Volvo Buses, taking its next step in India on the city bus market, one of the world’s largest, has received its first order for 25 city buses from Bangalore, the company announced today. BPO data security

The order is from the state-owned Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) city bus operator, the Sweden-headquartered company said in a statement. The buses will be delivered at the end of 2005 and start of 2006.

The order marks Volvo's entry into the city bus market in India, where the market for this segment is estimated to be 10,000-12,000 city buses each year.

The chasis is the Volvo B7RLE and will be assembled in Volvo’s factory in Bangalore, the statement said. It has a seven-litre engine that meets Euro 3 emission regulations. The body is built on the same design as the Volvo 8700, which is currently used in Europe.

In just over three years, Volvo’s intercity coaches have already captured the minds of Indian bus passengers, said the world’s second-largest manufacturer of large buses and coaches

There are currently 750 Volvo coaches on the roads between various cities in India and Bangladesh, the statement said. Volvo has become the dominant maker of luxury intercity coaches, which has strengthened its brand.

"India is already among Volvo Buses top 10 markets in the world", said a senior company official.