On board the bus, there is an internet connection, coffee and morning papers to make the trip as pleasant and efficient as possible.

200 people – who have thus far purchased the substantially subsidised monthly ticket – are now using the comfortable means of travel on a daily basis, which takes place using Scania Touring and Scania OmniExpress coaches. The alternatives are commuter trains and regular buses, which take a longer time and are sometimes affected by delays.

“Not to be able to get to work quickly enough can be an impediment for a person to accept work in another place, such as Södertälje, for example. We believe that this solution can help to make Scania an even more attractive workplace,” says Erik Ljungberg, Senior Vice President Corporate Relations at Scania in a news feature for Swedish television. 

The investment in the commuter buses provides Scania with more opportunities. For some years, Scania Transport Lab has operated a Scania-owned haulage company for transport of goods between Scania’s production sites, in order to analyse and evaluate road transport by truck; now they are working in the same way with these buses, in order to evaluate performance and new systems in actual service.

“Normally, we sell some 200–225 buses but during 2011 we registered 512 buses. In other words, we sold twice as many as we normally do,” says Leif Nyström, Head of Bus Sales at Scania-Bilar Sverige.

In total, the Swedish bus market increased by one-third while Scania’s sales, as mentioned, doubled. Scania’s long-term efforts to offer comprehensive service solutions, and the broad product programme in biofuels have been decisive growth factors.

In November 2011, Scania receive a major order from the bus operator Nobina for 109 biogas buses to be delivered this year. At the end of December 2011, it was also announced that Scania would deliver 94 RME-fuelled buses to Arriva, which will be in service this summer for Stockholm Transport (SL).

“In Sweden, particularly, biofuel buses have become increasingly popular and will soon constitute one-third of all city buses. It is clear that diesel-fuelled buses are declining. Stockholm Transport, for example, has set a target of 100-percent biofuels by 2018–2020.”

The strong increase in Scania’s bus sales can partly be explained by the fact that several operators, with which Scania has formed partnerships, have been successful in winning tenders. But there are also other explanations.

“Our broad product range is paying off,” says Leif Nyström. “Of a total of 100 double decker buses sold in Sweden last year, Scania delivered 75. The double decker bus has become an attractive choice in regional public transport with a high comfort level and good legroom that can seat 85–86 passengers, which is substantially more than an articulated bus.”

Registered buses in Sweden 2011 (>10 tonnes)

1. Scania 512
2. Volvo 357
3. MAN 202
4. Mercedes-Benz 123
5. Setra 68
6. Solaris 58
7. VDL 50
8. Neoplan 18
9. Irisbus 15
10. Temsa 9

Amsterdam’s EBS Public Transportation recently took possession of 164 OmniLinks and 47 Scania Higer A30s. They were delivered in several configurations and produced in Sweden, Poland and China. The buses are equipped with engines complying with the highest European environmental emissions standards – Euro 5 and EEV (Environmentally-friendly Enhanced Vehicles).

To complete these buses, a temporary workshop was established in Amsterdam, where a team of mechanics processed the buses for several months together with other suppliers.

One of the main reasons EBS Public Transportation chose Scania was the extensive support that Scania offers securing the operational uptime of the buses.

Watch a video from the occation.  

The Scania Citywide has been styled to stand out in a busy urban environment with its dynamic, sculptural lines and contemporary exterior design. It also has a clear family resemblance with other buses and coaches in Scania’s new product range.

Advanced ergonomics will appeal to drivers and the optional adjustable dashboard complies with German standards.

Engines are offered for diesel, biodiesel, gas, biogas and bioethanol operation.

For more information and pictures, visit the pressroom “Scania at Busworld” >

Scania Citywide low-entrance.

Inter Airport Europe covers a vast array of terminal operations, infrastructure and technical installations. With its green options and modular product system, Scania can supply solutions for a great many of these, as evidenced by the exhibits at Inter Airport 2011 in Munich. Scania fire and rescue vehicles – usually chosen for reliability, uptime and performance – are in operation at major airports on all continents.

For more information and pictures, visit the pressroom >

Scania G 400 4x4 sweeper/blower/snow plough.

