Volvo Buses Malaysia officially handed over 90 units of Euro VI double deck buses on Volvo B8L chassis, to Prasarana Malaysia Berhad. Volvo was awarded this order in 2017. They are to be put into operation by Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd for public transport in the capital Kuala Lumpur. It are the first Euro VI double deck buses for this operator.
"We are extremely excited to introduce the Euro VI technology to Malaysia. The current vehicle emission regulation in Malaysia is Euro III, but our partner Prasarana made a commitment to reduce emission level in Malaysia by purchasing the Volvo B8L Euro VI double deck buses beyond the local regulation requirement," said Mats Nilsson, Volvo Buses Region APAC Central Director. Euro VI vehicles reduce particulate matters, which are microscopic solid or liquid matter, by 0.02 to 0.01. It also reduces the amount of nitrogen oxide released into the air from 2.0 to 0.4. "The 12-metre Volvo B8L double-decker buses offer a great solution to our operational challenges. With more seating and standing room, including one wheelchair facility, each bus holding up to 110 passengers at one time", said Prasarana Malaysia Berhad president and group chief executive officer Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah. "Rapid Bus expects an increase of 10 to 20 per cent from our existing load factor during the peak-hour, as well increase capacity per trip. More people can board the bus at the same time, thus reducing the waiting time for our passengers", he added.
The Volvo B8L chassis is manufactured in Boras, Sweden, and has already been widely tested in city environments of Hong Kong and UK. It is equiped with Volvo's D8K 350 hp engine and Volvo's automatic gearbox. The steering system is an electrically powered hydraulic steering. It is built with 22-ton capacity, has a length of 12 meter and height of 4.2m. The buses are assembled locally by Pioneer Coachbuilders Sdn Bhd and bodied by Gemilang Coachwork Sdn Bhd. The buses are fitted with wheelchair ramps and mother-child seats. Several safety features are standard equipment for the double deckers: Electronic Stability Control (ESP), Electronic Braking Systems (EBS) and acceleration limiter. The chassis is fitted with Volvo's telematics system allowing operators to access the vehicle data in real time.