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The first customer trials for UD city bus, the second brand from the stable of Volvo Buses, was flagged off in Bengaluru on Saturday. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will operate this bus on key routes over the next two months.
“The start of the first customer trials is an important milestone in the introduction of UD Buses in India,” Volvo Buses said in a statement.
In 2014, Volvo Group unveiled the UD Buses brand as part of its strategy to foray into the value segment in growth markets. India is now the first market where UD Buses is being introduced.
The UD SLF is a semi low-floor city bus.
“BMTC has always taken the lead in adopting the best solutions for urban mobility. They were the first to induct Volvo city bus in India -- a trend that has now spread to about 30 locations in the country with 1,500 buses plying. With the trials of the UD SLF, we are hopeful that another movement will happen the due course wherein other locations will also adopt this mobility solution,” Akash Passey, Senior Vice President - Business Region International, Volvo Bus Corporation said.
UD Buses is one of the brands in the Volvo Group and originates from Japan. It is from a vision of the founder, Kenzo Adachi that there should be vehicles that will never let you down. In 1939, he spent endless days and nights working out what such a vehicle should be like. His sole, intense focus was ultimate dependability. UD was thus born, the company statement added.
The UD SLF has been specifically designed to meet the needs of city transport with respect to passenger demands and driver comfort and performance. It has several safety features, some of which are used first time in this segment. They are Anti-lock Brake System -- disc brakes on the front wheels and drum brakes on the rear wheels, In-built hydrodynamic retarder, door brake system, large emergency exits, emergency hooter and full air suspension system among others.