Two hundred Scania city buses, which shall be operated by the Breda Rio Group, are about to start picking and dropping off passengers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They have been designed in order to improve urban mobility in the municipality. When it comes to urban passenger transport, the vehicles bring a completely new concept to Rio de Janeiro: maximising comfort and accessibility.
“This delivery is a breakthrough for Scania’s concept of city buses that fulfils Rio de Janeiro’s — and other cities’ — criteria for developing efficient and passenger-attractive public transport systems,” says Wilson Pereira, head of sales of Buses and Coaches at Scania Brazil.

“I see huge future potential. Upcoming major international sports events, like the 2014 Soccer World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics will further increase the demand for reliable and comfortable buses.”

The buses to be incorporated into the fleet are of the Scania K230 4×2 model. They are 12.5 metres long and a floor that lowers, used to facilitate the entry and exit of passengers. The K230 4×2 has 35 seats with space reserved for the transport of wheelchair users, and can also hold up to 47 standing passengers.

Bus Rapid Transport system
The public transport system in Rio, Bus Rapid Service (BRS), is an intelligent solution for urban transport in medium to large cities, using exclusive bus lanes for the circulation of vehicles, thereby connecting passengers with other transport modals quickly and easily. The system also includes better organisation of bus stops and adapts to the size of the vehicles in operation.

Rio de Janeiro already has three rapid transport lines in operation in the South Zone, and this ensures a 40 percent reduction in travel times along the different routes. After implementation of the system, the average speed of trips in the region has almost doubled, from 13 km/h to 24 km/h. According to Rio de Janeiro’s City Hall, the city shall receive more than 20 BRS corridors in years to come.

Scania buses at Arlanda Airport outside Stockholm, Sweden, waiting to be delivered to Keolis.

The order from Keolis includes city and suburban buses as well as intercity buses. A majority of the buses are being delivered to Stockholm where Keolis operates public transport routes for Stockholm Transport. The remainder will be on routes in other cities including Finspång, Härryda and Jönköping.

“This order is of great importance for us and helps us strengthen our position as a strong partner in public transport solutions,” says Ove Forsberg, Sales Director for buses at Scania-Bilar Sverige. “We’ve had a fruitful partnership with Keolis in Sweden over a long period of time and we see this order as a result of that partnership.”

Renewable fuels
The buses are equipped with engines for ethanol and rapeseed-oil methyl ester (RME), both of which are renewable fuels. By taking advantage of ethanol, Keolis can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 70 percent compared with a conventional diesel engine. The comparable figure for the RME fuel used by Keolis is 64 percent.

Over the summer, many buses were delivered to various sites for final adjustments and adaptations before being put into operation. The long-term parking area at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport was one of the sites selected because of its capacity to accommodate such a large number of buses.

“This gives us the opportunity to work with many buses at once,” says Mikael Andersson, who works with technical support at Keolis. “We inspect the buses to ensure that they are fully equipped and supplement them with, for example, vehicle data recorders and ticketing systems. Working with Scania’s buses is most rewarding. They have fewer faults and are built precisely according to specifications.”

The year is 2025. More and more people are choosing to ride buses instead of driving cars. City bus lines have their own dedicated lanes, like streetcar lines without rails. Via feeder routes from the suburbs, passengers travel to safe, well-lit stations in the urban core where buses on the trunk lines stop. All ticket handling occurs outside the buses, reducing the risk of delays.

In Johannesburg, South Africa, Rea Vaya, the city’s new BRT system, is earning high praise from passengers.

Buses have also increased in length in order to accommodate more passengers. This scenario will become a reality in most major cities around the world, according to Rolf Hedberg, Product Manager, Scania Buses and Coaches, with special responsibility for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

Escaping oil dependency
In 15 years, BRT systems will be a critical part of the infrastructure, Hedberg says. He lists several reasons for this: the environment, air quality and a desire to escape oil dependency. Experiences with BRT, especially in Latin America and South Africa, have also been very positive so far.

“Buses have always been cost-effective, but the overall experience of a bus journey needs to become more attractive,” Hedberg says. “In a BRT system, the suppliers, transport authorities and city planners can adopt a comprehensive approach.”

For Scania, this means helping its customers find partners who will assume responsibility for vehicle support and other considerations such as IT communications and coordination with other types of public transport.
Building a BRT system takes one to three years, compared with five to 30 years for an underground rail system. To date, Scania has delivered about 2,000 buses to BRT systems around the world.

