Volgren continues to build a global reputation for high quality bus bodies with the announcement of a major export order for 29 low floor city buses from Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of Transport.
The order is Volgren’s single biggest deal since entering the Japanese market in 2014 with their articulated route bus.
This latest partnership with Tokyo Metropolitan Government, who operates around 1,450 buses in the Greater Tokyo region, is one of four operator relationships that Volgren has established, including their ongoing association with Japan’s largest bus operator, the Nishitetsu Railway Company.
Volgren Chief Executive Peter Dale said the entry of the Volgren low floor city buses, to be built on a Scania N280UB E6 chassis would be the first of their kind in Japan.
“In a short space of time, Volgren have built a reputation in Japan for manufacturing high quality, niche vehicles in areas that local manufacturers currently do not supply into.”
“There’s currently no local Japanese bus body manufacturer producing a complete low floor buses with the only other option being buses from Europe, that are non-compliant to Japanese regulations and not equipped with any Japanese specific equipment upon delivery to the customer.”
“The low floor route buses for Tokyo Metropolitan Government, to be built right here in Dandenong, will be 100 per cent compliant to their vehicle specifications including their complex onboard passenger information systems, ticketing equipment and emergency exit requirements.”
“This ready to roll solution is well received by operators and is one of the key planks to our success in Japan” Dale explains.
Dale said Volgren’s engineering quality and technological innovation means that their buses are now desired throughout the world.
“Tokyo Metropolitan Government is one of the most progressive bus operators in the world. They’ve recently taken delivery of the first Toyota fuel cell bus and by ordering a complete low floor solution through Volgren, they’re sending a message to local suppliers – update and be more flexible to passenger requirements, or we’ll go elsewhere,” Dale said.
The complete low floor city buses will improve ease of access, increase capacity and better cater to Tokyo’s ageing population.
The first of two homologation units, ordered by Scania Japan, will go into build in two weeks, as part of the pre-registration process. Production of the remaining buses will commence in May and be completed by August 2018.
For more information please call Cameron Donovan at EMG on 0408 662 007.
