New Marcopolo Paradisio sets to revolutionize transport business

By Odunewu Segun

The new Mercedes Benz Marcopolo Paradisio 1350 luxury bus has been described as the new big thing to happen in the Nigerian transport industry because of its unique features that has been the hallmark of the Mercedes Benz brand over the years.

While presenting the bus to the press and leading bus operators in Nigeria, Managing Director of Weststar Associates Limited, Mr. Mirko Plath, said that the introduction of the Marcopolo Paradiso 1350 bus model marks a move in the right direction for bus operators in Nigeria.

“The bus operators already have a long standing relationship with Mercedes-Benz dating back to the 1950s. The brand has been a benchmark for their success over the years hence, their trust in the brand and in Weststar Associates.”

According to him, the Mercedes-Benz Marcopolo buses are not new to operators in Nigeria. He, however, assured that with the bus, operators were ready to take their businesses to the next level, and pleaded that they should continue to put their trust in the Mercedes-Benz brand.

He noted that the collaboration with Marcopolo in Nigeria has certainly borne fruit over the years. According to him, the Marcopolo stands for safety, quality, reliability and genuineness among others.

Speaking during the unveiling, the Key Accounts Manager of Weststar Associates, Ifeanyi Igbokwe, said the bus chassis has been carefully developed for medium and long-distance applications.

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According to him, the chassis has all of Mercedes-Benz‘s technological advantages and is a robust and highly durable chassis that is adequate for the most severe working conditions.

He said the new bus provides high comfort to passengers due to the integral pneumatic suspension and a Mercedes-Benz gearbox (with six synchronized gears).

“This chassis is built to offer top quality and low operational costs, it is also designed to withstand 24 tonnes. It offers better ergonomics to the driver’s top auxiliary brake which provides an additional braking power of 30 per cent and a high ground clearance level for bad road conditions”, Igbokwe added.

Other attributes of the newly introduced bus include: design to provide the best passenger experience and greater comfort and safety to the driver making it even better than its predecessors.

The Paradiso 1350 bus which brings external and internal changes that raise the level of sophistication, comfort, safety and efficiency in comparison to its predecessors, is built with the ever reliable Mercedes-Benz 0 500 RSD bus chassis developed for middle and long distance travel.

A renewed exterior sees the Paradiso 1350 appear with newly designed mirrors that offer better driver visibility, newly designed bumpers and side windows and a new visual identity in the front; while the rear comes with a larger back cover that improves access to mechanical components and rear windows with a new design.

With regards to safety the O 500 RSD chassis is equipped with safety features like the Top Brake auxiliary engine brake coupled with the conventional engine brake system.

This brake system provides many advantages, such as increased braking power, higher speed on slopes, greater safety, less gear shifting, lower maintenance costs, longer life of brake and tire components and fuel economy.