Kuala Lumpur, 15 September 2014 – Business Sweden (the Swedish trade and investment council of the Embassy of Sweden) recently co-organised the Sustainable and Accessible Urban Transport Seminar with Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) and Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD) which aims to encourage investment into better urban transportation systems in Malaysia. Scania’s speaker was Nick Leach, Director of Vehicle Sales Support for Scania in Asia who spoke about Scania’s experience in helping to provide urban transport solutions for better city living.

The seminar was officiated by the Ambassador of Sweden to Malaysia, who is also Chairman of the Sweden Malaysia Innovation Initiative (SMII), His Excellency Mr. Bengt G Carlsson; DBKL’s Deputy Director General of Project Implementation and Maintenance, Yang Berbahagia Datuk Mohd. Najib Mohamad; and Chairman of SPAD, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Syed Hamid Syed Jaafar Albar.

The keynote speaker that presented public transportation scenario in Asian cities was delivered by Dr. Marie Thynell, PhD. Associate Professor, University of Gotherburg (School of Global Studies, Department of Peach and Development Research). Her paper included case studies of successful implementations of bus systems in Asian cities and around the world.

Scania, as part of the Swedish delegation of companies, shared our believe in “Moving People, Changing Minds.”

By 2030, over 60 per cent of the world’s population will be living in cities and mobility will be a critical factor if urban transport solutions do not keep pace with this growth.

However, most commuters and car drivers would not consider riding the bus as their preferred mode of transport as a result of their experience or perception of existing systems, but studies show that rational bus systems, with faster, smoother and more reliable transportation lead to considerable increases in ridership.

A well-planned, cost-efficient bus system that brings about measurable mobility and environmental benefits in fact produces an improved economic environment and ultimately a better quality of life.

“Solving the mobility challenges of any urban area requires planning, logistics and correct evaluation of priorities. And it also takes time, so we have to begin as soon as possible,” said Nick Leach, Director of Vehicle Sales Support for Scania in Asia.

A bus system reorganizes bus traffic in rational ways to achieve immediate efficiency gains and can cover everything from full scale BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) solutions transporting 50,000 passengers per hour and direction, to BRS (Bus Rapid System), solutions tailored for lower capacities.

For example, Bus Systems by Scania are in operation on five continents and are designed for flexibility and scalability to deliver a rational, cost efficient and sustainable solution that is tailored to the present and future needs of any city. They are successfully implemented in places like Guayaquil, Ecuador; Curitiba, Brazil; Bogota, Colombia; Mexico City, Mexico; Changzhou, China; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Cambridge, United Kingdom just to name a few.

“At Scania, we have been through a century of bus evolution. This journey has given us plenty of experience and profound insight about how people want to travel and even what makes a good day for a bus driver. This has influenced how we think, now that we are in the business of moving people both physically and emotionally,”

It is also a profitable solution as it offers the most mobility per money spent because buses, unlike cars, use space efficiently and, in contrast to rail systems, can be built on existing road infrastructure.

Passengers get a better quality of life as bus systems beat road congestion and provide a comfortable, fast and smooth mode of transport.

Bus systems also generate higher average speeds and higher passenger capacity than a traditional bus operation, so the overall result is lower costs per passenger.

For operators, this results in improved punctuality, fuel choice flexibility and maximised capacity with reduced operational costs.

Road safety is also largely improved in bus systems where buses are separated from other traffic, while decreasing pollution and environmental problems.

A reliable, affordable and safe bus system can improve local economies by providing job opportunities in areas of the city which were previously out of reach with a spill over effect of raising real estate values along the routes.

“Effective mobility is decisive to the power of attraction of every city and an effective transport system is the backbone in sustainable city planning and growth. But because cities grow, mutate and go through phases, the system must also have a scalable, flexible and expandable solution like Bus Systems by Scania,”

“Scania can assemble an entire team of city and transport planners, engineers and bus specialists to create a tailored turnkey solution for any city.”

One of the main features of Bus Systems by Scania are the Scania buses and coaches that are renowned for their outstanding operating economy.

Each bus is engineered to set world-class standards for safety, fuel economy, drivability, comfort, road handling, reliability and uptime.

They can also be customised to produce the best solution possible in terms of passenger capacity, interior layout and other key criteria.