Ashok Leyland to supply 700 CNG buses to Delhi

Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi, flagged off 50 Ashok Leyland CNG buses (BS4) to ply in identified clusters in the city, at a function held in the Capital attended by dignitaries including Vinod K Dasari, Managing Director - Ashok Leyland. These front-engine, semi-low floor buses form the initial lot of a total of 700 such buses to be supplied by the Hinduja Group flagship Company in the coming months. The fully built buses are being manufactured at Ashok Leyland’s Alwar plant in Rajasthan. Delivery would be done in a phased manner. Following the Delhi Government’s decision to award the 17 identified clusters (650 bus routes) of the city to private operators under the DIMTS (Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System), Ashok Leyland demonstrated the performance and cost benefits of the front engine, semi-low floor arrangement – a pioneering combination introduced by the Company in 2006 in Mumbai. This unique and successful technology, combined with a comprehensive bundle of service products helped Ashok Leyland win the contract from M/s A B Grain Private Limited, a professionally managed company, which has been awarded the contract to run semi low floor buses in clusters 3, 4 and 5 by the government this year. Speaking at the occasion, Vinod K. Dasari, MD-Ashok Leyland noted, “It is a matter of great pride for all of us at Ashok Leyland to have partnered Delhi’s remarkable strides in public transport, right from the introduction of CNG buses or the more recent Ultra Low Entry (ULE) models. DIMTS is an exemplary model for a burgeoning megapolis like Delhi and I am confident that the semi-low floor buses we are offering are tailor-made to the specific requirements of this path-breaking initiative.”