THE PLANT IN ALMATY WILL SUPPLY 60 ECOLOGICAL BUSES FOR ALMATY

Astana Motors will supply a batch of 60 new eighteen-meter Golden Dragon buses, which are assembled in Kazakhstan. The buses with a larger capacity will serve the routes with intensive passenger traffic. It is important to note that the engines of the articulated buses are adapted to operate on environmentally friendly gas fuels.

The first batch of the buses will be on the route in December this year, and the rest will be delivered before January 29, 2020. All buses are produced in Kazakhstan at the auto assembly plant of Astana Motors and comply with the requirements of Euro-5 standards. All security systems, video surveillance, information, dispatch, and air conditioning are in a spacious cabin of the low-floor Golden Dragon bus. Special automatic ramps are available for disabled passengers’ convenience.

The buses are purchased as part of the program of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and DBK-Leasing JSC on renewing and modernizing public transport with domestic buses. This program was launched with the support of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and it allows the bus depots of the country to purchase buses for financial leasing for a period of seven years with an interest rate of 7% per annum in tenge and down payment of 15% of the contract value. Considering the fact that there are more than six thousand extremely old buses (more than 12 years) in the bus depots of the country, the program will improve the quality of public services in the passenger transportation network.

One of the major competitive advantages of these buses is the use of a monocoque technology (a whole-body frame) and a method of cathode electro-coating in production of all models of Golden Dragon buses. This complex bodywork process is based on successive dipping of a bus body into the tanks with different chemicals. The result of this process is a continuous and hard insulating film on a whole body of the bus.

Astana Motors has launched a program of introductory test driving. The bus depots throughout the country have the opportunity to take a bus for a test drive during a certain period of time without purchasing it and without any other charges within the framework of this program. Based on the results of the test drives, they can further consider the possibility of purchasing suitable buses for intra-city routes. The company also intends to offer various service options to customers and bus depots. These options include a mobile service when technical specialists of the company will provide services outside working hours in the bus depots and on the road in case of a breakdown during a trip.