Autopax Passenger Service have made an order of 460 coaches to Daimler Buses ahead of the South Africa World Cup 2010. The long distance South African coach operator is expected to take delivery of the first batch of coaches as early as the end of December, with the final delivery being made by April next year.

An East London plant will play an integral part in the manufacturing of the new coaches with many of the parts of the vehicles being sent to the UK plant to be assembled. The facility currently has approximately 50 employees and received a €1 million investment recently, part of which was used to increase the size of the workforce.

The coaches will be manufactured to the very highest standard with every care taken to provide a comfortable ride for passengers. All 52 and 61 seater coaches will be fitted with seat belts as standard. Each coach will have air conditioning installed, plus entertainment equipment including a DVD and MP3 player with monitors and a microphone facility.

The head of Daimler buses admitted he is “delighted” with the contract to supply the coaches, adding, “It shows what a great reputation Mercedes-Benz buses have worldwide and how much confidence our customers have in them. At 460 vehicles, Daimler Buses is delivering by far the largest number of coaches for upcoming top-events in South Africa.”