Allison Transmission in Mitsubishi Aero Star buses bring safe riding to treacherous mountain roads of Hakone, Japan
New Hakone Tozan Buses equipped with Allison automatic transmissions provide smooth service even on narrow roads.
Tokyo, Japan – The Hakone area outside Tokyo, Japan has long has been known as a dangerous area for road travel due to steep mountain roads and sharp curves that are the most precipitous in the country. Drivers encounter these treacherous roads and curves at short intervals over long stretches, making driving a difficult task. Even the roads that pass through the historical section of town are narrow, and for buses that must travel these roads, steering is a challenge. To make driving in areas such as these a little easier, operator Hakone Tozan Bus is acquiring Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Star buses equipped with the T310 model fully automatic from Allison Transmission.
Since its introduction in April 2011, the automatic transmission equipped Aero Star has demonstrated its unique performance on various road surfaces. The driving routes serviced by Hakone Tozan Bus cover approximately 25 kilometres of roadway between Odawara Station, Sengoku and Togendai, which include a mixture of urban areas, hills and approximately 60 bus stops. Many of the accidents that occur inside buses happen when passengers fall as a result of the force generated when a manual transmission bus takes off. The new Aero Stars operated by Hakone Tozan Bus are able to stop safely at the many bus stops located on hilly roads and also minimize the sudden jolting that usually occurs when manual vehicles begin accelerating from a stop.
Another benefit of the automatic transmission is that the driver can focus all his attention on driving without having to worry about complex gear shifting operations. This is especially helpful on Hakone’s hairpin curves and roads so narrow that there is little room to maneuver when passing oncoming vehicles. Safe, stable driving is a must in Hakone, and Hakone Tozan Bus’ new T310-equipped Aero Stars are the perfect solution.
In addition to safety and stability, Allison automatic transmissions can reward Hakone Tozan Bus with cost-efficient fuel consumption comparable with a manual, especially when reduced maintenance costs are added to the equation.
According to Hakone Tozan Bus officials, the manual transmission buses operated by their company had fuel consumption of between 2.75 km and 2.87 km per litres of fuel; based on results to date, the new buses equipped with Allison automatic transmissions can travel 2.79 km on a litre of fuel. From a maintenance perspective, the costs to overhaul and replace parts on a manual transmission bus are expected to exceed the same costs for an automatic transmission bus.
Katsumi Minagi, Chief Mechanic at Hakone Tozan Bus, said, “With the manual transmission buses, the clutches had to be overhauled – replacing discs and bearings, etc. – about once every five years, and sometimes the transmission would fail and have to be replaced. In contrast, the only maintenance that has to be done on the automatic transmission buses is to periodically change the gear oil and filters and to conduct a single overhaul in the transmission’s 12-year life cycle. Also making the automatic transmission attractive is that we no longer need to spend time adjusting the clutch. We periodically replaced the gear oil of the manual transmission buses, but the buses equipped with Allison automatic transmissions feature a prognostic device that displays in advance when the transmission oil needs to be changed, so we are able to replace the oil at the proper time.”
Teruhisa Nagata, Training Director and a driver at Hakone Tozan Bus, said of the new buses, “In recent years, many new drivers from a variety of backgrounds have joined the company, and we’ve seen a greater influx of new employees who aren’t familiar with the Large Vehicle Class 2 Driver’s License. The new automatic transmission buses are the ideal vehicle for these drivers because the buses provide excellent stability and a smooth drive even on bad roads. These new buses have even gained a good reputation among our veteran drivers because they are easier to drive and reduce driver fatigue.”
Recognising that public transportation plays an active role in various aspects of society, Allison Transmission Japan continues to provide transmissions that make vehicles safer and easier to drive.
About Hakone Tozan Bus
Hakone Tozan Bus is a public transportation services operator across the entire Hakone area, an historical sightseeing destination in eastern Japan. Hakone Tozan Bus operates buses along 420.78 kilometers of roads and maintains a hub in Odawara City. The company owns more than 150 buses and employs approximately 300 people.
About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully-automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, medium- and heavy-tactical U.S. military vehicles and hybrid-propulsion systems for transit buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including on-highway trucks (distribution, refuse, construction, fire and emergency), buses (primarily school and transit), motor homes, off-highway vehicles and equipment (primarily energy and mining) and military vehicles (wheeled and tracked). Founded in 1915, the Allison business is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A. and employs approximately 2,800 people. Allison has manufacturing facilities and customization centers located in China, The Netherlands, Brazil, India, and Hungary, with a global presence serving customers in North American, Europe, Australia, South America, and Africa. Allison also has more than 1,500 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. More information about Allison is available at www.allisontransmission.com.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plans," "project," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," “intend,” “forecast,” “could,” "potential," "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar terms or phrases. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks. Factors which may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made include, but are not limited to: risks related to our substantial indebtedness; our participation in markets that are competitive; general economic and industry conditions; our ability to prepare for, respond to and successfully achieve our objectives relating to technological and market developments and changing customer needs, the failure of markets outside North America to increase adoption of fully-automatic transmissions, the discovery of defects in our products, resulting in delays in new model launches, recall campaigns and/or increased warranty costs and reduction in future sales or damage to our brand and reputation; the concentration of our net sales in our top five customers and the loss of any one of these; and labor strikes, work stoppages or similar labor disputes, which could significantly disrupt our operations or those of our principal customers. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. All information is as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in expectations.
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Press Enquiries
Claire Dumbreck, Propel Technology, Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, OX15 4FF. +44 (0)1295 724130 / +44 (0) 7768 773857. claire@propel-technology.com
Miranda Jansen, Allison Transmission Europe B.V. Marketing Communications, Baanhoek 188, 3361GN Sliedrecht - The Netherlands , Tel: +31 78-6422 174. miranda.jansen@allisontransmission.com
Press Enquiries
Claire Dumbreck, Propel Technology, Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, OX15 4FF. 44 (0)1295 724130 / 44 (0) 7768 773857. claire@propel-technology.com
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