Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) will expand its bus sales region to include all right-hand drive markets in Southern Africa, including Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Mauritius, as well as Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

The means that where buses were previously procured and looked after from Brazil and Germany, they will now be assembled by the MBSA bus plant, in East-London, with sales and service support to flow from South Africa, says MBSA bus and coach divisional manager Jan Aichinger.

MBSA has already received an order from a transport company in Zimbabwe for 26 buses.

“This is definitely a good move for MBSA,” says Aichinger.

He believes the Southern African market may add another hundred units a year or more to MBSA’s bus business.

MBSA produced 560 bus chassis at its plant in East London last year. These bus chassis are then fitted with bus bodies from various manufacturers, such as Marcopolo.

The South African bus market numbers around 1 500 units to 1 800 units a year.

Daimler Buses sales, service and parts executive MD Holger Suffel says that by making MBSA responsible for the sales and after-sales service in these regions, it ensures shorter response times to customer requests.

MBSA is part of the German Daimler group.