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Volvo Buses Unveils Fully Built Low-Entry Double Deck Coach
Volvo Buses and Truckquip launched the first ever fully built Volvo B11RLE 6x2 double deck coach recently at Volvo Buses' Malaysia office in Shah Alam.
Volvo B11RLE 6x2 Double Deck Coach's 'Ride and Drive' Event
After introducing the Volvo B11RLE 6x2 chassis to the Malaysian bus market, Volvo Buses is now showcasing the first ever fully built Volvo B11RLE 6x2 double deck coach and inviting customers to experience first-hand a ‘Ride and Drive’ event.
Jointly organised by Volvo Buses and its partner Truckquip Sdn Bhd (TQ), Volvo’s fully authorised chassis assembly factory in Malaysia, the ‘Ride and Drive’ kicked off at Volvo Buses’ Malaysia office in Shah Alam.
Graced by Anthony Loke Siew Fook, Transport Minister of Malaysia, and Dr Joachim Bergstrom, Ambassador of Sweden to Malaysia, the event saw participants taking a tour around the Shah Alam area and enjoying mixed road conditions.
This, according to Volvo Buses, is the first time a fully built Volvo B11R Low Entry 6x2 double deck coach is showcased and operated on road in the market since the chassis’ introduction in 2022.
“This is an opportunity not to be missed,” said Mats Nilsson, Vice President of Volvo Buses Asia Pacific. “Malaysia is the only market in Asia offering the Volvo B11RLE; it is assembled and built here in Malaysia and specially designed for Malaysia to meet our 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 be the king of the road, offering maximised safety with a newly integrated Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that is enhanced with technologies such as Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS), which provide alerts against falling asleep momentarily or distractions while driving. In addition, the Alpha DD12 is built as a wider stance, resulting in lower centre of gravity for better stability, especially while driving on the highway. This increases driver confidence and ultimately improve passenger comfort and road safety.
“The partnership between Volvo Buses and TQ started as early as 2015, with bus chassis assembly for the local market, and we are proud to collaborate on this specially designed for Malaysia model Volvo B11RLE 6x2. 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,” shared Tan Keng Meng, Executive Vice President and Group CEO of Warisan TC Holdings Berhad.
The newly-built Volvo B111RLE 6x2 double deck is to be handed over to Sani Express Sdn Bhd (Sani), which has signed an order for 12 units. The units that would be delivered throughout the year are planned for service between Kota Bharu and Kuala Lumpur.
Sani is one of the biggest bus operators from Kota Bharu, providing transportation services including airport transport, hotel shuttle, intercity and city operations. Wan Mohd Iskandar Dato Salleh, Group Managing Director of Sani, is confident that the newly purchased Volvo B11RLE models would elevate his fleet to a new level by providing outstanding comfort to his passengers for long distance travel.