Business news

MINSK, 19 February (BelTA) – Over the course of three years the Belarusian automobile engineering company MAZ has shipped over 1,000 buses to the Russian cities where the FIFA World Cup will take place on 14 June – 15 July 2018. One of the latest contracts provides for delivering 100 buses to Samara, MAZ representatives told BelTA.

Ten Russian cities have acquired the MAZ buses in anticipation of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, including Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The buses will be used to transport football fans for the duration of the world cup. Later on the buses will be used for regular urban and suburban transportation. Belarusian buses stand out from the crowd thanks to reliability and European comfort standards.

The low-floor bus MAZ 206 is powered by a 218hp Euro-5 compliant Mercedes-Benz engine and a six-speed Allison gearbox. It offers 24 seats for passengers and space for wheelchair users, which can be accessed using a slide-out ramp. These buses are fitted with surveillance cameras, a large information table in the passenger compartment, and sliding vent windows.

“MAZ buses have already been deployed on several urban routes. They are reliable and comfortable,” noted Samara Oblast Acting Governor Dmitry Azarov. “It is a very important deal for the region particularly since Samara Oblast is getting ready to welcome guests from all over the world for the duration of the world football cup. It is important for us that the buses are supplied by the brotherly country of Belarus.”

More Belarusian buses are supposed to be bought for other sport events, too. In particular, MAZ buses can come in handy during the Winter Universiade, which will take place in Krasnoyarsk in 2019.

MAZ representatives noted: “The Russian market remains a strategic one for Belarusian buses. MAZ has earned good reputation in Russia: our passenger vehicles are appreciated for their reliability, comfort, and technology. Our strategy is to offer higher quality at a competitive price. Belarusian buses may be irreplaceable during major sport events.”

In the past MAZ sold 230 buses for the 2013 Universiade in Kazan, 255 buses for the Olympic Games in Sochi, and over 130 buses for an ice hockey world championship in Minsk.