Capital Equipment News December 2017

TRANSPORT

EXPANDING THE COMMUTER BUS FAMILY

The new bus chassis is said to be specifically designed to help customers get the better of tough business conditions.

KEY TALKING POINTS

Mercedes-Benz Bus & Coach Southern Africa has introduced its new OF-1723 bus chassis, an entry-level offering that not only expands the OEM’s commuter bus line, but more importantly is developed with lower cost of ownership in mind to help bus operators navigate the current tough economic times, writes Munesu Shoko .

The OF-1723’s value offering is its significant cost of ownership improvements

T he new OF-1723 bus chassis has rolled off the production line to further extend Mercedes-Benz Bus & Coach Southern Africa’s family in the commuter bus segment. As part of the broader plan to gun for a size- able share of the local bus market, Jasper Hafkamp, Executive Director at Daimler Trucks & Buses Southern Africa, says the company has undertaken to introduce right products for the different bus segments that speak directly to customers’ needs. The plan has been put in motion with the recent launch of the OF-1723 bus chassis, which Shane Henry, Brand Manager for Mercedes-Benz Bus & Coach Southern Africa, says is a result of direct feedback from local bus operators. The new bus chassis is said to be specifically designed to help customers get the better of tough business conditions. “As Mercedes-Benz Bus & Coach, we listened to our customers who highlighted

the tough economic conditions they are operating in, as well as the limited financial resources they have to put up with. We then developed and are now introducing an entry- level bus chassis that will address the array of challenges our customers face,” says Henry. Henry believes this is the perfect time to launch the product. “When times are this tough, new products should focus on things that count – in this instance, the OF- 1723’s value offering is its significant cost of ownership improvements,” says Henry. “From the RS4 rear axles that aid highway driving and improve fuel efficiency, to the wider brakes and larger brake chambers, which mean a longer life for brake liners, we really have ensured that this product makes a tangible effect in our customers’ businesses. We see ourselves as more than just manufacturers but rather as partners and

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS DECEMBER 2017 14