Volvo 1999 Annual Report Download - page 16

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14
Products and services
The bus-transport industry has
undergone major changes in recent
years as a consequence of deregulation.
This has resulted in comprehensive
privatizations and severe competition
among operators. For manufacturers of
buses, this means increased customer
demands for total solutions, lower
operating costs and improved operating
reliability. In the environmental field, the
demands on bus manufacturers, which
have long been strict, are continuing to
increase, notably where city buses are
concerned. This is a result of the increased
need for mass transit facilities in densely
populated areas, in particular in countries
with strong economic growth and increas-
ing numbers of inhabitants.
Volvo Buses’ product line comprises
bus chassis, bodies and complete
buses for use in various applications –
city, intercity, and tourist – and also in
more specifically adapted forms such as
mobile health units and libraries, as well
as mobile homes.The capacity varies from
24 passengers in an exclusive long-
distance bus to the 270 who are carried in
a Volvo Metrobus in São Paulo, Brazil.
The customers are bus operators
throughout the world whose equipment
ranges from a single bus to fleets of as
many as 20,000. Volvo’s line of city buses
includes buses with low floor and low
entry steps, which facilitates boarding and
exiting while increasing transport effi-
ciency. Volvo’s city buses may have one or
two “decks,” be articulated or bi-articu-
lated, and have an engine in the middle or
rear of the vehicle. The specifications for
Volvo’s tourist and long-distance buses
vary depending on the area of usage, but
the common characteristics of all of them
are quality and high reliability.
Volvo Buses is conducting a comprehen-
sive development program to reduce
the environmental impact of its products.
Volvo is the first bus manufacturer to
offer – in a standard bus configuration –
an effective filter to remove particles
from diesel exhaust emissions. Volvo
buses with alternative power systems, so-
called hybrid buses, are being tested by
customers in the United States and
Sweden, and experiments are also under
way to reduce emissions of nitric oxides
from diesel engines, using new techno-
logy. In North America, via its subsidiary,
Nova BUS, Volvo is participating in the
development of buses powered by fuel
cells. In Europe, Volvo is a leading manu-
facturer of buses powered by natural gas.
Volvo Buses’ soft products comprise – in
addition to financial solutions and
service contracts – complete system
solutions. These include traffic planning,
the design of infrastructures, support
systems (ticket systems, traffic-manage-
ment, information and follow-up
systems) and system implementation.
Volvo Buses is the world’s second-
largest manufacturer of chassis and heavy
buses with a total weight of more than 12
tons. Buses with a total weight exceeding
16 tons account for more than 90 percent
of total production. The company has
production facilities in Europe, North
America, South America and Asia, with
sales in more than 60 countries.
Volvo 7550
Maintenance
Volvo 7000
Buses