By R. Natarajan, Managing Editor & Publisher
When it comes to bus and coach transport, Allison Torqmatic fully automatic transmission helps keep vehicles on schedule by offering maximum operational benefits, besides superior passenger safety and comfort. Allison has been a name known for manufacturing transmissions that last longer, a reason why Allison automatics are the preferred choice of most bus and coach operators.
Ride & Drive program
India being a rapidly emerging bus market, Allison Transmission conducted a Ride & Drive event at its plant in Oragadam, near Chennai last month in order to demonstrate the capabilities of its fully automatic transmissions to bus operators. The event saw company officials explain the various techniques adopted by Allison to ensure high standards in manufacturing efficiency and product quality.
Addressing an elite group of bus operators from all over India and also from Sri Lanka, Mr. Ram Amarnath, Managing Director, Allison Transmission India, said: “We have been very successful in the city-bus market, and several State Transport Undertakings (STUs) are happy with the performance of our fully automatic transmission. Around 2,500 buses which were operated during the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi were fitted with our automatic transmission. Added to that, around 5,000 units have been supplied to highway vehicles and 7,500 units to off-highway vehicles in the country. All this is good testimony to the quality, reliability and passenger safety delivered by the product.”
One of India’s leading bus operators, KPN Travels, had recently tested Allison automatics. The trials included five Allison automatics-fitted buses operated on different routes, covering 1,60,000 km each. The results reflected outstanding transmission performance. Two of these tested vehicles were demonstrated at the Ride & Drive program which reiterated the impressive performance of the transmission in terms of offering utmost comfort, smooth movement and better fuel economy.
Allison automatics promise benefits in terms of quick return-on-investment and better profitability for bus operators and over the years, repair and maintenance of buses has become simpler with the introduction of electrical control systems. With Euro V vehicle norms all set to be enforced in 2014-15, Allison is now better placed to provide a suitable solution with its India-specific product. Allison’s management team with its domain expertise is also ready to share the technical know-how and provide support for bus operators to take the existing standard of the bus industry to new heights.
Customers’ delight
At the Ride & Drive event, MOTORINDIA had an opportunity to get interesting insights from different visiting dignitaries. The feedback brought into light the remarkable customer satisfaction delivered by Allison products. Mr. KPN. Raajesh, Executive Director, KPN Travels India Ltd., said that the feedback of the trial runs was very satisfactory and that it guaranteed benefits such as negligible driver fatigue. The company could also better its fuel efficiency by around 10 per cent, thus providing more value for money. With a current fleet strength of 230 buses, KPN is almost certain to go for Allison transmissions in its fleet expansion plans.
Expressing his views, Mr. Raj Gopal, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation, said: “We are extremely happy with the advanced Allison technology and are planning to introduce more buses with this technology. Since the Corporation has already become a role model in city-bus transportation, the Gujarat Government is keen to offer better passenger comfort and safety for the ever-growing number of commuters”.
Mr. G. Ganesan, Deputy Manager, Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Chennai) Ltd., while presenting his observation, disclosed that the Tamil Nadu Government is seriously considering further fitment of Allison automatics in the State Transport vehicles, for which vigorous trials are in progress.
Mr. Deshabandu Gamuna Wijerathne, President, Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association, who was present with his team, pointed out that his Association which includes 16,000 members, with a fleet of 20,000 buses, is playing a big role in road transportation in Sri Lanka and would most likely opt for Allison technology because of its proven quality and widespread sales and service network.
India emerging big market
A virtual market leader in the fully automatic transmission segment currently in India, Allison considers India as a highly potential and promising market for the coming years. In line with the company’s long-term plans for India, Allison decided to go with Chennai as its manufacturing facility site because of the city’s emergence as the Detroit of Asia over the years. In fact, the Allison plant is located just behind the facility of Komatsu, the leading Japanese off-highway vehicle manufacturer and close to the factories of global giants Daimler and Renault, which stand testimony to Chennai’s aggressive development in the automotive sector.
Apart from catering to the local demand, the Chennai plant also meets the needs of markets like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The proposed expansion of the Chennai facility will make it Allison’s second largest plant in the world, next only to that in USA. The company has a third plant in Hungary.