Volvo Buses & Coaches was a mammoth-sized exhibitor at the first-ever Busworld SAE in Jakarta. The products displayed by the pioneer did not fail to catch the attention of the visitors. The company used the spotlight to launch the Volvo B11R and the Volvo B8R for the Indonesian bus market.
Mr. Akash Passey, Senior Vice President – Business Region International, Volvo Bus Corp., said at the launch: “Indonesia is a very large and modern market for buses. This brings significant opportunities for bus operators and bus manufacturers to support the progress of land transportation through high quality, safe and environment-friendly buses.”
Volvo B11R
Two versions of the B11R chassis, namely, the Ultra-High Coach and the Double Decker Coach, were displayed at the expo. These buses were built with the sole purpose of meeting long-distance and inter-city transportation needs. The 11-litre engine which packs a punch at 430 hp is set to deliver one of the best performances with utmost driver satisfaction.
Added with Volvo’s leading I-SHIFT AMT 12-speed transmission, optimized for coach touring, the driver can easily and safely maintain speed and ensure a smooth, enjoyable ride.
Volvo B8R
The low-end Volvo B8R LE model was ideal for city transportation, high passenger capacities and routes that require fast entry and exit. The B8R model was specifically designed to meet the demands of city and urban traffic applications. The model is equipped with a Volvo B8 engine, which is said to be the most fuel-efficient Volvo engine, to reduce the overall operating costs.
“At present, we are pleased to introduce the newest, Volvo B8R & the Volvo B11R, in Indonesia. These buses have proven their performance with various customer demands in several countries and will certainly meet the requirements in Indonesia”, Mr. Passey added.
The company gained massive experience in the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system by pioneering the concept for over 40 years in Curitiba, Brazil. BRT is a mass transit solution that has proven to be equally effective as the metro trains system, in terms of price and capacity.
Volvo Bus is set to use the experience from Brazil’s BRT, to further develop the TransJakarta Busway. More than a hundred B11R buses, configured for the Jakarta BRT, are on road and in service. They are locally known as “Maxi buses”, which can comfortably accommodate up to 90 passengers and are very popular among the drivers.
Since the 1980s, PT Indotruck Utama, a subsidiary of the Indomobil Group, has been the sole distributor for Volvo in Indonesia. The distributor has a wide, nation-wide service network and strives to provide world-class services to keep operations running.
“Volvo believes in Indotruck Utama’s capabilities and knows that they are the right distributors to represent the Volvo brand and its values. The customer service and dealer network are very impressive, and we believe that they are the right partners to help increase Volvo bus sales in Indonesia”, stated the Senior VP.
Through the Busworld expo, Volvo hopes to build and strengthen relationships with the Indonesian bus space and focus on improving quality and safety.