[Aditya]

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (DICV) has announced the start of sales of the BharatBenz staff buses with the handing over of the first set of buses to customers in Mumbai.



DICV rolls out buses from its Oragadam manufacturing facility. The plant has been constructed with an investment of Rs. 425 crore and has an initial capacity of 1,500 units.



The staff bus is one of the types of buses offered by BharatBenz. It is built on the Fuso fighter platform and features a marine grade plywood floor and anti-skid vinyl top layer. It comes with 39+1 seat in a 2+2 layout. The seats have high headrests and hand holds. The driver's seat is two-way mechanically adjustable.

The bus has an in-swinging manual door, two-piece sliding windows, an emergency exit at the rear right hand side, breakable rear glass and a breakable side window. It is equipped with fire extinguishers, a first aid kit, an emergency alarm, a light at the entry area and a music player. Power steering with tilt adjustment is also provided.

The staff bus is powered by a 3,907cc, 4-cylinder, inter-cooled, turbocharged diesel engine that puts out 138 BHP @ 2,500 rpm and 420 Nm of torque @ 1,500 rpm. It is available in BS-III and BS-IV versions and is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. Stopping power comes from dual circuit air-brakes with an anti-lock braking system.

[i74js]

Is there any specific reason why companies like BharatBenz are still producing BS-III buses? Is this because of fuel availability or just that emission norms are inferior in certain parts of India, these companies are also trying to make money by selling old technology?

Any thoughts

[AMG_ang]

Originally Posted by i74js

Is there any specific reason why companies like BharatBenz are still producing BS-III buses? Is this because of fuel availability or just that emission norms are inferior in certain parts of India, these companies are also trying to make money by selling old technology?

Any thoughts

They sell BS-III buses to markets/cities (Tier-II cities) where there is no rule from the government to follow BS-IV norms. Yes, companies still make money by selling old technology, but the same bus with BS-III will cost less than with BS-IV technology. This phenomena is mainly market driven because customers who want to use in tire-II cities do not want to pay more money for the advanced technology as it is not mandate for them to buy any vehicle with BS-IV technology.

[amitdatta92]

Originally Posted by i74js

Is there any specific reason why companies like BharatBenz are still producing BS-III buses? Is this because of fuel availability or just that emission norms are inferior in certain parts of India, these companies are also trying to make money by selling old technology?

Any thoughts

Let's take Chennai for example. The rule mandates that any vehicle registered in Chennai has to meet BSIV emission standards. But what a staff operator does is registers his vehicle in Ponnamallee, which is on the outskirts of Chennai and does not have the BSIV rule implemented yet. After registration he is free to ride in Chennai.

Thus, manufacturers are expected to shift entirely to BSIV only after the complete country shifts to BSIV - which is due on 1st April 2017.

[Ashley2]

More details on the product and its features reviewed here

The BharatBenz school, staff and tourist buses come in identical lengths of up to 9.8 m and have the same wheel base of 5,300 mm. With lesser front-overhang (FOH), there is no room for passenger entry door here and is possible only in WB and ROH. Chassis suspension has parabolic springs and anti-roll bar with shock absorbers at front and back, which considerably improves the passenger comfort.

The buses, now provided with ABS as a standard fitment which is a step ahead of regulation, fully comply with the bus body code and the school bus code the and will be available only as fully-built option and sold and serviced by the existing BharatBenz dealers. The engine options are 4-cylinder 4-litre Diesel BS III/BS IV-complaint ones developing 140hp and 170hp (for AC). This is by far the highest engine power in its category. Tyres fitted on the display buses were 235 section tubeless radials from Apollo.

The body is again all aluminium made, built at the Wrightbus plant within the DICV premises. Seating options are varied with different lay-outs – 2×2, 2×1 for each application like 26+1 – tourist application, 39+1 – staff application and 49+1 for school application. The emergency exit is given on RHS along with a foldable step which is a good addition and should be a USP. Rear glass is also breakable in case of emergency..