The orders for 700 Volvo buses are part of a public tender in Bogotá whereby 1,441 buses are purchased for the city’s BRT system, Transmilenio. Volvo is in partnership with operators Fanalca/Transdev and Somos K, which were awarded operational lots in the tender.
The 700 buses are Volvo B340M chassis models, 298 articulated and 402 bi-articulated units, powered by a 12-litre engine and with 160 and 250 passenger capacity, respectively. The chassis will be bodied by Superpolo in Colombia and deliveries will start in March 2019.
Bogotá is replacing its Euro II and Euro III buses with new vehicles that meet the far stricter Euro V emission standards. Along with the changeover, the Colombian capital city is also expanding the capacity of its BRT system by about 30% through the introduction of more bi-articulated buses.
“We are very proud and delighted to once again have the privilege of delivering a large number of city buses to Bogotá, thus contributing to an improvement in the city’s air quality. Our solution, featuring high-capacity Euro V buses extended with Particle Filters, reduces local emissions by a massive 96% compared with the current Euro II buses,” says Håkan Agnevall, President Volvo Buses. “The BRT Euro V offering with filters represents a well-proven solution that meets the demand of true sustainability from all aspects – environmentally, socially and financially.”
Articulated and bi-articulated buses operating in BRT systems such as Transmilenio is a well-proven solution for improving the efficiency and sustainability of public transport in metropolitan areas. They speed up passenger movement, reduce emissions per passenger transported and cut operating costs.
Since 2001 Volvo has delivered more than 2,300 city buses to the BRT system of Bogotá. The fleet includes almost 360 of the company’s hybrid buses making this the largest fleet of electromobility buses in South America.
Volvo is a pioneer in the development of buses for BRT systems and is regarded as the market leader in Latin America. With this most recent order, the company has delivered more than 5,000 buses to BRT systems in Curitiba (Brazil), Bogotá (Colombia), Guatemala City (Guatemala), Mexico City (Mexico), Santiago de Chile (Chile) and San Salvador (El Salvador).
The contracts awarded will be signed by Transmilenio and the operators November 16.
2018-11-05
For further information, please contact:
Helena Lind, Manager Media Relations, Volvo Bus Corporation
Phone: +46 (0)31-323 62 57
For more information, please visit volvogroup.com/press
The Volvo Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. The Volvo Group, which employs almost 100,000 people, has production facilities in 18 countries and sells its products in more than 190 markets. In 2017 the Volvo Group’s sales amounted to about SEK 335 billion (EUR 35 billion). The Volvo Group is a publicly-held company headquartered in Göteborg, Sweden. Volvo shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.
