Move aside Volvo, Scania buses will be the latest acquisition in Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation’s (MSRTC) fleet. In the first phase, 35 of these ultramodern AC buses will be purchased, along with 32 Volvos, and will be introduced in December.
After the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), MSRTC becomes the second bus utility to acquire Scania buses. MSRTC, which runs 27 Shivneri (Volvo) buses between Pune and Mumbai, Aurangabad, Nashik and Kolhapur, is acquiring these buses to attract more passengers. “Each bus will cost Rs 1 crore. However, we are yet to finalise routes,” said an official from MSRTC’s head office in Mumbai on condition of anonymity. Scania buses are equipped with automatic gears, which will provide higher mileage. While a Volvo runs 2.8 km on a litre of fuel, Scania averages 3.3. Both Volvo and Scania are based in Sweden.
An MSRTC official said, “It’ll have 2×2 pushback seats. Only after using them shall we know if they are better than Volvo buses. Initially, Mercedes buses were introduced for intercity transport. However, it did not receive great response from commuters, which forced private operators to stop purchasing them.” In 2013, Scania set up a truck and bus manufacturing unit at Narasapura near Bangalore. Recently, KSRTC purchased 35 buses.
News: www.punemirror.in
