Passenger Nears P .
Page 14
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Neoplan US order
THE Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has placed an order with Neoplan USA Corporation for the supply of 1,000 city buses of the new American Advanced Design Bus standard, reports BILL GODWIN.
The order, which requires delivery of all vehicles to be completed by June 1985. was awarded to the West German manufacturer's American subsidiary in Lamar, Colorado, against stiff competition from Grumman Flxible and GMC.
The Lamar plant has been in production for only just over a year, and with the Pennsylvania contract just received, now has orders for over 1,300 buses. Original plans provided for an output of four vehicles per day by 1985, but receipt of the Pennsylvania order will now implement this capacity by the autumn of 1983.
While psv production in Europe generally is affected by the recession, the Neoplan decision to enter the US market has already been fully justified. Although Neoplan buses produced in the US incorporate Americanmade power units and components, other parts, including front and rear suspension units, are pre-assembled and shipped from West Germany.
The 1,000-vehicle order accordingly calls for an increase in the production of these parts in the Stuttgart and Pilsting works of Neoplan.
The new buses are required for service in 16 towns and cities in Pennsylvania, with 450 allocated to Philadelphia ad 410 for Pittsburgh. They will be powered by rear-mounted Detroit Diesel Silver Series turbocharged V6 engines driving through Allison automatic HT740 transmissions.
Engine and transmission are mounted on a specially designed sub-frame to allow exchange packs to be fitted in under an hour. Rockwell axles are used in combination with the patented Neoplan air suspension.
The windscreen is of the antireflection pattern, as used in the German CI 80 "new generation" bus, and all buses will have air conditioning equipment. Some buses will also feature wheelchair lifts in the centre door of the two-door body.
The order, believed to be the largest ever received by a European bus builder for US vehicles, is valued at $157 million, equivalent to approximately £87,000 per bus.