SHAH ALAM: Konsortium e-Mutiara Bhd (E-Mutiara) is expanding its fleet with new double-deck coaches built on premium Euro V-specification MAN RR5 26.440 chassis.
E-Mutiara is one of the largest express bus operators in Malaysia,
E-Mutiara has ordered 55 units of double-deck coaches and 12 units of single-deck coaches from MAN.
The first batch of 10 units of the new 42-seat MAN double-deck coaches in the new 13.5-metre length with lightweight aluminium bodies built by Gemilang Coachwork Sdn Bhd were officially handed over to E-Mutiara by MAN Truck & Bus (M) Sdn Bhd head of bus Anvar Kasimov, and finance director Philip Walton, at Johor Bahru recently.
The new MAN coaches are equipped with Telematics, Fleet Management System and speed limited to 90kph.
They also come with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) such as Electronic Braking Assistance (EBA), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Cruise Control as standard for added safety.
E-Mutiara has also specified the installation of a 10-inch tablet on the dashboard.
This allows the company to digitise, upload and update the pre-departure checklist and also passenger manifest and do away with the need for sheets of paper and manual sign-off by supervisors at every destination.
E-Mutiara managing director Naemah Ya’acob said that the company has always invested in premium European chassis and insisted that the maintenance and repair be undertaken by the chassis manufacturer for assured quality and optimum uptime.
“Our decision to go with MAN, our first brand switch in 15 years, reflects our confidence in the brand’s ability to grow with us to the next level"
"We always believe in the quality and durability of German engineering and the new generation of MAN vehicles are technologically advanced and there is a high level of digitalisation in their back-end operations."
"We also like that MAN’s Service and Repair contract allows us to focus solely on our operations and better manage our cashflow as the cost per kilometre is fixed with no surprises,” she said.
E-Mutiara plans to roll out a host of innovative services aimed at revolutionising the express bus industry and also expand its footprint.
Currently, E-Mutiara express coaches service the Kota Bahru – Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh – Singapore and Kuala Perlis – Singapore routes.
The company is planning to spread its wings beyond Peninsular Malaysia by end-2025.
Following the positive market reception to its premium Mutiara Luxe service, E-Mutiara aims to introduce further ground-breaking new features to capture a bigger slice of the premium executive coach segment.
