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NEWS
Iveco on safari
Aussie-built Iveco bus teams up with Werribee Open Range ZooIveco has custom built a couple of new buses for Werribee Open Range Zoo which are going to take visitors on Safari for many years to come.
Werribee’s Open Range Zoo is located on a 225 hectare site on the banks of the Werribee River and offers visitors the opportunity to see a wide range of wildlife in its natural environment, as they might experience in a real wildlife reserve.
To provide visitors with a genuine safari experience, Werribee Open Range Zoo holds bus tours through arid and savannah grasslands to get a close-up look at animals including giraffe, rhino, zebra, bison and many others.
Over several years, Iveco Bus has assisted Werribee Open Range Zoo to develop its safari buses with the Zoo having recently added another two to its fleet.
Based on Iveco’s popular Delta Graduate chassis, which is manufactured in Melbourne, the company worked closely with local bodybuilder Varley to provide Werribee Open Range Zoo with a customised turn-key solution for its safari vehicles.
The buses are configured as a prime mover that can tow up to three trailers, providing seating for up to 146 passengers. The body design features open windows which allow the passengers to feel close to the animals while remaining safe and secure. The new prime movers also feature wheelchair lifts for passengers with mobility issues – previously a ramp system was used.
The Zoo’s safari tour covers 6.2 kilometres and normally takes around 40 minutes to complete with the buses traversing a varied range of conditions, from fine dust – which quickly turns to mud after rain – to large tracts of unsealed roads.
While the distance covered is not great, the buses often run long hours and operate seven days a week, 365 days a year in demanding low-speed operation.
Iveco says the Delta Graduate platform performs well in these conditions thanks to its strong chassis and driveline consisting of Cummins ISLe5 engine and Allison six-speed automatic transmission. Given the low-speed operation, the Delta Graduates also feature a 51-litre radiator with a thermostatically-controlled viscous fan.
With output of 209kW (280hp) and 1350Nm of torque from the 8.9 litre Cummins, the Delta Graduate has strong power for towing while still being a quiet bus which is essential to avoid startling the animals.
Iveco Bus National Manager – ANZ, Steve Heanes said the two latest buses delivered to Werribee Open Range Zoo, were a good example of the flexibility and customisation Iveco could offer its customers.
“Iveco Bus worked closely with the bodybuilder Varley, to provide Werribee Open Range Zoo with two extremely customised vehicles,” Mr Heanes said.
“With Iveco’s local manufacturing presence the build was very achievable and also provided the scope for adjustments to be made during the build, while still allowing the vehicles to be delivered on time and on budget.
“The new buses have an operating life of 15-20 years with refurbishment at 6-10 years and given the previous performance of the earlier Iveco buses on fleet, we’re more than confident that these performance expectations will be comfortably met,” Mr Heanes added.
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Written byTrucksales Staff
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