Cartagena has selected Scania as the exclusive provider for two trunk lines for the city’s brand new Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system, called Transcaribe. Scania will provide 147 Euro 6 gas buses to the city as well as service and maintenance contracts.

When selecting their provider the city took into consideration Scania’s expertise in providing sustainable transport solutions for cities around the world.

The buses feature the latest in low-emission technology for urban transport and meet the most demanding emissions standards in Europe. By operating these buses, Cartagena will become the first city in Colombia to use gas solutions for urban transport and this will significantly reduce the emissions that the city’s current fleet is producing. It will set a new benchmark for sustainable transport in Colombia.

“Scania Euro 6 gas buses are a reality in urban transport in Europe and now it’s time for Colombia to take advantage of them. We are setting a new standard of sustainable transport in the country,” says Benoit Tanguy, Managing Director at Scania in Colombia. “The technology is ideal for urban centres because of the low levels of both emissions and noise.”

Various companies have been chosen to operate the new BRT, including Sotramac and Transambiental.

Sotramac will take delivery of 58 18-metre articulated gas buses, equipped with 320 hp engines and a capacity for 160 passengers. Transambiental will receive 89 12-metre standard gas buses equipped with 280 hp engines.

All the buses will utilise the Scania Fleet Management system which provides real time data from the vehicles on matters such as fuel-consumption, routes, service needs and driver behaviour.

Scania will be responsible for providing both operators with the buses as well as ongoing maintenance of the vehicles. “Scania will install a workshop at the customers’ facilities,” says Tanguy. “They will have all the parts needed to ensure the highest availability of buses. Scania’s service technicians will offer maintenance that meets Scania’s high technical standards.”

Sotromac has signed a ten-year maintenance program with Scania and Transambiental has signed a five-year agreement.

The first gas buses will begin operating on Cartagena’s BRT in the second half of 2015.