Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Nov. 12
By Daniar Azizov - Trend: German company EvoBus GmbH completed the delivery of 100 Mercedes-Benz Conecto Low Floor urban buses to Uzbekistan, a message of the Toshshahartransxizmat (Tashkent city transport service) association said on Nov 12.
In May 2013 it was reported that the Toshshahartransxizmat association concluded a contract with EvoBus GmbH (a bus division of Daimler-Chrysler, Germany) on the purchase of 100 Mercedes-Benz Conecto Low Floor city passenger buses of Euro-3 standard, as well as spare parts and diagnosis equipments for these buses in the total amount of 14 million euros.
Funding of the contract is being carried out by the credit of the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan (FRDU).
The credit was granted to the Toshshahartransxizmat association for a period of 15 years with a three year grace period at an annual interest rate of 0.75 per cent, taking into account the margin of the refinancing bank - OJSCB Uzpromstroybank at a rate of 0.25 per cent.
In 2012, Uzbekistan purchased 100 new Mercedes-Benz Conecto Low Floor buses for a total of $18.9 million with the FRDU's credit.
The first Mercedes-Benz Conecto Low Floor buses of Euro-3 standard appeared in Tashkent in 2008. At the moment, about 1,000 Mercedes-Benz busses are being operated in Tashkent.
The purchase of buses for a total of 120 million euros was carried out with German banks' credits under Uzbek government's guarantee. All these buses with length of more than 12 meters and a carrying capacity of over eight tons belong to Mercedes-Benz Conecto class.
According to the association, in 2014-2015 it is planned to purchase 600 Isuzu buses produced in Samarkand Automobile Plant and 20 tramcars, as well as some 200 Mercedes-Benz buses with large capacity.
There are three car factories in Uzbekistan: CJSC GM Uzbekistan (formerly JSC UzDaewooAuto, located in the Asaka city, Andijan oblast), which produces motor cars, SamAuto Ltd. (Samarkand), which manufactures Isuzu buses and light trucks, as well as MAN Auto-Uzbekistan joint venture, which produces trucks with load capacity from 15 to 50 tons.