The Sharjah Roads & Transport Authority (SRTA) has expanded its inter-city bus fleet with the addition of 22 new buses, which are based on Volvo chassis with bodies built by Brazilian coachbuilder Marcopolo.

SRTA purchased the vehicles through Al Futtaim Auto & Machinery Company (FAMCO), representatives of Marcopolo in the UAE and Qatar.

The purchase marks the third time that the SRTA has bought buses from Marcopolo, and saw a nine-member delegation from the UAE visit the Brazilian company’s factory in Caxias do Sul, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, on a technical tour. The visit also saw the delegation make a stop at Sao Paulo to visit the headquarters of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), which facilitated the deal.

The delegation had six representatives from the SRTA including its CEO Abdelaziz Mohamed Rashid Aljarwan Alshamsi; two from Famco, including general manager Ramez Hamdan; and one from Marcopolo, Maichel Mensch, the company’s commercial manager in Dubai.

SRTA CEO Alshami said: “We are happy about the visit and came to see the factory. Marcopolo offers great quality, and we look forward to continuing the partnership.”

About five years ago, SRTA purchased 20 buses from the Brazilian manufacturer through FAMCO, while there were already buses from other brands from Germany and China in its fleet.

FAMCO’s Ramez Hamda said: “We have been Marcopolo’s exclusive representatives since 1989 for the UAE and Qatar. Marcopolo has had stable growth in the region; they have reliable and good quality products.”

Marcopolo has been selling buses to the UAE since 1982. The Brazilian multinational company accounts for almost half of the South American country’s bus production and is the biggest body manufacturer on the continent and the third largest worldwide.