Nobina to take delivery of 179 new buses worth around SEK 450 million
During the summer, Nobina will take delivery of 179 new buses; this is a consequence of the traffic contracts that are starting in 2016. The buses, worth approximately SEK 450 million, will enter into traffic after the summer. The percentage of Nobina’s bus fleet operating on renewable fuel will thereby increase from 50 to 55 per cent.
All 179 buses are adapted for biodiesel and will be delivered by Scania, Mercedes-Benz, MAN, Volvo and VDL. The buses are constructed with low floors to facilitate boarding and alighting, and they are also equipped with air conditioning. Most of the buses also have enhanced on-board information in the form of infotainment screens and USB charging sockets for mobile telephones and tablets.
‟Our clients are imposing increasingly exacting demands for renewable fuel, which is a positive development for all. It means that each new bus we order takes us towards a more environmentally friendly and sustainable society,” says Annika Kolmert, head of CSR at Nobina AB.
The new buses are included as part of the traffic starts during 2016 (in already communicated contracts). The choice of buses is made initially based on the PTA’s bus specifications, and ultimately on the bus’s total cost over its useful life, i.e. fuel consumption, maintenance costs, financing costs and the purchase price for the bus. And, as always, buses are ordered only after a traffic contract has been signed.
‟Due to our success in winning new traffic contracts, we are now placing major orders with the leading bus manufacturers. This gladdens me, at the same time as our stronger balance sheet and our stronger credit rating (BB) result in more competitive terms in our financing. Many financiers also understand the stability and foreseeability factors that apply to us and buses in public transport,” says Nobina AB’s CEO Ragnar Norbäck.
Nobina is the market leader in public transport in the Nordic region; among other things, this means that Nobina is the largest customer for buses. In 2015/2016, Nobina’s fleet consisted of 3,703 buses, of which 50 per cent were operated on renewable fuel. With the new buses, the Nordic figure will increase to 55 per cent, while in Sweden (where most of the buses operate), the portion will increase to 75 per cent.