ISRAEL
Egged, Israel’s largest public transport operator, took delivery of delivery of the first of four new UNVI SIL double-decker buses earlier this summer. Ordered through MAN Truck & Bus importer Automotive Equipment & Trucks, the buses have an MAN chassis with the UNVI SIL body of 4.2 metres in height and 13 metres in length, and a capacity for 83 passengers plus one wheelchair user. The vehicles have been developed for the Israeli market and include a powerful air conditioning unit and 7.5m3 of luggage capacity.
The double-deck pilot project by the Ministry of Transport and Egged was inaugurated by Transport Minister Miri Regev. During the first six months of the pilot the buses will be tested on several regional routes, the first of which will be between Tel Aviv and Rishon Le Zion. If the trial is a success, Egged is expected to place further orders in 2022.
The Egged Group employs 9,000 people in Israel and around the world, and has an annual revenue turnover of nearly US$ 1.13 billion. Its buses carry just under 35% of the market share in Israel’s transport sector, with nearly 4,000 buses carrying almost one million passengers and travelling a distance of roughly 622,000 miles every day.
