‘SMILE’ was the slogan for this year’s 61st UITP (International Association of Public Transport) World Congress and Exhibition, held at Milan, Italy, recently. The slogan stands for ‘Sustainability, Mobility, Innovation, Lifestyle and Economy’, words that attest to the broad spectrum of different challenges faced in the area of urban mobility, for which workable solutions need to be found for the future.
MAN has been investing in the future for 100 years, with products and services that embody the best in quality and efficiency. With its diverse MAN Lion’s City bus range, the company offers fuel-saving and environmentally-friendly mobility solutions for urban traffic, tailored to individual customer and market requirements. Customers can select their bus from a highly flexible product portfolio, including low-entry and low-floor designs, solo and articulated buses, lengths ranging from 12 to 18.75 metres, and two to five-door versions.
MAN also offers a wide variety of drive types, with diesel, hybrid and natural gas drives, a wide range of engines and technologies are available which are continuously being improved. Indeed the Lion’s City GL CNG was crowned ‘Bus of the Year 2015’ for its particularly environmentally friendly and powerful, yet economical drive.
MAN Lion’s City GL: the specialist in large passenger volumes
The Lion’s City GL will be on show at the UITP stand, representing the whole MAN family of efficient city buses. With this bus, MAN offers a vehicle concept specifically designed for urban traffic and capable of carrying especially high passenger numbers. The 18.75- metre long articulated bus has five double-width doors. This door concept, unique on the market, guarantees optimal and rapid passenger flow and short stopping times, even in peak periods.
When the vehicle moves off after standing with forebody and afterbody at a fairly tight angle, the electric articulation control system prevents pushing over the central axle. The segmented side wall cladding means that damaged parts can be more easily replaced. Repair times and downtimes are thus significantly reduced. The interior impresses with its new driver seat, materials and textiles, a translucent concertina section, glass roof hatches and energy efficient LED interior lighting (light-emitting diodes) combine to give the passenger area a bright and pleasant atmosphere. Uniquely, the exterior of the bus will reflect highlights from MAN’s anniversary celebrations to mark 100 years in the commercial vehicle sector. In line with the motto of the celebrations ‘Driving the next century’, the bus looks set to continue the success story of MAN well into the future.