Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- SAZ LE60 buses are actively operated by independent carriers of Kazakhstan, including Almaty companies Samat-trans, Oljas LTD and BAS Trade. According to representatives of these automobile enterprises, the buses of the Samarkand Automobile Plant have a number of advantages - optimal dimensions, rich equipment and the presence of a fully automatic Allison transmission, which provides ease of control and efficient operation of equipment.

The SAZ LE60 low-floor city bus is produced by the Uzbek company SamAuto. The model is equipped with a four-cylinder Isuzu 4HK1-TCC engine with a capacity of 190 hp. with., mated to a fully automatic six-speed transmission Allison Torqmatic® 2100 (T2100). With a bus length of 8066 millimeters and a width of 2466 millimeters, 26 seats are provided in the cabin, and its total capacity is 56 people. This was achieved thanks to the transverse arrangement of the engine and transmission in the rear overhang. Samat-trans purchased SAZ LE60 buses for the first time in 2020. Today, the carrier’s fleet consists of 80 such vehicles that operate on long-distance suburban routes.

“Buses operate on the extremely long suburban routes of Almaty,” says Jandarbek Sabdinov, Chief Engineer of Samat-Trans. - The mileage of one car can reach up to 500 kilometers per day, while the daily consumption is about 80 liters of fuel, which is a very acceptable indicator. In addition, it is important to note the exceptional convenience of driving a bus with an Allison automatic transmission.”

The Allison T2100 six-speed transmission is an efficient solution for medium-sized city and suburban buses. Its special gearshift algorithm ensures optimal operation of the bus engine, thereby contributing to lower fuel consumption, and therefore increasing the economic efficiency of the fleet.

The Allison automatic transmission provides confident and smooth acceleration, as well as excellent maneuverability. The driver does not need to be distracted by gear changes, which allows him to pay even more attention to the traffic situation and keep the steering wheel with both hands.

The Oljas LTD company, which acquired the first vehicles in 2017, also gained extensive experience in operating SAZ LE60 buses. By increasing its fleet every year, the company has now increased the number of such buses to 44 units.

“These vehicles serve exclusively urban routes,” Janatbek Sarsmbaev, supply engineer at Oljas Ltd., comments on the operation of the SAZ LE60. – Such routes are characterized by many stops, and here the bus with an automatic transmission performs at its best. On a bus with mechanics in a similar mode of operation, more than once you would have to change the clutch.

Allison automatic transmissions are reliable and have an impressive resource. They will allow you to forget about such a common reason for repairing buses as clutch wear. All maintenance of the Allison T2100 automatic transmission comes down to replacing the oil filter and transmission oil every 80-120 thousand kilometers.

The fleet of the Almaty carrier BAS Trade has 30 SAZ LE60 buses: 20 buses were purchased in 2020, and 10 more in 2022. The vehicles serve one city and one intercity route. By decision of the municipality, only buses equipped with an automatic transmission and a climate control system are allowed on these routes.

“Despite not the longest operation, we can draw unambiguous conclusions about the reliability and convenience of these buses,” comments Igor Zavgorodniy, Chief Mechanic of BAS Trade. - The mileage of cars purchased in 2020 has already exceeded 300,000 kilometers, while only routine maintenance was carried out with the Allison box - the oil and filter were changed. It is also important to note that our intercity route is very specific: it passes through terrain with large elevation changes and has 64 stops in one direction only. Such conditions are literally “death” for the clutch, an automatic machine is simply necessary here.

For several years of presence in the passenger transportation market of Kazakhstan, the SAZ LE60 bus has managed to establish itself extremely positively, therefore, three surveyed Almaty fleets intend to purchase these vehicles in the future. Moreover, city buses with automatic transmissions are gradually becoming the “default” choice, which is largely due to the requirements of city authorities for the safety and comfort of passenger transportation, as well as the desire of the carrier companies themselves to simplify the task of managing their fleet.