Volvo wins Australian order for up to 650 buses
Volvo Bus Australia has been announced today as the winning contractor for the supply of up to 650 low floor city buses over the next 10 years to Perth.
The customer is the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia (PTA). Volvo will provide the units together with Volgren Australia who will manufacture the bus bodies at its facility in Malaga, WA.
The total value of the contract, including chassis and bodies, is approximately 2.65 billion SEK, The contract is for a five year term with an option to extend for a further five years and will enable the PTA to update and modernise its bus fleet in the Perth metropolitan area.
Transport Minister Simon O’Brien said deliveries under the new contract will commence in July next year. The previous PTA contract set up by the Liberal National coalition government in 1999, which delivered 919 Mercedes Benz low floor buses, ends in June 2011.
“Currently, over 75% of the Transperth bus fleet is low-floor accessible and air conditioned,” Mr O’Brien said. “The new contract with Volvo will ensure the fleet remains at the forefront of the industry in terms of disability access and environmental friendliness. Importantly, it will use the EEV diesel technology, the cleanest bus technology commercially available today,” he said.
Volvo is an industry leader in emission technology, with its Enhanced Environmentally-friendly Vehicles (EEV) at the cutting edge of emission technology worldwide. The technology results in significantly reduced levels of both greenhouse gas emissions and particulate matter but also in enhanced fuel efficiency.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Volvo Bus to develop a long-term, strategic relationship with the PTA in Perth”, says David Mead, General Manager Volvo Bus Australia.
“The contract will initially use a mix of Volvo’s B7RLE rigid and B12BLEA articulated buses. Both models are well proven in the Australian market and continue to set the industry standard for fuel efficiency, driveability and lifecycle costs. Coupled with our strong dealer partner, Truck Centre WA, we look forward to supporting the operators within the PTA over the next 10 years and beyond.”
Truck Centre WA has been a partnered with Volvo for more than 40 years and employs more than 230 staff across its network. As a result of the announcement, Truck Centre plan to set up a specialised and dedicated bus service team in Perth to support the PTA.
November 3, 2010
For further information, please contact Per-Martin Johansson, press officer, +46 31 322 52 00, per-martin.johansson@volvo.com
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Volvo Bus Corporation is one of the world’s largest manufacturer of large buses and coaches. The range comprises complete vehicles, chassis, bus bodies, transport system solutions for metropolitan traffic, leasing, financing and service contract maintenance. Volvo Bus Corporation is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace components and services. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. For more information, please visit http://www.volvobuses.com/
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