Within five years, all villages should have access to transport for school children, enabling them to travel to and from their places of education safely. In time for the new academic year, Minsk Automobile Works will have manufactured 60 new school buses — 10 for each region.
MAZ’s first small school bus appeared two years ago, undergoing tests for certification and technical trials. Chief bus designer Yury Syrokvash tells us that each detail has been designed to ensure the safe transportation of children. “The new model boasts an extendable step, seat belts, bag shelving, warning lights and external loudspeakers, as well as a raised platform at the front, to allow a view of all passengers. Meanwhile, the bus’s top speed is set not to exceed 60km/h.”
The buses meet Russian Federation requirements, with export sales in mind, explains Sergey Krel, MAZ’s Head of the Passenger Technology Sales Department. A recent presentation in Kazan aroused much interest.
Representatives of the Ministry for Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan are also keen to purchase the buses: a contract for 50 vehicles is being negotiated. Meanwhile, the Education Ministry of Chuvashia is also showing interest.
The model has already won first prize at a competition hosted during the World of Buses-2013 exhibition, in Russian Kolomna.
