Ashok Leyland bags mega order for 1,400 school buses in UAE

Ashok Leyland, the flagship brand of the Hinduja Group and the fourth largest bus manufacturer in the world, today (August 31) announced bagging orders from major fleets for 1,400 school buses in the UAE.

The order is Ashok Leyland’s largest ever supply of school buses in the UAE, a statement from the company.

The 55-seater Falcon bus and 32-seater Oyster bus – will be supplied from Ashok Leyland’s $50 million state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, which is the only certified local bus making facility in the entire GCC.

The total fleet deal for the GCC made buses has been bagged by Ashok Leyland’s UAE distribution partners, Swaidan Trading – Al Naboodah Group. Most of the supplies will be made to Emirates Transport and STS Group, the statement said.

Dheeraj Hinduja, Executive Chairman, Ashok Leyland, said: “We are very happy to receive these orders, and this is a historic moment for Ashok Leyland in UAE. This is a testament to the reliability, durability and robustness of our buses and reaffirms the faith that our customers have on our buses being the safest for transporting school students.

These products are made in the UAE assembly plant. The product concepts originate in the UAE, the designs are done by our engineers in UAE and are assembled in the factory in UAE, with more than 55% of parts sourced in UAE. It will be apt to call it “The Emirati Bus”- Made in UAE, for the GCC.

Our new Electric vehicle company, Switch Mobility, based out of UK, will help us fulfil our aspiration of zero carbon emission transportation. We see huge opportunities for growth through Switch’s expansion in UAE and the GCC and look forward to launch our electric vehicles in these markets soon.”

Amandeep Singh, Head- International Operations, said: “Ashok Leyland is one of the fastest growing brands in the Middle East with a growing market presence in UAE. Our lowest total cost of ownership and strong after-sales support differentiates us and has helped us win these orders.
We are excited with the growth we are seeing in the UAE economy and the opportunity it provides. We have aggressive plans to further enhance our portfolio in Light commercial vehicle space. You will hear from us shortly”.

The Ras Al Khaimah plant is a joint venture between Ashok Leyland and the Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA), UAE, and has an installed capacity of 4,000 buses a year. Ever since its start in 2008, Ashok Leyland has rolled out 25,500 buses from the plant so far. Over the years, the plant has generated abundant economic and social value. More than 7000 establishments in GCC own an Ashok Leyland product, transporting 1.8 million passengers every day. Building on the patronage of its customers, the company has expanded the portfolio and launched light commercial vehicles “Partner Truck” and “Gazl Buses”. The UAE plant also exports buses to African countries.