Tata bags orders for 928 buses from southern states

Automotive major Tata Motors Tuesday said it has secured orders for supplying 928 buses to state-run transport corporations in three southern states under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme.

"We received orders to supply Tata Marcopolo built buses from transport corporations in Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry under the JNNURM-II scheme this fiscal (2014-15)," the Pune-based company said in a statement.

Of the 928 buses, Karnataka State Transport Corporation has placed order for 487 units, North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation 304 units, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation 97 and Puducherry Road Transport Corporation for 40.

"The orders from the three southern states are part of orders we got from other states across the country to supply 2,700 buses under the central scheme this fiscal," the company said.

The buses are manufactured at the company's joint venture facility at Karnataka's Dharwad and Lucknow.

The $40-billion company has tied up with the Brazilian Marcopolo S.A. to set up the bus and coach joint venture at Dharwad in 2008.

"Designed for safety, comfort and convenience of passengers, the modern buses are fitted with CCTV (closed circuit television) cameras and have wider passage-way for free movement, broad window panes for better visibility and lower entry/exit doors," Tata Motors executive director, commercial vehicles business unit, Ravi Pisharody said in the statement.

The buses are equipped with intelligence transport systems for public information, through GPS (global positioning system) via electronic destination display boards to indicate arrival time and announcements en-route.

"Our buses also enhance the operational efficiency of the state transport corporations, as they are compatible to hook-up with a central control room server, through which an operator can monitor their performance, including number of trips, off-road position, adherence to pre-scheduled maintenance and real-time health through on-board diagnostics," Pisharody said.

The company will train drivers of the operators on handling the new 'Urban' buses and provide service and maintenance through its 1,800 authorised stations across the states.

"The new orders reinforce our leading partnership with states to provide quality product and service for susAtainable public transport system," Pisharody added.

About 60,000 Marcopolo buses ply across the country through state-run transport corporations and private operators.

The company has also developed electric hybrid buses and articulated buses to meet the transport needs of 100 smart cities across the country as envisaged by the central government.