KUALA LUMPUR: Volvo Buses Malaysia officially handed over 90 units of Euro 6 double deck buses, Volvo B8L, to Prasarana Malaysia Berhad.
"On behalf of Volvo Buses, we are extremely excited to introduce the Euro 6 technology to Malaysia. The current vehicle emission regulation in Malaysia is Euro 3, but our partner Prasarana made a commitment to reduce emission level in Malaysia by purchasing the Volvo B8L Euro 6 double deck buses beyond the local regulation requirement," said Volvo Buses Region APAC Central director Mats Nilsson.
"The 12-metre Volvo B8L double-decker buses offer a great solution to our operational challenges. With more seating and standing room, including one wheelchair facility, each bus holding up to 110 passengers at one time," said Prasarana Malaysia Berhad president and group chief executive officer Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah.
"Now that we are in Phase 4 of the National Recovery plan, Rapid Bus expects an increase of 10 to 20 per cent from our existing load factor during the peak-hour, as well increase capacity per trip. More passengers can board the bus at one time, thus reducing the waiting time for our passengers," he added.
Volvo Buses Malaysia was awarded a tender of 90 units of double-deckers by Prasarana in late 2017 and to be put into operation by Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd for public transport in Kuala Lumpur.
The Volvo B8L chassis is manufactured in Boras, Sweden, and has already been widely tested in city environments of Hong Kong and UK. It is powered by Volvo's D8K engine that delivers 350 horsepower paired to 1400 to 1600 Nm-rated automatic gearboxes.
It has a new rear axle and driveline configuration, equipped with fuel-saving electrically powered auxiliaries, an oil management system that ensures the optimal oil level, up to 600 kg weight reduction, and comes with electrically powered hydraulic steering.
It is built with 22-ton capacity, has a length of 12 meter and height of 4.2m, with carrying capacity up to a total of 110 passengers.
The buses are fitted with wheelchair ramps and mother-child seats, with several safety features included as standard equipment, such as Electronic Stability Control (ESP), Electronic Braking Systems (EBS) and acceleration limiter. Also, the chassis is fitted with Volvo's telematics system allowing operators to access the vehicle data in real time.
Emission is its biggest focus as Euro 6 vehicles reduce particulate matters, which are microscopic solid or liquid matter suspended in the Earth's atmosphere, by 0.02 to 0.01. It also reduces the amount of nitrogen oxide released into the air from 2.0 to 0.4.
"Environmental Care is one of the Volvo Group's core values. We believe in clean, silent and efficient transport solutions that offer our customers entirely new possibilities for modern city development and sustainable living," said Volvo Buses Malaysia country manager Karen Tan.
The buses are assembled locally by Pioneer Coachbuilders Sdn Bhd and bodied by Gemilang Coachwork Sdn Bhd.