SHAH ALAM: After introducing the Volvo B11R Low Entry 6X2 chassis to the Malaysian bus market, Volvo Buses is now showcasing the first ever fully-built double-deck coach version and inviting customers to experience it first-hand at a Ride and Drive event.
Jointly organised by Volvo Buses and its partner Truckquip Sdn Bhd (TQ), Volvo’s fully authorized chassis assembly factory in Malaysia, the Ride and Drive kicked off at Volvo Buses’ Malaysia office in Shah Alam.
The event, which was attended by Transport Minister Anthony Loke and Ambassador of Sweden to Malaysia Dr Joachim Bergstrom, saw participants take a tour around the Shah Alam area and experience the mixed road conditions.
Loke (left) and Dr Bergstrom (right) going for a ride with other VIPs in the double-deck bus.
Volvo Buses Asia Pacific vice-president Mats Nilsson said Malaysia is the only market in Asia offering the Volvo B11RLE that is locally assembled and built.
He said the coach was specially designed for Malaysia to meet the customers’ expectations, passengers’ requirements and local operational needs.
The first-ever Volvo B11R Low Entry bus featuring the ALPHA DD12 TQ body, is designed to offer maximum safety with a newly integrated Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) enhanced with technologies such as Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS), which will provide alerts against microsleep or distractions while driving.
The Alpha DD12 built as a wider stance results in a lower centre of gravity for better stability, especially while driving on the highway, to increase driver confidence, thus ultimately improving passenger comfort and road safety.
Nilsson (second from left) handing over the mock bus key to Wan Mohd Iskandar.
Warisan TC Holdings Bhd executive vice-president and Group CEO Tan Keng Meng said the collaboration between its subsidiary company TQ and Volvo Buses started in 2015 with bus chassis assembly for the local market.
“TQ’s technical team has worked day and night over the past year with Volvo’s body-building support and instructions to come up with this striking, premium double-deck coach and we look forward to more such successful collaborations,” said Tan.
Sani Express Sdn Bhd (Sani) has signed an order for a total of 12 units of the B111R Low Entry double deck coach, which will be delivered throughout the year.
The units are expected to be used for passenger service between Kota Bharu and Kuala Lumpur.
Sani Group managing director Wan Mohd Iskandar Dato Salleh said he was confident that the new coaches would elevate his fleet to a new level by providing outstanding comfort to his passengers for long-distance travel.
