Volvo India managing director Ravi Uppal told reporters here on Friday that the cost of travel would be 15 to 17 paise per passenger per km, cheaper when compared to 26 paise in Bangalore, 38 paise in Delhi and 25 paise in Chennai. The cost of the bus would be finalised soon and talks were on with authorities concerned in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore.

Uppal said the Volvo B10 BLE bus, on display at the Auto Expo 1998, had undergone a series of test drives. The bus, sourced from Australia for demonstration, was a low-entry vehicle designed for city traffic with an average life span of 16-20 years.

Uppal said modifications in the B10 BLE would be made as per requirements here and addedthat the company will make efforts to manufacture it with local components. He added that bus-building would be 100 per cent local, while some aggregates would be imported. "Unique in design, the Volvo B10 BLE has a low-floor height. The front and centre entrance height is only 320 mm above the ground while the floor height at the rear is 850 mm," Uppal said.

Uppal said the bus would have an advanced and powerful engine with three different capacities which would provide superior acceleration for in-city riding. This, combined with a wide range of gearboxes, allows customisation of the driveline. "Conforming to Euro II standards, the life span of the Volvo bus engine is 10 lakh km," he added.

According to Uppal, the Volvo low-entry bus was safe from internal and external fire hazards. The pneumatic doors controlled by the drivers ensure further safety as passengers cannot alight from the bus while in motion. "The focus is on the passenger as the low-floor option presents the B10 BLE as an attractivetransport mode for all," he added.

Uppal said the company has held talks with the BEST (Bombay Electric Supply and Transport) and Maharashtra State Road Tranport Corporation (MSRTC) on Friday and also with the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) on this concept. According to him, Volvo had signed up with KSRTC to conduct a feasibility study for introducing a cost-efficient, high-quality, safe and environment-caring mass transportation system for Bangalore, using modern Volvo technology and concepts. Volvo India has also responded to the tender floated by the DTC for supplying buses for urban mass-transportation.

Uppal said that there has been an annual demand of 25,000 buses all over the country, of which 12,500 buses were bought for city purposes alone.

"Volvo India is basically addressing the city segment as there is a pressing need to address its transportation and find optimal solutions to meet immediate and project future requirements," he said.