFS Artic, as well as its proven track record and overall design were key features for the TTC... Nova Bus vehicles for the TTC will be entirely assembled in Canada and feature a high level of Canadian content... The 62-foot LFS Artic is designed to handle high-volume routes...
* North Carolina / USA - Thomas Built to develop CNG SAF-T-Lines C2 Schoolbus
(Photo from Thomas Bus lg_green_c2)
High Point,NC,USA -Busworld (Belgium) -12 Nov 2012: -- Daimler Trucks' subsidiary Thomas Built Buses announced that it will further expand its alternative-fuelled offerings with the addition of a CNG Saf-T-Liner C2 school bus. Thomas Built plans to fit this bus with a Cummins Westport ISB6.7 G 6.7-litre natural gas engine currently in development and expected to be available in 2015... The ISB6.7 G engine, based on Cummins’ ISB6.7 diesel, will use Cummins Westport’s spark-ignited, stoichiometric-cooled exhaust gas recirculation (SEGR) technology. Thomas Built Buses launched its Type D CNG-fuelled rear-engine Saf-T-Liner HDX school bus in 1992, since when the company has put more than 1,300 HDX CNG buses on the road and says it has seen demand increase in the last five years...Labels: busmakers news worldwide
BUSMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE
* Spain/Gipuzkoa - Irizar launches i3
Ormaiztegi,Gipuzkoa,Spain -Revista AutoBus (Brazil) -November 13, 2012: -- A new niche market is now operated by Irizar in European passenger transport, with the release of his body model i3 hall in Spanish FIAA 2012. Identified for both urban and suburban, the vehicle promotes optimization in its accessibility and the ability to adapt to various configurations desired by the operator... The structure of the i3 is designed according to European safety standard R66/01, with features that focus on increased safety for passengers and driver, especially when it comes to collisions and the stiffness of the whole roof...
* Brazil/São Paulo - HíbridoBR testing by
Butantã,SP,Brazil -Revista Auto Bus -November 13, 2012: -- For two days last week, the Butantan Institute, one of the most prestigious biomedical research centers in the world, carried out tests on the model of hybrid buses produced by Electra, between headquarters and the subway station Butantan in Sao Paulo. The HíbridoBR is a vehicle that uses two types of propellants - diesel (generator feeder) and electric (traction responsible for the bus), which also has a set of batteries for energy storage. It has 100% national technology and according to its creators, reduces by 90% the emissions of pollutants... According to information from the vehicle manufacturer, the Butantan Institute was interested in the model to perform transport operations of its visitors from the metro and its facilities, thereby promoting less environmental impact. The initiative may attract the attention of other sectors of public transport...Labels: busmakers news worldwide
BUSES SALES * WORLDWIDE
* China/Lingnan - Yuchai School Bus Engines' sales over 9,000 units
(Photo: The school bus is equiped with Yuchai school bus engine)
Yulin City,Lingnan,China -chinabuses.org, by Lili -15 Nov 2012: -- In Jan.-Oct. 2012, the total sales volume of Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Co., Ltd. (Yuchai) school bus engines were over 9,000 units, which accounted for 45 percent of the total school bus sales volume... Yuchai launched engines dedicated exclusively to school buses on May 16 in Beijing National Conference Center during the 2012 China Beijing International Exhibition on Buses, Trucks and Components... Yuchai launched four four-cylinder product series, the YC4FA, YC4D, YC4E, YC4G, and one six-cylinder series, the YC6J, at the exhibition, which fulfilled varied power demand of plane-nose and long-nose school buses ranging from 5.5-10 meters... According to the company, Yuchai engines power 70 percent of school buses in China, and the data increases to 90 percent in high-end school bus sector... Special designs of the fire retardant and safety brake also help raise processing safety of school buses, said the company...
