Daimler India rolls out staff buses

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) -- the Indian subsidiary of the German truck manufacturer Daimler AG -- on Monday announced the start of sales of its BharatBenz staff buses with the handing over of the first set of buses to customers in Mumbai.

According to the company, the nine-tonne 39-seater staff bus is the first of a range of ultra-fuel efficient BharatBenz buses that is being offered commercially after its introduction after a launch earlier this year.

"We see great potential in the Indian market especially with the impetus of infrastructure and smart city projects. With the growing traffic in urban cities, employees spend a fair amount of time commuting to work. We want to provide a ride that is safe and comfortable for passengers and the driver," Markus Villinger, managing director at Daimler Buses India, said in a statement.

"We are on track with our progress and will strategically infuse the other products from our range into the market."

With an investment of Rs.425 crore, the bus plant at Oragadam near Chennai produces these buses along with the ones from Mercedes-Benz besides housing Wrightbus -- an Ireland-based body manufacturer -- within its premises.