Australia is the first market in the world to receive supplies of a new off-the-shelf Scania school bus. The new Scania
Australia is the first market in the world to receive supplies of a new off-the-shelf Scania school bus.
The new Scania A30 arrives from its Chinese manufacturing plant ready built, needing only the installation of seats, before going to work.
Thanks to Scania’s just-in-time pipeline delivery program, the order-to-delivery time for a standard specification vehicle could be as little as the time it takes to ship the vehicle or vehicles from China.
The unique Scania A30 uses a Swedish-built Scania rolling chassis complete with all mechanical features and powertrain.
This is shipped to a bespoke Scania production line in China. The body is assembled by one of China’s largest and most successful bus builders from components sourced by Scania-approved suppliers.
The production line is dedicated to Scania product, assembly workers utilise Scania bus-building techniques, and permanently seconded Scania personnel oversee all aspects of production to ensure Scania standards are maintained.
At the end of the production process, Scania personnel perform a quality audit.
The 12.5-metre Scania A30 will seat 57 in standard form, and comes complete with under-floor bins, and air-conditioning suited to Australian conditions.
The powertrain is the well-known Scania five-cylinder, 9-litre 270hp engine, certified to Euro 4, although other variants are available, including Euro 5 PLUS EEV to special order.
The 4×2 Scania A30 uses a six-speed ZF automatic gearbox with retarder and runs air suspension all round.
The first production example off the line has now arrived in Australia and has been ADR complianced. Customer deliveries will begin in the first quarter of 2010.
The Scania A30 will also be sold in right-hand drive markets such as the UK and South Africa as well as left-hand drive markets such as France, the Middle East and Asia.
The 3.5-metre tall Scania A30 is a lower version of the Scania A50 and Scania A80, both of which meet European compliance standards and have been on sale in various markets for a short while.
“The Scania A30 offers school bus and charter bus operators an excellent opportunity to order a ready-to-work vehicle that can be delivered very speedily,” says Trevor O’Brien, Scania Australia National Manager, Bus and Coach.
“The demand from bus operators in Australia and around the world for a one-stop-shop prompted Scania to offer a ready-to-work solution in the form of the A30.
“Customers now have only one point of contact for all their vehicle needs, plus the strength and knowledge of the Scania nationwide service, spare parts and after-sales network providing all the back-up they need.
“Scania also offers competitive repair and maintenance contracts, which take the guesswork out of running a fleet.
“The Scania A30 offers many benefits, chiefly the reliability, durability and availability of a proven Scania powertrain and chassis, a nationwide network of factory trained technical experts to maintain the vehicles, as well as the benefits of mass-produced bodies.
“Thanks to our pipeline production process we are able to fulfil orders for standard specification vehicle within a very short delivery window. Even non-standard specification orders will be delivered faster than we have been able to provide previously.
“This will allow us the flexibility to meet demand when there is only a short period between the successful tender bid and the deadline for delivery.
“The bottom line is that customers know they are getting a Scania branded product, running a genuine Scania powertrain and chassis, with the reliability, quality and life-cycle costs they can trust, plus the efficiency of Scania’s low consumption, low emission engines.”