Cotral S.p.A. - Cotral: movement and technology

315 new buses at the starting gate

COTRAL: MOVEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

Avm, the new on-board technology is already an achievement

315 new vehicles have started to be delivered from the manufacturers to the regional transport company. The first buses were presented at the station of Ponte Mammolo in the presence of the President of Cotral, Franco Cervi, the Managing Director, Antonio Ricevuto, the President of the Lazio Region, Piero Marrazzo, the Mobility Councillor of the Lazio Region, Fabio Ciani and the Mobility and Transport Policies Councillor of the Province of Rome, Michele Civita.

The 315 new buses, which will become part of the Cotral fleet, are therefore starting to heat up their engines, allowing the average age of the vehicles to be reduced from nine to seven years, in line with all the most important public transport companies in Europe.
The total cost faced by Cotral relating to the four tenders that have been assigned has brought about a cost of 70,713,000 Euros.
“Thanks to the commitment of the Lazio Region, Cotral’s major shareholder, and the other shareholders, the Provinces of Rome, Rieti and Viterbo, the company is moving forwards satisfactorily with the renovation and improvement of the out-of-town transport service” as stated by the President of Cotral, Franco Cervi. “The assignment of all the new buses will be organised by giving priority to the most used routes and systems that currently use the oldest fleet. Overall, the acquisition will allow the fleet to increase the level of safety, quality and comfort of the service provided”, explained Antonio Ricevuto, the Managing Director of Cotral.

In detail, it involves 30 12-metre double-decker buses, awarded to Neoman Italy for €12,120,000.00: the delivery foresees 8 buses that are able to transport 110 passengers (82 seats) every 30 days. The double-decker is equipped with air conditioning and the lifting and transport of the disabled. With regard to distribution, the highest priority will be given to “direct” lines, which connect the different terminals of the Lazio Province with the capital city without any intermediate stops. 21 buses, measuring 90 by 10.50 metres, will then arrive every month, awarded to Troiani for €17,523,000.00, which will allow better handling on the more inaccessible connecting roads between the small municipalities of the Lazio region, thanks to the smaller size of the buses.

The 40 12-metre LPG buses, awarded to Neoman Italy for €11,000,000.00, will be delivered in eight units every 30 days. The purchase of this type of bus with less polluting emissions fits perfectly into the more general political will to contribute to public transport that pollutes less on city and out-of-town routes.
The 155 12-metre buses, Class II awarded to Iveco-Romana Diesel Spa for an overall amount of €30,070,000.00, which were recently presented, have already begun to travel on Lazio’s roads. As stated in the contract, the contactor is preparing the agreed delivery of 38 buses every 30 days.

Cotral’s Managing Director, Antonio Ricevuto then went on to explain the new AVM system "60% of the fleet has already been equipped with it. It will serve” Ricevuto continues, “to monitor the buses in real time allowing to resolve any delays, problems or dangers immediately".
The AVM (Automatic Vehicle Monitoring) represents the final expression of a year-long trial process. Thanks to the presence of an on-board computer that is connected to sensors and devices, the Cotral operational centre will be able to provide real time information on the state of the vehicle and its position. Analysis of the recorded data will therefore allow a service improvement, a better planning of maintenance operations and the prevention of any breakdowns, as well as provide increasingly reliable information to the clientele and a service adjustment to the real users’ needs.
The forecasted results, most of which have been implemented, will be used in different sectors of the company’s business: from movement to maintenance and marketing, and will also involve the sales sector as well as the call centres.

It is a small record for Lazio. Our engineers have actually been called upon to illustrate its characteristics in the USA as it transforms the buses into many moving sensors for the whole region. Every vehicle will be like an antenna on the roads that will render a wealth of precious information in terms of service regularity and in terms of maintenance operation support.

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