The Metropolitan Mobility Network, the transport system of the city of Santiago de Chile is considered one of the most modern on the continent and in the world and to continue being a benchmark, the service operators decided to purchase no less than 566 Volvo buses to renew and expand the fleet Deliveries will be made gradually and precisely a part of this batch recently arrived in the neighboring country after making a long journey from Brazil to Chile, passing through Argentina after crossing the Andes Mountains.
Despite the fact that on previous occasions the system operators had opted for bodies built by Superpolo in Colombia, this time the vehicles were completely manufactured in Brazil, using both Brazilian and European Volvo platforms.
The crossing of the Andes, carried out through the Los Caracoles pass, was portrayed by the Chilean media and the Swedish brand itself. Volvo chassis were produced at the Curitiba (Brazil) and Boras (Sweden) plants, while the Marcopolo and Caio bodies were manufactured at the Caxias do Sul (Rio Grande do Sul) and Botucatu (São Paulo) plants. To reach their final destination, the buses made an impressive journey of more than 2,700 kilometers over ten days. Even if it is done during the winter, the duration of the trip can be unpredictable due to heavy snowfall. The models chosen were the Mondego by CAIO and the Torino by Marcopolo.
In this case, 93 units correspond to articulated buses that have the Volvo B8R chassis, with a low floor and rear engine. The other 473 buses are also B8R but of the conventional type, with capacity for 78 or 95 passengers depending on the body. Regarding equipment, they have disc brakes, air suspension and the Volvo Connect fleet management system, connected security zone management service, and Euro 6 engines, among other features.
In this regard, André Marques, President of Volvo Buses Latin America, stated: "Volvo has a long history in the public transport system of Santiago. Our buses are highly recognized by the operators and also by the population of the city. It is a privilege to maintain the strong presence of our brand in this fleet renewal”.
According to the press in the southern country, the RED bus system transports approximately 6.2 million users in the 32 municipalities of the Metropolitan Region, plus Puente Alto and San Bernardo, a geographical and urban area of approximately 680 km2. On a business day, around three million operations are carried out on the more than 6,000 buses in the system.