Power Transmission Engineering Magazine
www.powertransmission.com/articles/4637

Voith Transmission Serves Bus Rapid Transit Systems

June 3, 2013
More than 10,000 DIWA automatic transmissions are already in service in demanding Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems. Cities such as São Paulo, Santiago de Chile, Bogotá, Mexico City, Paris, Cape Town, Jakarta, Hangzhou or Brisbane have been relying for years on Voith as a competent and reliable partner for their BRT lines.
BRT systems distinguish themselves from heavy inner city bus service by fast traffic flow, enabled by dedicated bus lanes. As a result, traffic jams can be avoided and the vehicles can achieve higher average speeds. Passengers benefit from this through significantly shorter travel times. In heavy-duty BRT systems with high start-stop contents and high passenger numbers the DIWA transmission has proven itself excellently. Combined with the service and consulting program DIWA Excellence it ensures economical and reliable bus services.

With the DIWA automatic transmission plus topography-dependent gear-shifting program SensoTop, fuel consumption can be reduced by up to seven percent. When supplemented by the DIWA SmartNet telemetric system, the condition of the transmission can be permanently monitored. This reduces downtimes and increases availability. Voith technology in BRT systems also makes an important contribution to the environment. By the end of 2012, the BRT system TransMilenio in Bogotá had managed to save nearly 3.8 million tons of CO2 emissions. With a market share of 84 percent in the TransMilenio system, Voith technology is playing a major role in the reduction of vehicle emissions. The release of brake dust in Bogotá has been cut by three million tons per month. The reason for this is the secondary retarder integrated in the DIWA automatic transmission. It brakes the buses totally wear-free. And this pays off - for the operators, the people and the environment.