OREANDA-NEWS. September 28, 2009. The SOLLERS company has announced the beginning of delivery of 41 FIAT Ducato–brand school buses to the Ministry of Education of the Ulyanovsk region as part of the government program to supply children’s educational institutions with transport. The first five FIAT Ducato school buses were transferred to Ulyanovsk regional schools on August 29 with Sergey Morozov, the regional governor, in attendance.

In total, in accordance with the contract, 41 vehicles specially designed for transporting children to educational establishments will be delivered to the Ulyanovsk region within the next few days. A school bus with a FIAT Ducato base is a unique Russian vehicle created by the SOLLERS company in strict conformity with all regulatory documents, and has been completely certificated by the state authorities. This version differs from a usual bus due to a set of additional equipment which provides comfort and safety for small passengers and the driver. The school bus is equipped with specially-sized seats that take into account the structure of the body of a child, with individual seat belts, additional armrests, a low-located running board by the side door, overhead racks for carrying of light baggage and coats, a dedicated heater for the passenger compartment, and also an additional electronic safety system which restricts the maximum speed of the bus to 60 km/h, and prevents the driver from pulling away with the passenger door open. The vehicle is designed for transporting a total of 11 students and 1 accompanying person in the front seat.

It should be noted that the manufacturing of the FIAT Ducato-based school bus was arranged directly at the SOLLERS-Elabuga factory in the assembly area for special vehicle series. Such an approach provides the highest possible quality of vehicle assembly, since, unlike companies specializing in modifying ready-made car bodies, this provides safe and reliable integration of any new equipment into the chassis of the minibus at the assembly stage. Additionally, the Russian production of FIAT Ducato and its widespread dealer network, FIAT Professional (by the end of 2009 it will grow to 150 car centess in all regions of Russia, including the Far East) provides uninterrupted delivery of spare parts and 24-hour technical support from the factory as well as certificated service stations.

Looking back, FIAT Ducato’s production was started in May 2008 at the SOLLERS-Elabuga manufacturing site. The design capacity of the factory is 75,000 vehicles per year. The target level of project localization exceeds 70%. At present, the national dealer network of FIAT Professional, the commercial section of FIAT, which includes the Ducato lineup, exceeds 120 car dealerships and service stations in all major cities and regions of Russia. By the end of 2009 this number will reach 150. The warranty period for FIAT Ducato is 2 years, without any restrictions on mileage. The service interval has been extended to 20,000 kilometers.