Volvo Buses wins Greyhound Australia order for 30 new coaches
Volvo Bus Australia has been awarded an order for 30 new coaches in Greyhound Australia’s national Express fleet. The new long distance coaches will begin operations in December 2013.
The order for the new Volvo B13R coaches comes as a result of the operator’s decision to upgrade its fleet to improve its offering to the market and meet its environmental standards by minimizing emissions.
“Our coaches are some of the hardest working in the country, often covering more than 300,000 kilometres each year. We needed to partner with a supplier that could offer us a high quality and safe product, with proven reliability, all backed up with a national service network. Volvo was the supplier that could offer all of that to Greyhound,” says Melinda Rich, General Manager – Procurement of Greyhound Australia.
Reaching the entire continent, Greyhound Australia’s network covers almost 20 million kilometres carrying, on average, more than three million tourists and commuters each year. The coaches are required to run in a range of different geographies and often harsh conditions.
“Our coaches cover a lot of land and diverse terrain. The technology offered by the Volvo engine and chassis allows us to significantly improve fuel efficiency and lower carbon emissions of our fleet, making it more sustainable.”
The decision for the fleet upgrade is in line with Greyhound’s high commitment to environmentally friendly travel alternatives by ensuring continuous improvements in fuel efficiency and the delivery of lower carbon emissions.
“When choosing the supplier, we were particularly interested in the balance between performance and fuel economy, so we trialled coaches in a range of short haul and long haul duties in our Express network. In the end, it was the B13R coach that offered us the best combination of power and performance, while offering good fuel economy.”
The B13R uses the same vertically installed 13-litre engine (D13C) that has been used by Volvo Trucks for several years. It is, thus, one of the world's most-sold heavy diesel engines with proven performance and reliability.
”We expect our customers to love the reliability and comfort offered by the new coaches in our Express fleet. Beyond the obvious benefits of a reliable and efficient chassis from Volvo, we have also invested heavily in the body of the coach by providing reclining leather seats, and USB charging for phones and tablets, as well as, onboard wi-fi. We believe our coaches will offer our customers the most reliable and comfortable way to get out and see Australia.”
So far, the first Volvo coaches are being used to train about 200 Greyhound drivers, covering most of the operator’s bases in the east coast of Australia. The rest of the order is expected to be running in the Express fleet by the first quarter of 2014.
“Volvo has supported us with a significant training program for our drivers, which is important as ultimately it is our drivers who will ensure we get the best performance on the road out of the new coaches. Our drivers have been very excited about the new Volvos coming into our fleet over the next few months.”
Volvo Bus Australia will be displaying a Greyhound coach at the Australian Bus & Coach show, during 25-26.9.2013 in Sydney.
For further information, please contact:
Helena Lind, Manager Media Relations, Volvo Bus Corporation
Phone: 46 (0)31-323 62 57
Volvo Bus Corporation is one of the 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 and drive systems for marine and industrial applications. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service.
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