Large number of Volvo buses for Hong Kong

Large number of Volvo buses for Hong Kong In the last six months, some of Hong Kong's biggest bus operators have ordered a total of 219 new, double-deck Volvo buses, reinforcing Volvo's position of leadership in this vital market. The people of Hong Kong (population 6.8 million) make almost 4 million bus trips every weekday. Since September 2000, Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) - the world's biggest user of double-deck city buses - has ordered 190 Volvo Olympian buses in several stages. The last of these vehicles will be delivered shortly. The buses are being bodied in Scotland, Xiamen in China and in Hong Kong itself. During the same period, operator New World First Bus (NWFB) ordered 29 buses of the same type, all bodied in Hong Kong. Orders for a number of tourist coaches have also been placed by smaller Hong Kong operators. Customer care foremost "Customer care is the highest priority for all of our Hong Kong customers," says Paul H. West, MD of Volvo Bus and Truck Hong Kong Ltd. "This applies particularly to companies such as KMB, which carries a billion commuters annually, and NWFB and City Bus, which serve 380 million. "This huge passenger capacity calls for comfortable, reliable buses, and Volvo is in the happy position of supplying products which meet these requirements. "The new buses are also equipped with VEC (Volvo Emission Control), an advanced system of purifying diesel exhaust gases. This means that the buses comply comfortably with Euro 3 limits, to which Hong Kong will subscribe on 1 October 2001," adds Paul West." World's toughest environment Hong Kong has what is perhaps the world's toughest environment for city bus traffic by virtue of its highly undulating terrain, extremely dense traffic in a small area, enormous pressure on services, and wide variations in temperature and air humidity. Together, the four biggest operators in Hong Kong operate a fleet of over 7,000 buses, carrying a combined total of 3.95 million passengers every weekday. KMB, the biggest operator of double-deck city buses in the world, has a fleet of 4,293 vehicles. The company is publicly quoted, and operates services in Kowloon and the New Territories. KMB was the first company to purchase the low-floor Volvo Super Olympian, which entered service in 1998. Excellent passenger comfort The three-axle chassis is equipped with the environmentally adapted 285- hp D10A engine, independent suspension and disc brakes. Passenger comfort is extremely high thanks to the well-balanced suspension, the low floor, and air conditioning on both the upper and lower decks. The 12-metre bus accommodates 59 seated passengers on the upper deck, with 33 seated and 40 standing on the lower deck. In all, the bus carries 132 passengers, with space for a wheelchair. The chassis are built at Volvo's new plant in Wroclaw, Poland and shipped to various bodybuilders premises, where they are fitted with bodies supplied, in this instance, in the form of CKD (completely knocked down) kits by Walter Alexander in Scotland. Long history The history of Volvo Buses in Hong Kong dates from 1983 and the company's presence has expanded steadily over the years, especially following Volvo's acquisition of Leyland Bus in 1988. Volvo Buses and Volvo Trucks have now combined their resources in Hong Kong in order to exploit all possible synergies and to develop the market jointly. An independent, authorised service workshop for both buses and trucks was opened in Hong Kong in 2000. This has created greater opportunities in the market by providing small operators without their own workshop capacity with authorised service, with all of its advantages. June 11, 2001 For more information please contact: Heléne Mellquist, Head of Corporate Communication Volvo Bus Corporation, tel: +46 31 66 12 06, fax: +46 31 66 72 88 E-mail: info.buses@volvo.com ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/06/11/20010611BIT00400/bit0002.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/06/11/20010611BIT00400/bit0002.pdf