Volvo delivers World Cup buses

Prior to the Soccer World Cup, several South African cities are investing in building intelligent bus-based transport systems. Two of the three cities selected Volvo as its supplier of buses.

Two of the three cities that are now building bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, have decided to place their orders for the buses required for the Soccer World Cup with Volvo Buses.

In Port Elizabeth, the city selected Volvo Buses as its total supplier. This includes the buses — gold contracts that involve Volvo taking responsibility for all service and repair work on the vehicles — and the ITS4mobility traffic-information system.

Port Elizabeth ordered 25 articulated buses of the Volvo B9SLA model with bodies from Marco Polo. South Africa has left-hand traffic and the buses will have four doors on the right side for quickly getting on and off at the special stops along the BRT corridors. The buses also have three doors on the left side that are deployed when driving in mixed traffic further out on the bus routes.

The city has also ordered a normal 39-foot prototype bus, a Volvo B7RLE, for testing in the BRT system.

Meanwhile, Cape Town ordered 43 Volvo buses for its system with specifications for high-floor systems with elevated platforms at the bus stops. This order pertains to eight articulated Volvo B12M buses and 35 39-foot Volvo B7R buses. Marco Polo will also manufacture the bodies for these buses.

South Africa is currently the country with the largest establishment of BRT. This is being done now due to the needs brought on by the World Cup in soccer.