Sustainable Urban Road Transportation Seminar by Scania

19th of September, 2013 – Scania Malaysia held a Sustainable Urban Road Transportation Seminar at Le Meridien Hotel to an audience comprising various governmental, government-linked and private organizations.

The lead speaker was Nick Leach, Director of Vehicle Sales Support for Scania in Asia who spoke about the title. This is followed by Evan Auyang, Deputy Managing Director of Kowloon Motor Bus Company in Hong Kong who shared about how to run a sustainable bus operation. Professor Peter Göransson of the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden (K.T.H.) completed the day with his presentation on new technology collaboration between Scania CV AB and this institution of higher learning.

The seminar was held in conjunction with Business Sweden’s Sweden Malaysia Innovation Days 2013. Graced by His Excellency Bengt Carlsson, Ambassador of Sweden to Malaysia, the seminar was attended by over 30 people consisting members from Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (S.P.A.D.), Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (M.i.G.H.T.) and Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) amongst others.

Moving People, Changing Minds.

By 2030, over 60 per cent of the world’s population will be living in cities and mobility will be a critical factor if urban transport solutions do not keep pace with this growth.

However, most commuters and car drivers would not consider riding the bus as their preferred mode of transport as a result of their experience or perception of existing systems, but studies show that rational bus systems, with faster, smoother and more reliable transportation lead to considerable increases in ridership.

A well-planned, cost-efficient bus system that brings about measurable mobility and environmental benefits in fact produces an improved economic environment and ultimately a better quality of life.

“Solving the mobility challenges of any urban area requires planning, logistics and correct evaluation of priorities. And it also takes time, so we have to begin as soon as possible,” said Nick Leach, Director of Vehicle Sales Support for Scania in Asia.

A bus system reorganizes bus traffic in rational ways to achieve immediate efficiency gains and can cover everything from full scale BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) solutions transporting 50,000 passengers per hour and direction, to BRS (Bus Rapid System), solutions tailored for lower capacities.

For example, Bus Systems by Scania are in operation on five continents and are designed for flexibility and scalability to deliver a rational, cost efficient and sustainable solution that is tailored to the present and future needs of any city.

“At Scania, we have been through a century of bus evolution. This journey has given us plenty of experience and profound insight about how people want to travel and even what makes a good day for a bus driver. This has influenced how we think, now that we are in the business of moving people both physically and emotionally,”

It is also a profitable solution as it offers the most mobility per money spent because buses, unlike cars, use space efficiently and, in contrast to rail systems, can be built on existing road infrastructure.

Bus systems also generate higher average speeds and higher passenger capacity than a traditional bus operation, so the overall result is lower costs per passenger. 

For operators, this results in improved punctuality, fuel choice flexibility and maximised capacity with reduced operational costs.

Passengers get a better quality of life as bus systems beat road congestion and provide a comfortable, fast and smooth mode of transport.

Road safety is also largely improved in bus systems where buses are separated from other traffic, while decreasing pollution and environmental problems.

A reliable, affordable and safe bus system can improve local economies by providing job opportunities in areas of the city which were previously out of reach with a spill over effect of raising real estate values along the routes.

“Effective mobility is decisive to the power of attraction of every city and an effective transport system is the backbone in sustainable city planning and growth. But because cities grow, mutate and go through phases, the system must also have a scalable, flexible and expandable solution like Bus Systems by Scania,”

“Scania can assemble an entire team of city and transport planners, engineers and bus specialists to create a tailored turnkey solution for any city.”

One of the main features of Bus Systems by Scania are the Scania buses and coaches that are renowned for their outstanding operating economy.

Each bus is engineered to set world-class standards for safety, fuel economy, drivability, comfort, road handling, reliability and uptime.

They can also be customised to produce the best solution possible in terms of passenger capacity, interior layout and other key criteria.

Scania in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro has over 12 million inhabitants. The city is served by fullscale BRT systems, but there are areas where these cannot be implemented for lack of space, such as in the South Zone of the city.

However, since 2011 two hundred buses from Scania bring maximum comfort and accessibility even to the South Zone. The locally adapted solution includes exclusive bus lanes, rationally organized bus stops, as well as vehicles suitable for this kind of operation.

These particular buses are 12.5 metres long and have a lowered floor that facilitates entry and exit from street level.

This solution from Scania will contribute to the city’s appeal during the Soccer World Cup 2014 and the Olympics in 2016.

Scania in Johannesburg, South Africa

Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit is the single largest initiative in Johannesburg’s efforts to solve its transport and environmental problems.

The South African city has over a million inhabitants and crucial to the decision to go ahead with a BRT solution was that Scania offered a comprehensive package which included a service and maintenance agreement that provides driver and service technician training.

Johannesburg demanded that the engines meet the European Union’s Euro 4 environmental standard – leading to a significant reduction in particulate emissions. Needless to say, the system has had a very positive overall impact on the urban environment.