Volvo to sell 100 bi-articulated buses to Sao Paulo

Volvo Buses has received an order for 100 bi-articulated Volvo B9SALF buses to Sao Paulo in Brazil and an order for a further 84 articulated buses for the BRT system in Bogota, Colombia. Volvo will thus strengthen its position as the leading supplier of buses for these smart transport systems.

An increasing number of cities are choosing to invest in BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), a bus-based transport system with high passenger capacity that facilitates rapid boarding and disembarking from buses. Many cities in South America have chosen buses with high floor and bus stops on platforms that are the same height as the bus floor. Other cities, such as Santiago in Chile and Sao Paulo, have instead chosen street-level bus stops and low-floor buses. Consequently, Volvo Buses developed the Volvo B9SALF. In this model, the engine is located on the left side of the bus between the first two axles. This enables the entire right side to be lowered to street level, which facilitates boarding and disembarking from all doors in the bus. Volvo Buses in Brazil has now launched a bi-articulated version of the B9SALF. The bus measures a full 26.5 meters in length, with a very high passenger capacity of up to 196 passengers. The bus body is made by Caio-Induscar, the largest manufacturer of city bus bodies in Brazil. Volvo has now received its first order for this bus in Latin America. Grupo Ruas, one of Brazil’s largest bus operators, has purchased 100 bi-articulated Volvo B9SALF buses for Sao Paulo. With 20 million inhabitants, Sao Paulo is the largest city in the southern hemisphere. A total of six million vehicles operate in the city and the new Volvo buses will contribute to improving the traffic situation. Grupo Ruas is investing in articulated and bi-articulated buses for several reasons. More people are choosing to travel by bus and high passenger capacity is required. Simultaneously the emissions and the cost per passenger are reduced. The company purchased its first articulated bus from Volvo in 1983 and its first bi-articulated bus with high floor in 1996. Already in the 1980s, Volvo Buses was the first to supply buses with high passenger capacity for the BRT system. “Today, we have extensive experience of the BRT system,” says Per Gabell, Head of Volvo Buses in South America. “We know that high passenger capacity is crucial for the success of these transport systems. We are unbeatable in this area.” During the year, Volvo Buses strengthened its position as the leading supplier of buses for BRT systems. Additional proof of this position is the most recent order for 84 articulated buses to be used by the largest and most efficient BRT system in the world, Transmilenio in Bogota, Colombia. This is also the first time that this operator, S1 99, has elected to purchase Volvo buses. “Including this order, five of the six Transmileno operators have chosen to use high-capacity buses from Volvo,” says Per Gabell. “This year, we received orders for 200 buses for Transmilenio.” Volvo also recently received an order for 27 articulated buses for the BRT system in Leon, Mexico, and earlier this year, an order for 62 articulated buses for the first corridor of the new BRT system in the state of Estado de Mexico in Mexico. 2009-10-15 For further information, please contact Per-Martin Johansson, press officer, +46 31 322 52 00, per-martin.johansson@volvo.com Download picture: http://icp.llr.se/CumulusE_Z/VBC_ImageGallery/Login2.jsp?assets=Volvo_B12M_Biart_Bogota_2009_5021.tif "Think BRT" http://www.volvo.com/bus/global/en-gb/products/BRT/BRT.htm

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