Muğla Metropolitan Municipality reports approximately 15 percent fuel economy improvement with Allison-equipped Otokar Doruk LE buses since delivery in Nov. 2015, compared to its previous manual vehicles.

BEIJING –Due to Muğla’s status as a tourism hub in Turkey, 10-meter Otokar Doruk LE buses equipped with Allison fully automatic transmissions were selected to provide public transport amongst the 13 wide-spread districts. Since the first delivery of Allison-equipped buses in Nov. 2015,Muğla MetropolitanMunicipality has achieved an approximate 15 percent fuel economy improvement compared to its previous manual-equipped buses.

The new Otokar Doruk LE buses are equipped with Allison Torqmatic® T 280 fully automatic transmissions with a retarder, featuring 5th Generation Electronic Controls and FuelSense® Max, which have resulted in significant fuel savings for Muğla Metropolitan Municipality.

According to Hamdi Alper Kolukısa, Muğla Metropolitan Municipality’s transportation office chairman, the 245-bus fleet that transports around 35,000 passengers daily, typically uses the Allison-equipped vehicles for public transport between provinces, where both passenger and driver comfort are paramount.

“Depending on the number of passengers, buses may stop at as many as 30 stations along the 60-kilometer (37-mile) or longer routes,” Kolukisa said. “Between 7 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. a bus makes as many as 20 trips. We have preferred Allison fully automatic transmissions for these trips as they provide comfort and safety for the passengers and the driver as well.”

For now, most of the municipality’s fleet remains equipped with manual transmissions, so officials used the opportunity to compare fuel consumption across all vehicles once the Allison-equipped buses were delivered.

“Using information specific to Muğla’s roads and route conditions, the average fuel consumption cost associated with manual transmission buses (7- to 12-meters-long) is 0.31 Euro per kilometer,” Kolukisa said. “Under the same conditions for vehicles equipped with the Allison fully automatic transmission, this cost was decreased to 0.25-0.26 Euro per kilometer, an improvement of about 15 percent in fuel economy.” (Euro rate is based on April 2016)

Kolukısa also said that Muğla has worked meticulously to specify the best buses for public transport, striving to increase safety, quality and comfort between the city center and districts.  

“All of our research suggests fully automatic transmissions are the best option,” he said. “Offering ease of operation and without a dry clutch to damage, we think the most important advantages of automatic transmissions are comfort, fuel economy and ease of maintenance.”

Indeed manual and automated manual transmissions (AMTs) feature mechanical clutches that are prone to wear, while Allison fully automatic transmissions use patented torque converter technology to launch the bus. Clutch maintenance and failures are eliminated and only regular oil and filter changes are required. Allison transmissions not only decrease maintenance costs but also keep buses on the road.