KUALA LUMPUR: Express bus operator Perdana Group today received a fleet of new buses from Scania and signed maintenance contracts as well as Ecolution partnership with the Swedish company.
At the handover ceremony held at Terminal Bersepadu Selatan, Perdana Group, which operates Perdana Express, Darul Iman Express and Lienadia Express, added 31 new Scania buses across the three express lines.
Prior to that, an official signing ceremony was also conducted in which Scania was represented by its managing director of Scania Southeast Asia, Marie Sjodin Enstrom while Perdana Group was represented by Perdana Express' managing director, Laili Ismail.
Perdana Group, which started with Perdana Express in 2009, and Scania has collaborated since 2010.
"We started with four buses and now we've grown to 113 and have reached all the state capitals in Peninsular Malaysia. With Scania, we started with two buses in 2010. Investing in more Scania buses is a testimony of our trust and faith in the performance and reliability that Scania has given us for more than a decade when we started this business," noted Laili, adding that the group had benefited from Scania Credit financing option which offers fast approval and ease in documentation.
The new Scania K410EB6X2 buses are part of Perdana Group's effort to strengthen its connection between East Coast to the central region of Peninsular Malaysia as well as northern region, particularly Tanjung Malim and Parit Buntar. The buses come with Scania Opticruise, full air suspension, electronic braking system (EBS), Scania Retarder, traction control, higher torque at lower revs engine as well as fully adjustable steering wheel and hanging pedals.
"At Perdana Group, we believe in safety and comfort for our passengers. The contracts we signed today are a validation of the high quality service by Scania's skilled workshop personnel in ensuring that our customers have peace of mind during their travels," said Laili.
The maintenance contracts will involve 78 of Perdana Group's buses. The same buses will also be part of the Ecolution partnership. The partnership focuses on reducing fuel consumption and operating cost, which translate to improved profitability while fulfilling the growing demand for environmentally-friendly initiatives.
Laili said he was first introduced to the concept of Ecolution during a trip to Scania's factory in Sweden.
"During my trip, I noticed the air in the country is refreshing. I want our country to have the same air quality too and initiative like this is something we must do for our environment," he commented.
In view of the current environmental concerns, Enstrom said: "We realise that we are part of the problem thus we need to be part of the solution. Today's signing and handover ceremony is a testament of Scania's on-going drive towards sustainability and with our far-reaching 2050 commitment in reducing the carbon footprint to net zero."
