Ashok Leyland to supply 875 low-floor buses to DTC

Bus giant Ashok Leyland has been chosen by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to help in its fleet modernization program. Chennai-based Ashok Leyland has bagged a DTC order worth Rs. 4.8 billion. Ashok Leyland plans to build the chassis and the body for the buses its Alwar Plant.

As per the deal, Ashok Leyland will supply as many as 875 low floor buses, and of these as many as 350 air-conditioned and 525 non-air-conditioned buses will be made ready by the middle of this year. All buses will be made available by September, said reports. The buses to be made by Ashok Leyland for DTC will be powered by 230 hp engines and fitted with automatic transmission.

According to news sources, the new ultra low entry buses will boast of a floor height of 390 mm, which means it would enable step-less entry. Meanwhile, the company has said that the deal with DTC also involves training of drivers and mechanics, and also bus maintenance to maximize uptime by setting up exclusive maintenance depots. As per the contract, the maintenance deal will be valid for as many as 12 years. This maintenance contract is worth an additional Rs. 7.1 billion. The bus maker plans to train DTC drivers at its Driver Training Institute at Burari, near New Delhi.

Ashok Leyland, in the meanwhile, is eying a growth of at least 17 per cent on its export front. The company which has been into commercial vehicles exports on a large scale aims making a mark in newer regions such as Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and East Africa, said officials. According to them, the target in the commercial vehicles segment is that it should be able to clock as much as 25 per cent of its total CV sales volumes. The company feels that it would be able to export as many as 9,000 commercial vehicles during the current fiscal.