LAST month MAN Truck and Bus handed over its 500th bus to Golden Arrow Bus Service in Cape Town.

The 500th MAN bus is the first of an order for an additional 84 MAN HB2 - 18.240 FOCR (front-engine omnibus chassis, right-hand drive) buses, to be supplied at a rate of seven units per month until December 2011, and results from a close partnership that has developed over the past 10 years.

Through this collaboration, both companies have learnt valuable lessons. Many developments were introduced, some from those lessons learned and some that were necessitated due to technology improvements from Germany. The GABS technical staff became an integral part of the team that MAN would consult to ensure that new product offers would meet operator specifications.

Passenger comfort, convenience and safety have always been foremost concerns. The front-engined chassis with low engine position and remote-mounted automatic transmission results in a flat floor with no protrusions into the passenger area. Another feature of the bodywork is the fitment of a fold-out step that is activated when the passenger doors open and retracts automatically as the doors close. This significantly reduces the first-step height and caters for any physically challenged passengers. These buses comply with all current Road Traffic Act requirements and regulations, with particular focus on safety, including body roll-over integrity, the provision of emergency exits, roof escape hatches, passenger seat strength and seat anchorage.