Scania has set its sights on being the prime supplier of touring buses in the Philippines with the introduction of the new Scania Touring. It has the latest in technology and riding comfort for all passengers while offering great noise suppression and reduced emissions.
BJ Mercantile, the official importer of Scania buses in the country, went one step further and now offers the Scania Touring with a Philippine-built body. This resulted in buses that are highly customizable, have a shorter delivery time to the owner, and maintains the same engineering standard that Scania is known for. Last November 25, they turned over the first units ordered by Bicol Isarog Transport Systems, Inc.
“This provides operators, like Bicol Isarog, a myriad of options in terms of body configurations and choice of materials not to mention parts are readily available,” said Don Ramos, Sales Manager of BJ Mercantile, Inc. The partnership started back in 2019 when officers from Scania headquarters conducted an inspection of Del Monte Motor Works, Inc – the then proposed builder of local bodies for Scania Touring. DMMW then had to adhere to the standards of Scania in body building. Scania went as far as requiring documentation and all data sent to their headquarters for monitoring.
The result is a highly customizable coach bus that’s more affordable for operators. They have a lot of choices in design that includes audio-visual setup, interior trims, lighting, seats including a lazy boy, and seating configuration. They can also add a bathroom or have the whole interior modified to be a mobile conference room, or a hospital on wheels.
“You can expect the same level of engineering excellence and riding comfort as with all Scania buses” Ramos said.
What comes standard with these Philippine built Scania buses are electronic stability program, speed limiter, traction control, driving modes, hill hold, full air suspension with raising and lowering function, and auxiliary brake. You can also opt to have adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot warning, electropneumatic parking brake, vulnerable road user collision warning, and underrun protection for an additional cost.
BJ Mercantile has also adopted Scania’s fleet management system. This lets operators see the performance of their buses and check some pain points like increased idling, harsh braking, even pin down some mechanical and electrical errors and show which parts need to be replaced to prepare the drivers and mechanics. It doesn’t have an app yet but can be accessed via any web browser.
There is no base pricing for the Scania buses made in the Philippines since they are all custom built according to the operator’s specifications. It’s best to contact Scania by going to their showroom in EDSA Balintawak or their website, scania.ph.