MANILA: BJ Mercantile Incorporated (BJM) recently turned over the initial fleet of Scania Marcopolo Paradiso buses to Genesis Transport Services Incorporated (GTSI).

In a statement, the company (who is celebrating its 50th year of operations and its 10th year of being the Swedish manufacturer’s exclusive distributor in the country, recently delivered the first four units out of the 10 ordered buses that will form part of the upgraded Joybus fleet servicing the Manila-Baguio route.

“With their century of experience when it comes to bus operations, Scania proved that they could keep up with the continuous evolution of technology and solve modern day challenges. But the main reason we were charmed by Scania was upon seeing first-hand the many positive reviews from clients and passengers alike during our visit last year to BusWorld Europe,” GTSI President and Chief Executive Officer Riza Angara-Moises was quoted as saying.

Starting with three buses in 1991, GTSI’s fleet has grown to 456 buses servicing Southern and Northern Luzon. Meanwhile, the Joybus was introduced in August 2010 after Moises read an article while in the United States about an executive bus service that shuttled high profile individuals between Washington and New York and decided to launch something similar in the Philippines.

“Scania is driving the shift towards a more sustainable transport system. These new Joybuses are testament to that as they offer low fuel consumption, have a low carbon footprint and enhance the safety of its passengers and the motoring public,” Scania Southeast Asia Presales and Logistics Director Karl Johan Clason, for his part, said.

Bus specifications

The Scania Marcopolo Paradiso Joybus is a 28-seater vehicle that boasts bigger, wider, and softer chairs as well as spacious legroom and large overhead compartments for luggage, individual USB charging ports, and a well-appointed toilet.

Helping the vehicle climb the City of Pines is the vehicle is a 360-horsepower capable mill mated to an eight-speed Scania Opticruise gearbox. It also meets Euro5 emission standards and gives drivers fuel savings of up to nine percent.

Among its safety technologies are the electronic stability program, Scania Retarder (that prevents the bus from running above the speed limit), and fleet management system.

“We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with BJM and Scania. This is just the beginning as we are hoping to order 100 or more buses in the future,” Moises concluded.

Photos from BJ Mercantile

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