Allison transmissions help Hungarian bus renewal programme
The city of Pécs has been renewing its outdated public transport fleet since 2013, with new Allison-equipped Credo buses bringing fuel economy and reliability
SZENTGOTTHÁRD, Hungary – The public transport authority of Pécs, the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2010, has purchased 35 new buses over the past two years, with all but one featuring an Allison fully automatic transmission. In a three phase renewal of its fleet, provider Tüke Busz Zrt has selected two Citadell-19 articulated buses, five Credo Econell CiTY models and 28 Credo Citadell-12 rigid buses.
Istvan Paiger, chairman of Tüke Busz Zrt, said, “Facts already confirm that our overall costs have been reduced. The price/value ratio is very advantageous; the operation of these vehicles is far less costly than our other buses.”
Buses purchased as part of the renewal programme and those previously operating in Pécs, were produced by the Kravtex-Kühne Group, which was able to fulfill the order with a short lead-time. According to Paiger, they had heard about Allison, but had no direct experience with the product and began to investigate when Kravtex-Kühne offered the Allison fully automatic option.
“After visiting Allison’s production facility and the Allison Customer Experience Center in Szentgotthárd, we became even more confident about the product,” he said.
Data collected by Tüke Busz during the fleet’s operational assessment was convincing. In the first quarter of 2013, travelers had to suffer 7,700 missed routes due to varied technical problems. Since the arrival of the new Allison- equipped buses, missed routes decreased by 98.8 percent by the third quarter of 2013. Performance of the renewed fleet also confirmed increased efficiency, with fuel-consumption reduced from 13 to nearly 31 percent in rigid buses and six percent in articulated buses.
Lajos Nagy, service station manager at Tüke Busz, likes working with the new Credos. Experienced in driving buses with different transmission technologies, Nagy said the Allison-equipped models are very good: “Once electronic controls are calibrated, they learn your driving style quickly and the transmission delivers continuous power smoothly to the drive wheels. Operation is outstanding. In a year, the buses run between 40,000 and 100,000 kilometres and they have not stopped once because of a transmission problem. Still, we feel that service is always available if needed, as Allison representatives are available to help in case of any questions,” said Nagy.
Parts of Pécs, located in the southern hills of Mecsek, present challenges in terms of steep, winding roadways, but according to driver Gabor Trapp, not for the Allison- equipped vehicles.
“These transmissions launch and accelerate smoothly on the slopes of Mecsek, much more than the ones I used before. This is very advantageous on the steep, narrow roads on my route. It makes driving easier and maneuvering safer,” Trapp said.
About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and is a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including refuse, construction, fire, distribution, bus, motorhomes, defense and energy. Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA and employs approximately 2,700 people worldwide. With a market presence in more than 80 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Hungary and India. Allison also has approximately 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.
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Propel Technology Allison Transmission Europe
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