Hino Poncho undertakes trial run across key areas in Johor Bahru
international market continued to be felt.
He added that this was in line with the recentlyannounced Penjana package as Malaysia entered into the recovery mode to propel forward the nation’s economic growth.
MDG has benefited 23,457 companies since it was launched. It embodies the government’s serious intention to bring Malaysian companies into global markets.
Based on the MDG survey conducted last year, more than 92 per cent of SMEs believed this programme played significant role in their export initiatives while 89 per cent said MDG led to an increase in export sales.
For more information on MDG including the improved guidelines, visit www.matrade. gov.my or call MDG hotline at 03-62077593 or drop an email at mdg@matrade.gov.my.
JOHOR BAHRU: Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Hino Malaysia) and Handal Indah Sdn Bhd have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on kickstarting the trial run for a low-floor minibus here.
Known as ‘Hino Poncho’, the 7m low-floor minibus is undergoing the trial run within the Johor Bahru area under the operation of Handal Indah, one of the largest bus providers operating in Johor and is also known as ‘Causeway Link’.
The trial run covers Route 10B, which travels along JB City, Pelangi, Sentosa, Pandan, Taman Daya, and Taman Setia Indah, for a one-month period ending this July 12.
In 2017, Hino Malaysia collaborated with Handal Indah in conducting a trial on Hino’s 10.5m hybrid low-floor bus model.
Hino Malaysia managing director Atsushi Uchiyama said they had been working together in past collaboration to run the first hybrid bus in Malaysia supporting economical and clean public transport system.
“It was an obvious choice to work with Handal Indah again for this Poncho trial in Johor, and we are glad that they are as excited as we are to run this.
“Handal Indah is experienced and provides great insight on the public transportation needs here in Johor Bahru, which is valuable in this trial,” he said in a statement.
Hino’s trial operation in Johor
Bahru is in good timing as Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) is planning for the Iskandar Malaysia Bus Rapid Transit (IMBRT) project.
The project aims to transform the public transport system in Iskandar Malaysia. The services would comprise three main lines running from Skudai, Tebrau and Iskandar Puteri, to Johor Bahru city centre.
This would be further supported by direct and feeder routes, with a network spanning more than 1,200km, covering 90 per cent of the populated areas across Iskandar Malaysia.
The IMBRT would consolidate some existing routes, and open new routes to serve the people of Johor better in terms of their public transportation needs.
With emphasis on better access to an extensive network, firstand-last-mile connectivity, and sustainable green technology, IMBRT aims to be a game changer for public transportation in Malaysia.
Hino Poncho is a solution to enable expansion of new routes that were not accessible earlier due to unavailability of low-floor minibuses.
The small size enables it to easily manoeuvre through narrow city roads and quieter residential areas, while its lowfloor design makes it easier for senior citizens, children and wheelchair-bound passengers to board, compared with the current buses which are approximately 10m to 12m in length.
In Japan, there are more than 2,000 units of Hino Poncho manoeuvring within the busy cities and narrow roads.
The low-floor minibus is also able to accommodate up to 31 passengers, including those who are standing.
Designed with a vehicle heightadjusting system, the height can be lowered down by 50mm which would enhance the boarding or alighting property at bus stops; with the raising control, the chassis is able to be lifted up to 30mm higher to improve driveability on rough roads.
This Poncho trial unit is equipped with Hino’s five-litre Euro-V engine, common-rail fuel injection system and five-speed fully automatic transmission – all set to help improve operational cost, with it being more fuelefficient than the current buses.
The Euro-V diesel engine serves to improve the performance for acceleration, provide better fuel-economy and also reduce harmful emissions – making it environment friendly.
The engine is also equipped with Diesel Particulate Reduction ( DPR) system – an after-treatment mechanism that significantly reduces particulate matter.
This feature differs to other current Euro-V vehicles, in that the Hino Poncho does not require any additional fluid such as ‘AdBlue’ urea fluid, which leads to savings in terms of operating cost and maintenance time for the customer.