Green buses from Kragujevac on their way to Europe - Vulović Transport in bus dealer network of Belarus company Maz

People in the units of the first Serbian manufacturer of low-floor city buses powered by natural gas are working at full capacity. Vulović Transport is going to deliver 27 models with Euro 6 engines to the transportation companies in Belgrade, while Maz-Bik 203 CNG will also replace all 22 buses of that company in Kragujevac. The other city transportation companies in Šumadija are also expected to start using the environment-friendly vehicles, while the Kragujevac-based manufacturer plans to offer its buses on tenders in Novi Sad as well.

In addition to a modern product design and excellent technical characteristics, domestic methane-powered bus is also economically and ecologically feasible for potential buyers. Namely, Maz-Bik 203 CNG model is about 2.5 times cheaper than the foreign buses of the kind, and it consumes 60% less fuel per 100 km than the buses with diesel engines. We should also not forget about environment protection because a bus powered by natural gas reduces harmful influence such as emission of nitrogen oxides, smoke, etc., by about 60%. The new model has a platform, display and voice machine, so that the passengers will know at any moment in what part of the city they are and where the next stop is. People in Vulović Transport say that the price of the vehicle depends on the equipment that is built in at the request of the buyer, but they also say that it is about 33% higher than the price of the diesel version.

Bus from Kragujevac on European roads

- The low-floor city bus with Euro 6 standard is manufactured in association with Belarus company Maz, which does not have such model in its offer. The agreed cooperation will provide the partner from Kragujevac with access to the dealer network of the Minsk-based manufacturer, which has entrusted Vulović Transport with operations in the markets of Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and former Yugoslav republics - M.A. Saša Milojević, the Technical Director at Vulović Transport, said in an interview for eKapija.

(Teodora Radisavljević , Saša Milojević)

Our interlocutor led the expert team of Vulović Transport that designed the technical-technological solutions for low-floor bus. The engineers from the Military-Technical Institute in Belgrade worked on the project as well.

- Vulović Transport has been granted domestic homologation, and we plan to get European homologation next month. After that, we will be able to access aforementioned markets. We are the final producer and we have activated domestic network of collaborators, including, for example, Prva Petoletka from Trstenik. We are producing seats, interior, body, parts for air conditioners, plastic components, while the production of glasses is in the pipeline. We are forced to buy engines powered by natural gas from foreign companies, as well as transmissions, gas tanks, axles, because we do not have domestic suppliers. Some of the global automotive suppliers that we cooperate with are Cummins, Allison, Dynetek Europe, Swagelok, Weh, Severin - said Milojević.

As Zoran Vulović, the owner of Vulović Transport, announced earlier, that company has signed the contracts with about 27 domestic automotive suppliers whose parts will be built not only in the buses made in Serbia, but also in the buses produced in Belarus factory Maz.

In addition to the production of new bus powered by natural gas, Vulović Transport also repairs the used buses with engines powered by diesel fuel D2 and installs devices for use of CNG gas in the ratio 30:70 in favor of CNG gas. The company's product portfolio includes large number of different models of trucks, buses, trailers and semi-trailers.

"Old for new" model for buses - subventions of up to EUR 3,000

On the occasion of his visit to the Kragujevac-based manufacturer in late April, Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković said that the Government was seriously considering the possibility of government subventions for replacement of old buses with new ones.

- These subventions would be much higher than for automobiles and they could amount to EUR 3,000 - said the Prime Minister.

Cvetković added that the Government was not making a difference between foreign and domestic manufacturers and said that all the companies that produced and employed large number of workers would be privileged.

People in the Kragujevac-based company expect to get a support from the state with the aim of expanding the production capacities, creating new jobs and accessing development funds. Milojević is of the opinion that the greatest help would be in form of subventions for domestic products and and benefits for environment-friendly transportation companies.

- The countries that take care of environment provide tax reliefs for the procurement of ecological vehicles and their registration. My opinion is that the benefits of that type are more than needed in Serbia as well.

From transportation company to manufacturer

When it was formed in 2003, Vulović Transport was a bus transportation company in Kragujevac. People in the company later came to the idea to have all the buses in their pool manufactured by Belarus-based Maz. The next phase was production of bus and truck components, and Vulović Transport had its own win code. The Kragujevac-based company then invested in new production facilities, production, repair service technology, and employed 105 people. Belarus Maz is a multinational company with a ramified retail-service network all around the world. The manufacturer from Minsk annually sells 25,000 trucks and 2,500 buses, and it has 23,000 employees. The company manufactures buses, trucks and military vehicles.

Vulović Transport took part in the First International Southeast Europe Automotive Suppliers Trade Fair SEE Auto CompoNet 2010, which was held in Kragujevac between May 19 and 21.

T.S.