The first low-floor chassis from MAN was brought to Tunisia more than three years ago as a prototype in a collaborative venture between the Center Importer Management NWC Africa and the Tunisian importer. Since then, MAN-based city buses have become a common sight around many Tunisian towns. And soon, they will be joined by more: following a call for tender, the Tunisian trade office OCT (Office du Commerce de la Tunisie) selected Alpha Bus Tunisie, an official partner of MAN Truck & Bus, to supply a total of 395 vehicles.
The order comprises 194 solo buses based on the IC 19.280 (RR8) chassis and 201 articulated buses based on the NG353F (A24). The chassis will be delivered over the course of the next three years, with the first part of the order being handed over this year.
The high-floor chassis IC 19.280 (RR8) comes with the 208 HP (206 kW) D08 engine and a manually operated gearbox. Depending on which tyres are fitted, it allows for a permissible gross vehicle weight of 19.5 t.
For the articulated buses, Alpha Bus is using the NG353F (A24) low-floor chassis which is suitable for vehicle lengths up to 18,750 mm. The engine has an output of 350 HP (257 kW).
At the signing of the contract between Alpha Bus Tunisie and MAN in Munich, Rhouma Labiadh, Deputy Manager at Alpha Bus, added five MAN coach chassis to the order, taking the total to an impressive 400 vehicles.
“This order is a historical achievement for us. We are very proud that MAN is playing a significant role in the development of a modern and safe local public transport system in Tunisia,” stated Adel Lünz, Head of Center Importer NWC Africa, at the signing event.