* China /Beijing - Foton secures an order of 160 pure electric buses from Beijing
(Photo: A Foton bus AUV BJ6123EVCA)
Changping,Beijing,China -chinabuses.org -16 Nov 2012: -- On Nov.14th 2012, Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd. (Foton) released the announcement of Foton AUV pure electric bus sales contract... The sales contract was signed between Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd. (Foton) and Beijing Public Transport Holdings, Ltd. on 160 units of Foton AUV BJ6123EVCA-4/5/7 model pure electric bus sales contract. Foton has received the deposit from the Beijing Public Transport Holdings, Ltd... The pure electric buses contribute to improve the air quality of the Beijing City as well as lowering the PM2.5 emissions...
* China /Shandong - 50 Zhongtong New Energy Buses serve Hohhot
(Photo: a LCK6660D Zhongtong bus)
Liaocheng,Shandong,China -chinabuses.org -14 Nov 2012: -- Recently, good news about Zhongtong new energy bus order came out again. Zhongtong won the 50 units of LCK6125PHENV air- electric drive hybrid buses from the Hohhot's government bidding meeting on new energy buses... Zhongtong LCK6125PHENV hybrid bus has now been put into operation in fourteen cities, which is one of the popular mainstream new energy bus products. The hybrid bus achieve good performance in the safety, stability and energy conservation etc. comprehensive performance... The brand new model of energy savings and environmental protection by importing high technologies from BOVA of Holland Today, internationalization and product differentiation are the two areas Zhongtong Bus is most focused on. Zhongtong Bus’s export has been increasing annually...
* China/Anhui - JAC again aecures overseas order of 100 Chassis from Youyi Bus
Hefei,Anhui,China -chinabuses.org, by Lili -11 Nov 2012: -- JAC secured an order of 100 chassis from Overseas Department of Jiangsu Youyi Automobile Company, which was the second order after the 50 exported buses equipped with JAC chassis in June 2012... These Youyi city buses are the same as the city buses in June, which are 7180mm in its length, equipped with JAC chassis, Beijing Cummins ISF3.8 engine and vacuum flat tires. The city buses would be also exported to Ecuador... Labels: buses sales
BUSMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE
* UK - Wrightbus win Hong Kong order
(Picture: Volvo Wright double-decker bus in Hongkong)
County Antrim,Northern Ireland,UK -Irish Trucker News -14 November 2012: -- A Hong Kong-based bus company has ordered 50 new double-decker buses from the County Antrim firm, Wrightbus... The Kowloon Motor Bus Company agreed the deal, with a view to ordering more vehicles from the Ballymena-based manufacturer in the near future... Wrightbus is arranging for some of its shop floor workers to go to China to oversee the construction of the buses...Labels: busmakers news worldwide
BUSMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE
* UK - Alexander Dennis reveals hundreds of new bus orders
Priorswood Place,East Pimbo,Skelmersdale,UK -Transport Engineer, by John Challen -8 Nov 2012: -- Alexander Dennis took the wraps off its new-generation, three-axle Enviro500 double deck bus at the Euro Bus Expo, this week... The company also announced that it had received advance orders for more than 530 of its new bus... Promising lighter construction and designed to be more fuel efficient than other buses in its range, the new bus was designed with the Asia-Pacific market in mind... So far, buses have been purchased by Hong Kong operators, including KMB, Long Win Bus and Citybus...
* UK - Optare looking to an electric future for buses
Leeds,EN,UK -Transport Engineer, by John Challen -8 Nov 2012: -- Optare, has reaffirmed the company's position on electric power for buses, stating that it will bring the technology to market on a larger scale throughout the UK... Speaking at Euro Bus Expo show at the NEC yesterday (Wednesday 7 November 2012), Optare CEO, Jim Sumner, said: "Electric bus technology will dominate post-Euro 6" ... He also revealed that the company's own electric bus – the only one of its kind in operation in the UK (in Coventry) – has been shortlisted for the Society of Motor Manufacturers' Innovation Award... The bus manufacturer's stand at the Birmingham event featured an electric bus – alongside three other new buses – and Sumner emphasised the importance of using alternative propulsion systems in the bus market...Labels: busmakers news worldwide
