Vijayanand Travels to buy 550 Volvo, Eicher buses for Rs 500 cr

Jammu, Aug 18: Vijayanand Travels, one of the leading bus operators in the country has set a milestone of placing the largest order in India for 550 intercity buses from Volvo and Eicher. The approximate worth of the order is for around 500 crore, which includes 500 units of Eicher Intercity 13.5m AC and non-AC sleeper coaches and 50 Volvo 9600 luxury sleeper coaches.
In line with the Make in India initiative, these buses are manufactured entirely at VECV’s facilities in Hosakote and Pithampur.
This move from VT is an indication of the robust expansion plans in the coming times to become a all-India brand. It currently operates in six states: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, and Goa.
Shiva Sankeshwar, MD, Vijayanand Travels said, “We are currently at a very crucial juncture of our growth story. Keeping our grand legacy as a backdrop, we want to establish all-India operations in terms of fleet size, geographical reach, and intercity connectivity. The brand initiatives and new investments are a testament to our new vigour and renewed energies for national dominance. Our flat 15% discount offer introduced two years ago across all segments has become a massive hit among our consumers and we will continue to elevate our customers travel experiences in future too.”
Vinod Aggarwal, MD & CEO, VECV stated, “As a successful 15-year Joint Venture between Volvo Group and Eicher Motors, VECV is best placed to provide industry-leading comfort, safety, and travel experiences to passengers through the Volvo and Eicher bus ranges. We are delighted to receive this follow-up order from Vijayanand Travels. At VECV, we continue to live our commitment to shaping the future of the Indian bus industry through the Volvo and Eicher range.”
Luxury buses
Eicher Intercity 13.5m bus comes with a sharply sculptured Tall Boy design. The fully air-conditioned buses is built on the Eicher 6016 S LPO 13.5-metre chassis and is equipped with the reliable 5.1 litre VEDX5 engine derived from Volvo Group’s global powertrain family. It delivers maximum power of 240 HP and flat torque of 900 Nm @ 1200-1600 rpm.
The Volvo 9600 with the distinctive tall boy design marries fine aesthetics with generous space to easily accommodate 40 sleeper berths and comes with 8.5 cu.m of luggage space. At the heart of the Volvo 9600 platform is the fuel-efficient Volvo D8K (8-litre) engine, delivering a power of 260kW (350hp) @ 2200 RPM and a torque of 1350 Nm @ 1200-1600 RPM. The chassis includes the I-Shift automated manual gearbox, electronic braking system (EBS) Hill start aid and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) systems.