The first batch of 110 Volvo buses B270F equipped with Marcopolo Torino body has reached Kinshasa on Thursday 5 November. The second batch of 110 buses left Brazil on Friday 13 November and should arrive soon at Boma port in DRC.
In total, 440 Volvo urban buses were ordered to SMT Africa to be operated by the Kinshasan public transportation company Transco. These buses will reinforce the existing fleet of 150 buses already operated by Transco. They will be able to alleviate the difficulties of moving around Kinshasa, a particularly dense city with a population of about 16 million.
The buses were assembled in Southern Brazil, at the Ana Rech Marcopolo factory in Caxias do Sul, in the Rio Grande do Sul state. Then, they onloaded onboard Maestro Universe at the Parangua port on Thursday 15 October. After two weeks at sea, the buses arrived at Boma port in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A couple of hours were necessary to offload and prepare the procession to complete the 500kms between Boma and Kinshasa, terminus for the buses.
Massamba Kinuani Kamitatu, Special Envoy of the head of state, was at Boma to take delivery of this first batch and was also in Kinshasa, final destination of the buses.
“I thank the President of the Republic for his commitment to the acquisition of this rolling stock”
These buses have a capacity of 78 people each: 52 city seats plus the driver and 25 standing passengers. They are equipped with a front 260 horsepower euro 3 engine. They are 12,6m long for 3,5m high so it was a huge preparatory work to make sure they all arrive in good condition.
This bus model combines the best of Volvo chassis and Marcopolo body to achieve the transition from commuting by car to public transport as a given solution. A city as Kinshasa, Africa’s third-largest urban area after Cairo and Lagos, suffers from severe congestion, noise and pollution problem that come with it. Therefore, Volvo and Marcopolo are dedicated to developing and supplying pioneering sustainable solutions to facilitate public transport.
The maintenance, spare parts and training will be supported by Volvo’s official dealer in DRC, SMT. SMT is a premium distributor and aftersales partner for the equipment and transport industry. SMT places its customers at the heart of everything they do, building long term partnerships that Transco can rely on to support their growth.
A dedicated SMT task force has been put in place to make sure all the necessary supports and competencies are brought to this ambitious project. The next two batches of 110 buses each will arrive in January and February to finally complete the 440 Volvo Marcopolo buses integrated into Transco’s bus fleet.
Volvo, Marcopolo and SMT have built their culture on quality, customer focus and commitment. It is also a culture of constant progress and innovation, helping to ensure premium quality in every detail and taking them step by step towards their goal to be number one in customer satisfaction.
