28 March 2018

Locals and tourists in the Thai holiday region of Phuket will be able to travel on Mercedes-Benz buses in future. Under the "Phuket Smart Bus" brand, as of 28 February 2018 ten Mercedes-Benz buses link the airport with the beaches on the holiday island.

OF917 bus – state-of-the-art engineering coupled with accessibility

The buses which have been purchased are 9.5 meters long and offer 24 seats plus sufficient stowage space for luggage. The passengers are kept informed about the route and stops via a screen. The buses also offer WiFi reception. A lift at the rear door facilitates easy access to the vehicle for wheelchair users. 

Quality from India

The chassis in question are robust front-engine OF 917 chassis with a gross vehicle weight rating of up to nine metric tons and an engine output of 170 hp. The chassis were produced in Chennai in India by Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) and their bodies are built in Thailand by a local manufacturer in accordance with the local requirements.

Extension of the market Segment

With the robust 9 t chassis Daimler Buses is tapping into new customer segments in Thailand, optimally supplementing its existing portfolio there. The OF917 chassis has been very popular in this market since its launch last fall. Shashank Mehta, Head of the Bus Sales Regional Center Singapore, emphasizes that the launch of the OF917 in Thailand is a main cornerstone of the regional growth strategy. He adds: "The chassis is suitable for many different applications and enables us to tap into new customer groups throughout South-East Asia."