“The challenge over the next few years will be to persuade more cities to dare to fully invest in BRT and not be satisfied with a budget version,” Hedberg says.

Minimising congestion
Anders Folkesson, Product Manager within Sustainable Systems at Scania Buses and Coaches, cites congestion in the urban core as another reason for investing in BRT.

“There is a trend towards a cleaner environment,” he says, “but even if cars ran on electricity, that would not be enough. There is simply not enough space on the streets to enable everyone to drive their own vehicle. That benefits buses.”

There are other parallel trends. For example, buses are becoming longer in order to accommodate more passengers. Scania has delivered buses that are 20 metres long, but eventually even longer ones may be needed. In addition, the company expects more experiments with electric propulsion, including a technology called “inductive power transfer” where electricity is transmitted wirelessly from the ground to the vehicle. Another method is to charge the vehicles via “electric umbrellas” at bus stops.

Renewable fuels highly prioritised
Hedberg and Folkesson emphasise that BRT is not the only solution to current public transport problems. Expanding the network of filling stations supplying renewable fuels is high on the priority list, since a transition to renewable fuels is one of the most effective environmental conservation measures. Hybrid buses are high on the list, although their development has occurred more slowly than many had predicted.

“Everyone wants to try them,” Folkesson says, “but few want to pay what they cost. Hybrids are not yet commercially attractive enough. Virtually all hybrids being sold today are heavily subsidised in different ways.”

Scania’s aim is to make hybrid buses profitable on their own merits. Based on today’s interest rates and fuel prices, they must pay for themselves in four to six years.

“The big advantage of hybrids is that they harness brake energy,” Folkesson says. Scania developed hybrid buses at an early stage, conducting its first tests in 1986. Over the years, Scania has tested various hybrid solutions − both parallel and series hybrids.

Hybrid technology and driver training
Hybrid technology reduces fuel consumption by an estimated 30 percent, and together with an ethanol engine it reduces fossil carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90 percent, compared with a diesel-operated bus. In a parallel hybrid system an electric motor is connected to the gearbox, while in a series hybrid there is no mechanical connection between the combustion engine and the electric propulsion motor.

Not everything is a matter of vehicle development. Scania’s driver training programmes are also an important element in its effort to reduce environmental impact. Evaluations show that by using Scania Driver Support, a bus driver in urban traffic can save on average 10 percent in fuel consumption.

The European Bus System of the Future (EBSF) is a four-year-long EU project focusing on bus systems in urban areas. Rolf Hedberg represents Scania in the project. Its aim is to highlight best-practice examples. The test cities are Bremerhaven, Brunoy, Budapest, Gothenburg, Madrid, Rome and Rouen.
The project will end in August 2012. Its final report will contain proposed solutions that fit European conditions and requirements.

Read more: www.ebsf.eu

Gas-powered buses. In 1980, Scania delivered the first gas-powered buses in modern times. More than 2,200 buses with Scania gas engines are in operation, in Australia for example.

Ethanol buses. In the mid-1980s, Scania developed its first ethanol bus engines, and ethanol-powered buses have been in full-scale operation in congested urban traffic since 1989. To date, Scania has sold more than 800 ethanol buses.

Hybrid buses. The first test of hybrid buses took place in 1986. In the intervening years Scania has presented six hybrid bus concepts, among them the world’s first hybrids using renewable fuel. These ethanol-powered hybrid buses underwent trial operation in Stockholm traffic in 2009–2010.

Commercial renewable fuels. In 2010, Scania became the first manufacturer to supply buses that can operate on all three commercially viable renewable fuels available today – bioethanol, biogas and biodiesel.

Each 12-metre Scania Touring coach is equipped with Scania’s 400 hp Euro 5 engine, 12-speed gearbox with Opticruise, rearview camera, xenon headlamps and capacity for 51 passengers. Air conditioning, kitchen units and audio-video equipment add to passengers’ comfort.

On 8 June, Scania Poland handed over six Scania Touring coaches in support of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which begins on 1 July and extends for six months.

The coaches will serve as logistic support for meetings during the six-month Polish presidency of the Council of the EU.

