VMSALT Chaser: SCANIA INDIA : - Scania offers Metrolink14.5M HD coach to APSRTC for trail run

The impressive track record of Scania Metrolink continues with yet another significant development with India’s one of the reputed State Transport Unit, APSRTC. For the first time APSRTC will test Scania Metrolink 14.5 M HD coach on the important route of Vijayawada and Hyderabad. In an formal bus handover event, Mr. Sivakumar V, Director – Sales, Scania Commercial Vehicles India and Mr. Samba Siva Rao, IPS., Managing Director, APSRTC, officially flagged off the Scania Metrolink coach at Pandit Nehru Bus Station in Vijayawada.

The 14.5 M Scania Metrolink HD coaches will service the important route connecting Vijayawada and Hyderabad. This will be the first trial run of the luxury bus under Garuda Plus class after bifurcation of the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The trails will be conducted for the period of 2 months, after which APSRTC will evaluate performance report from the trial run to further decide on the purchase of Scania Metrolink coaches.
The route operations details as follows,

Vijayawada – Hyderabad: Daily 17:30 hrs departure
Hyderabad – Vijayawada: Daily 5:30 hrs departure

Launched in February 2013, the Scania Metrolink range introduced highly reliable multi-purpose coaches with class leading comfort for medium and long distance travel in the Indian market. The buses are already present in all major states in south, while Maharashtra and Gujarat in the western part of India. All Scania products come with the promise of superior Total Operating Economy, maximum uptime, and great fuel economy, which in turn helps in reducing impact on the environment by limiting CO2 emissions. The Metrolink buses are packed with uncompromised safety features such as Fleet Management System (FMS), fire detection and suppression system, speed limit compliant to state regulations, six emergency exits with twelve hammers, emergency doors and flight like safety video to educate passengers on Do’s and Don’ts at the time of emergency.

In addition, all the Scania products comply with R66 Standard, best possible safety even in case of vehicle roll over and accident, tested and certified by TUV, Germany. To reduce the wear and tear of the breaking system, Blended Retarder in the Scania products helps in improved safety by keeping the service brakes cold for full emergency performance and also adds on to the stability of the vehicle while braking. The engine and bus body is build with 100% fire retardant material. Other advantages such as shorter turning radius for easy maneuvering and Scania Opticruise, a fully automated manual gearbox will give ease to the driver in challenging traffic situations.

Understanding the importance of service support, Scania promises outstanding after-market services to its customers. Scania’s service vans to guarantee service support to customers within two hours of fault reporting. Considering the vital role of drivers in the fleet operation, Scania offers a complete driver training programme. A well trained driver can bring about huge impact in terms of operating economy, safety and acting at the time of emergency. The FMS on Scania Metrolinks provide real time monitoring and facilitates driver coaching to derive the best performance parameters.