HINO Motors Sales Malaysia (Hino Malaysia) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Handal Indah to kick off a trial run of a low-floor mini bus in Johor Baru, Johor.
Known as Hino Poncho, the 7-metre mini bus will begin its trial within the Johor Baru area, primarily the Causeway Link, and will be operated by Handal Indah, one of the major bus providers in Johor.
The trial run will cater to Route 10B, involving Johor Baru city, Pelangi, Sentosa, Pandan, Taman Daya, and Taman Setia Indah, from now until July 12.
Hino Malaysia's managing director Atsushi Uchiyama said: "We have been working together (after) our past collaboration to run the first hybrid bus in Malaysia, supporting economical and clean public transport system.
"It was an obvious choice to work with Handal Indah again for this Poncho trial in Johor, and we are glad that they are as excited as we are to run this.
"Handal Indah is experienced, and provides great insight on the public transportation needs here in Johor Baru which are valuable in this trial," he added.
Hino's trial operation in the city is ideally-timed, since Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) is currently planning for the Iskandar Malaysia Bus Rapid Transit (IMBRT) project.
The IMBRT aims to transform the public transportation landscape in Iskandar Malaysia, with lines running from Skudai, Tebrau, and Iskandar Puteri to Johor Baru city centre.
Hino Poncho is a solution to enable expansion of new routes that were not accessible earlier due to unavailability of low-floor mini buses, especially for last-mile travels.
Its small size enables it to manoeuvre through narrow city roads and quieter residential areas, while its low floor design makes it friendly for senior citizens, children and wheelchair-bound passengers.
The minibus is propelled by a Euro5-rated 5.0-litre JO5D engine with around 208PS at 2,800rpm and 490Nm of torque at 1,600rpm.
Output is transferred to its rear wheels via an automatic transmission, while gross weight is rated at around 7.7 tonnes.
It is also equipped with air suspension and an anti-lock braking system (ABS).
The height can be lowered by 50mm, which would enhance boarding and alighting properties at bus stops and with the raising control, the chassis is able to be lifted up to 30mm higher to improve driveability on rough roads.
With its small size and environmental-friendliness, there are more than 2,000 units of Hino Poncho manoeuvring within the busy cities and narrow roads of Japan.