VOLVO Buses announced on Monday the delivery of 90 units of the first-ever Euro 6 double-deck buses (pix) to Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana).
“On behalf of Volvo Buses, we are extremely excited to introduce the Euro 6 technology to Malaysia. The current vehicle emission regulation in Malaysia is Euro 3, but our partner Prasarana made a commitment to reduce emission level in Malaysia by purchasing the Volvo B8L Euro 6 double deck-buses beyond the local regulation requirement,” said Mats Nilsson, director of Volvo Buses Region APAC Central.
In late 2017, Volvo Buses Malaysia was awarded a tender of 90 units double-deckers by Prasarana and put into operation by Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd for public transport in Kuala Lumpur.
Prasarana president and group CEO Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah said: “The 12-metre Volvo B8L double-decker buses offer a great solution to our operational challenges. With more seating and standing room, including one wheelchair facility, each bus could hold up to 110 passengers at one time.
“Now that we are in Phase 4 of the National Recovery plan, Rapid Bus expects an increase of 10% to 20% from our existing load factor during the peak-hour, as well increase capacity per trip. More passengers can board the bus at one time, thus reducing the waiting time for our passengers,” he added.
The Volvo B8L chassis is manufactured in Boras, Sweden, and has already been widely tested in the demanding city environments of Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
Powered by Volvo’s proven D8K engine, the B8L delivers lower overall weight, a tighter turning circle and all new axles and suspension providing outstanding ride quality, improved driveability, and higher levels of vehicle performance.
It has a 350hp engine, paired with 1400-1600Nm-rated automatic gearboxes. It has a new rear axle and driveline configuration, fuel-saving electrically-powered auxiliaries, an oil management system that ensures the optimal oil level, is up to 600kg lighter than the preceding model and has an electrically-powered hydraulic steering system, among others.
Assembled locally in Malaysia by Pioneer Coachbuilders Sdn Bhd, the Euro 6 double-deck buses are built with 22-ton capacity and has a length of 12 meters and height of 4.2 metres.
The new B8L continues Volvo’s focus on safety with several features included as standard equipment, such as electronic stability control, electronic braking systems and acceleration limiter. Also, the chassis is fitted with Volvo’s proven telematics system, which allows operators to access the vehicle data in real time.
Euro 6 vehicles reduce particulate matters, which are microscopic solid or liquid matter suspended in the Earth’s atmosphere, by 0.02 to 0.01. It also reduces the amount of nitrogen oxide released into the air from 2.0 to 0.4.