The coaches were presented in Warsaw in the presence of Minister Mikołaj Dowgielewicz, the Government Plenipotentiary for the Polish Presidency in the EU, and Managing Director of Scania Poland SA Alexander Vlaskamp.

“We are proud that the Polish government chose Scania Touring to support the EU presidency,” Vlaskamp said during the handover ceremony. “These modern, comfortable and environmentally optimised vehicles will properly serve visitors in Poland and will contribute to the success of the Polish presidency.”

The coaches will receive full service support via the Scania network in Poland.

1911. The newly merged Scania-Vabis delivers the first Swedish-built engine-powered omnibus, the “Nordmark bus.” Its chain-driven chassis is built by Scania in Malmö, in southern Sweden, and is equipped with an engine and body from Vabis in Södertälje.

1932. Sales of buses surpass sales of trucks. There is a growing need for larger and larger buses. Scania-Vabis launches the “Bulldog” bus, a pioneer because of its simple, space-saving design.

1948. Scania-Vabis exports buses to Brazil for the first time, followed by trucks in 1951, under an import agreement with the Brazilian automotive company Vemag.

1953. The Scania-Vabis Metropol suburban bus, developed in collaboration with US-based Mack Manufacturing Corporation, is launched in the Swedish market. The inline 8-cylinder engine is mounted transversely at the rear of the bus. The Metropol is the first bus fully built in Sweden with a monocoque body.

1957. Firmly established in Brazil, Scania-Vabis starts manufacturing engines. In 1959 the B75 is the first bus model built for the Brazilian market. This front engined bus is used both as a tourist coach and a city bus. It features a robust engine in a strong chassis and is prepared for easy bodybuilding.

1971. In 1966, Scania-Vabis launched a more comfortable, passenger-friendly city bus, the CR76. Low weight and a low floor were priorities, and the engine was tuned to emit the lowest possible amount of smoke. The CR76 serves as the basis for the CR111 “silent” bus, with a noise level of only 77 dBA when it launches in 1971.

1986. Environmental issues become increasingly important. Working with the regional public transport company in Stockholm, Scania begins testing ethanol buses in normal city operation. The 11-litre engine is adapted to operate on ethanol according to the Diesel combustion cycle.

1996. Scania launches the new aluminium-bodied city bus,the Scania OmniCity. The low-floor bus with full lateral kneeling is especially suited for urban traffic. The platform is also used for the Scania OmniLink low-entry models and the Scania OmniCity double-decker.

2004. With its front-mounted, new 5-cylinder engine and robust chassis, the F-series is ideal for tough conditions, where it provides both comfort and high passenger capacity.

2007. Having developed its first hybrid bus concept in 1995, Scania launches an innovative hybrid bus concept designed for maximum passenger convenience, with wheels at each corner and all-wheel steering.

2009. Six three-axle Scania OmniLink ethanol-powered hybrid buses begin full-scale operational trials in collaboration with the regional public transport company in Stockholm.

2009. The first Scania Touring coach is delivered. Produced in cooperation with Chinese bus builder Higer, it aims to satisfy demand in both new and existing markets.

Scania is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a bus builder. Now, says Melker Jernberg, Head of Buses and Coaches within Scania, the challenge is to speed up the transition to more sustainable passenger transport.

Investment in public transport is on the rise as cities around the world seek sustainable solutions to often urgent traffic problems.

To date, Scania has delivered about 2,000 vehicles to bus rapid transit (BRT) systems in Australia, Mexico, South America, South Africa and elsewhere. Such systems will also be launched in Europe, says Melker Jernberg.

“This is bound to happen. But we need to influence urban planners and other decision makers so they understand the importance of sustainable transport systems.”

Among Scania’s products are buses and coaches powered by biodiesel, bioethanol and biogas. So far, demand for alternative fuel vehicles has been weak outside Sweden, but in November 2010 a breakthrough occurred when Scania received an order from Brazil for 50 ethanol buses.

Jernberg predicts that buses and coaches will be better equipped to meet the comfort needs of customers. This includes long-distance coaches where passengers have access to fully reclining seats, catered food, broadband and big-screen film showings.

“Quality time instead of idle time make coaches more attractive, and thus a more competitive alternative,” he says.