OREANDA-NEWS. An experimental gas-powered Bravis bus assembled by OOO KAMAZ-Marco - the joint venture of OJSC KAMAZ and Brazil's Marcopolo - is running on Chelyabinsk's roads.

Both passengers and drivers will assess this transport. According to Eduard Makhovsky, Director of MUP Chelyabinskiy avtomobilny transport, Bravis is a bus that fits in the enterprise's budget. “Today, each kilometer covered by a big diesel bus costs 10 roubles, a kilometer of running in a larger bus powered with methane costs six roubles,” Mr. Makhovsky calculated. “We plan to spend about three roubles for Bravis. This is actually the first bus which will bring profit. Fares will not decrease because of this, but won't increase either.”

The test drive of the Bravis bus was organized in Chelyabinsk because the city's enterprise intends to purchase natural gas buses of medium capacity. This 8-meter bus with 20 seats accommodating up to 50 passengers meets Euro 4 standards and is assembled from components made by the world's biggest producers.

It should be recalled that KAMAZ-Marco JV received a large order for delivery of Bravis city buses to Belgorod Oblast this spring. Besides, it is conducting negotiations with OAO BashAvtoTrans on supply of 30 buses, discussing cooperation with Penza, Ulyanovsk and Tula Oblasts, and also Krasnodar and Stavropol Krais and Mordovia. KAMAZ-Marco plans to produce and sell altogether 300 buses in 2014.