Scania will supply 147 natural gas buses in Colombia

  The Colombian city of Cartagena will use 147 Scania Euro 6 gas buses on its new transportation system as part of Scania’s largest deal to date on Euro 6 gas technology in South America. Cartagena has selected Scania as the exclusive provider for two trunk lines for the city’s brand new Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system, called Transcaribe. Scania will provide the vehicles to the city as well as service and maintenance contracts. The first gas buses will begin operating on Cartagena’s BRT in the second half of 2015.

  The buses feature the latest in low-emission technology for urban transport and meet the most demanding emissions standards in Europe. By operating these buses, Cartagena will become the first city in Colombia to use natural gas solutions CNG station equipment based for urban transportation and this will significantly reduce the emissions that the city’s current fleet is producing.

  “Scania Euro 6 gas buses are a reality in urban transport in Europe and now it’s time for Colombia to take advantage of them. We are setting a new standard of sustainable transport in the country,” said Benoit Tanguy, Managing Director at Scania in Colombia. “The technology is ideal for urban centers because of the low levels of both emissions and noise.”

  Various companies have been chosen to operate the new BRT, including Sotramac and Transambiental. Sotramac will take delivery of 58 18-meter articulated gas buses, equipped with 320 HP engines and a capacity for 160 passengers. Transambiental will receive 89 12-meter standard gas buses equipped with 280 HP engines. All the buses will utilize the Scania Fleet Management system which provides real time data from the vehicles on matters such as fuel-consumption, routes, service needs and driver behavior.