Sälen Buss has acquired two new buses with Allison transmissions to cope with increased numbers of skiers in Sweden’s Sälen ski area.
SÄLEN, Sweden, March 2022 – Sälen Buss, a family-owned transport company working for Swedish tour operator, SkiStar, has replaced two minibuses with two 50-seater Isuzu NovoCiti Life buses, equipped with Allison Transmission’s T 327 xFE™ transmission with retarder. With Euro VI engines, the buses run on HVO100, a diesel substitute made from hydrotreated vegetable oil.
The buses have been operational in the ski resort of Sälen for the 2021-2022 season since December and by the end of the season, will have transported an estimated 100,000 passengers. The resort comprises over 150 km of ski slopes across four ski areas. The buses’ daily duties involve picking up customers at their cabins and taking them to the ski areas and connecting express lines. Because they are required to handle both busy major roads and narrow streets in densely populated small villages, it was decided to equip the buses with Allison’s fully automatic transmissions.
“It is a challenge to drive in Sälen,” said Robin Andersson, founding son and co-owner of Sälen Buss. “The buses run on both busy roads and smaller village streets that meander between the cabins. Therefore, we needed full-size buses with a strong engine and a good gearbox. A big advantage of Allison Transmission’s gearbox is that we have the opportunity to adapt the transmission to fit our needs and our driving. We could not do that before, so now it is much smoother to drive in all weathers.”
“So far, the buses are running exactly as they should. Buses can often be a hassle with gearboxes, doors and more, but we are very happy with how everything has worked so far. In addition, we are happy that Allison has been up to visit and has been interested in seeing how we are doing. It feels good to have someone in our corner who can help if we encounter any problems,” said Andersson.
“We have seen an increased demand for the ski buses and therefore we chose to invest in more capacity this season,” said Andersson. “And that’s fortunate, because when we look at the statistics, we probably would not have made it with our old buses. Today, around 400-600 passengers ride the buses each day.”
“So far, we have only received good responses from drivers and travellers. The buses are easy to get in and out of, they have large windows so you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings and no steps – which anyone who has ever worn ski boots knows is a great advantage,” said Andersson.
Founded in 1987, Sälen Buss began with a single taxi. Today, the Sälen-based family business has 12 taxis and 35 buses that run both county traffic and SkiStar’s recreation buses in all of the local ski areas.
| About Allison Transmission T327RxFE
R = Retarder: Allison’s integral hydraulic retarder complements and enhances vehicle service brake performance. It reduces braking distance, while offering full integration with the anti-lock braking, engine braking and cruise control systems. In stop-and-go driving, the transmission retarder may be automatically activated at various levels, each time the vehicle brakes are in use, extending service brake life. xFE = Extra Fuel Efficiency: xFE is another in a line of innovative, fuel-saving technologies from Allison. xFE models have been designed to deliver more torque converter lock up operation and spend more time in higher ranges at lower engine speeds, saving fuel. Allison has engineered its xFE transmissions to lock up at lower speeds, meaning lock up occurs earlier and buses operate for as long as possible at their highest efficiency. |
Image – Sälen Buss, a family-owned transport company working for Swedish tour operator, SkiStar, has replaced two minibuses with two 50-seater Isuzu NovoCiti Life buses, equipped with Allison Transmission’s T 327 xFE™ transmission with retarder.
Image – Sälen Buss, a family-owned transport company working for Swedish tour operator, SkiStar, has replaced two minibuses with two 50-seater Isuzu NovoCiti Life buses, equipped with Allison Transmission’s T 327 xFE™ transmission with retarder.
Image – Sälen Buss, a family-owned transport company working for Swedish tour operator, SkiStar, has replaced two minibuses with two 50-seater Isuzu NovoCiti Life buses, equipped with Allison Transmission’s T 327 xFE™ transmission with retarder.
Image – Sälen Buss, a family-owned transport company working for Swedish tour operator, SkiStar, has replaced two minibuses with two 50-seater Isuzu NovoCiti Life buses, equipped with Allison Transmission’s T 327 xFE™ transmission with retarder.
Image – Sälen Buss, a family-owned transport company working for Swedish tour operator, SkiStar, has replaced two minibuses with two 50-seater Isuzu NovoCiti Life buses, equipped with Allison Transmission’s T 327 xFE™ transmission with retarder.
Image – Sälen Buss, a family-owned transport company working for Swedish tour operator, SkiStar, has replaced two minibuses with two 50-seater Isuzu NovoCiti Life buses, equipped with Allison Transmission’s T 327 xFE™ transmission with retarder.
About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is a leading designer and manufacturer of vehicle propulsion solutions for commercial and defense vehicles, the largest global manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions, and a leader in electrified propulsion systems that Improve the Way the World Works. Allison products are used in a wide variety of applications, including on-highway trucks (distribution, refuse, construction, fire and emergency), buses (school, transit and coach), motorhomes, off-highway vehicles and equipment (energy, mining and construction applications) and defense vehicles (tactical wheeled and tracked). Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. With a presence in more than 150 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil, manufacturing facilities in the USA, Hungary and India, as well as global engineering resources, including electrification engineering centers in Indianapolis, Indiana, Auburn Hills, Michigan and London in the United Kingdom. Allison also has more than 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.