MAN: still Buscor’s first choice!

The relationship between the two companies started 40 years ago but Buscor resolved to standardise its fleet with MAN 27 years ago. Today, Buscor’s fleet is made up of 455 MAN buses and is still growing.

MAN currently supplies Buscor with the MAN HB4 solo model, train buses, and bi-articulated buses (Bi-Arts). These are used extensively within the Mpumalanga region, where Buscor transports around 200 000 passengers a day, mainly in the Mbombela area. The bulk of the company’s fleet is made up of the MAN HB4 bus train, which is a single articulated unit, while the unique MAN HB3 Bi-Art is also a member of the fleet.

According to Siyabonga Nhleko, head of bus sales at MAN Automotive (South Africa), the chassis for the HB series are assembled at MAN’s Pinetown plant, which has around 100 employees and prides itself on using solar power for all its manufacturing needs.

“The chassis are then transported to MAN’s Olifantsfontein plant, which employs around 130 people and recently also made the change to sustainable power. Here, the bodies are manufactured and fitted onto the chassis. The local assembly and manufacture of these buses maximises local content and emphasises MAN’s commitment to supporting the South African economy. This also gives MAN the exceptional selling point of a one-stop solution to meet our customers’ unique needs,” he explains.

On the subject of unique needs, it is interesting that the MAN HB3 Bi-Art requires a specific permit to run on pre-determined routes, making it unique to the South African market. The bus is a staggering 27 m long, consisting of a prime mover and two articulated trailers. Due to the model’s distinctive nature, intensive driver training is conducted in conjunction with the customer in order to optimise the HB3’s value and usefulness. “Furthermore, this model was designed specifically for Buscor and is not found in any other global markets,” reveals Nhleko.

Nora Fakude, executive chairperson of Buscor, says the 100 series is her favourite MAN bus. “We started with the 100 series and most of them have done over a million kilometres. We have two buses that ran over 1,5 million kilometres with the original engine and gearbox,” she reveals.

Nhleko tells FOCUS that MAN prides itself on engineering quality products with a long lifecycle that contributes to the success of its customers’ operations. “Having vehicles last for such an extensive period of time with the original manufactured components, while being operated daily under harsh conditions, proves that MAN manufactures premium products,” he explains.

This is important to the Buscor team. “All the 455 MAN buses run services every day, so they are very reliable, and you won’t see a bus standing on the side of the road,” says Fakude.

MAN strives to keep customers on the road, and this is achieved by having world-class workshops as well as a strong and transparent relationship with customers. “We train our mechanics and, together with MAN, we make sure that they know exactly what the bus is doing, so that they don’t just sit behind the steering wheel, they identify anything wrong and report this to the workshop. Furthermore, whenever a new product is introduced, MAN trains our trainers to train our drivers,” Fakude notes.

Building a relationship over 27 years is no small feat and requires constant dedication and focus from both MAN and Buscor. “Core to MAN’s business is putting the customer first and this is achieved by manufacturing quality products which give our customers longevity and uptime. MAN does this by providing competitive repair and maintenance products; employing qualified and efficient technicians; training the customer’s drivers to recognise problems quickly, enabling a quick repair to get the vehicle back on the road; and open and transparent communication,” says Nhleko. “Simplifying business is a core MAN value which is central to all our business operations.”

Both MAN and Buscor believe that their relationship can only go from strength to strength and they look forward to another 27 years of doing business together, with Fakude asserting, “Together we can simplify the business!”