MANning The Roads

MAN Truck & Bus Middle East’s Jörg Mommertz, Senior Vice President, Head of Sales Area MEA&LA and Managing Director, chats exclusively with Plant & Equipment about the importance of a seamless public transportation solution.

An efficient public transportation system is everything for a city or country. Moving goods and people easily and affordably is what brings in the revenue from all the relevant segments that make up a successful economy. In the Middle East, over the last few decades, prominent countries have relied on partners like MAN Truck & Bus Middle East to take forward their ambitions of providing a seamless commuting experience. Countries such as the UAE with long-sighted visions of progress and budgets to match have set the standards high when it comes to providing the best in public transportation. MAN Truck & Bus today has solutions and products that are technically sound, advanced and among the best in the world.

Jörg Mommertz, Senior Vice President, Head of Sales Area MEA&LA and Managing Director of MAN Truck & Bus Middle East FZE, was in Dubai recently and sat down with Munawar Shariff for a detailed chat on public transportation solutions and initiatives.

Plant & Equipment: How has the region’s mindset changed when it comes to public transportation in the last decade?

Jörg Mommertz: It’s a pattern – as the world gets more populated, as our environment gets more affected, governments focus more closely on public transportation. These are key issues as they solve traffic problems, they make living in an urban area more attractive, and also contribute to the environmental impact with a reduction in CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency.

Here in the UAE and in Saudi Arabia, there are strong investments in infrastructure which are ongoing and we want to contribute to that with our products and services.

P&E: What work has MAN done with these governments?

Mommertz: You know, one of our long-term, loyal partners is Dubai’s RTA. We also have projects in KSA and Oman and we have the upcoming Qatar 2022 in front of us, so we have established and continue to have stable relationships with the authorities in the region. Our products are also very prominent here.

P&E: Which country in the GCC has the most effective public transportation system, and why?

Mommertz: Honestly, the UAE started earlier than any of the others and it is the best so far.

P&E: Besides buses, what are your other solutions for public transportation?

Mommertz: Of course, we are not making metros. However, we offer the most flexible transport solution – the solo articulated city buses, intercity buses, coaches, now we also have the TGE, which is a smaller bus application. So we fit into being a very important part of what is the integrated public transport system. In simple words, someone has to bring the passengers to the nearest Metro station, and this is done using a bus. Connecting people in remote areas is the intercity bus, so this is a part of a sophisticated integrated transport system.

P&E: How environmentally sound are your buses for now and for the future?

Mommertz: Our buses are state-of-the-art and are available in the Euro 6 D emission standard, which is not yet required here because of fuel quality. The UAE is compliant with the Euro 4 emission standard. Some neighbouring countries are still below this standard.

We have buses that run on alternative fuels such as CNG, which is an extremely environmentally friendly gas and also highly efficient. And this is approved technology, as it has been in use for the last three decades. We have hybrid solutions, hybrid buses and of course fully electric buses.

So we have the complete product portfolio available. However, the fully electric buses are not yet available here due to climate-related challenges, as well as the business environment is a little bit different here. It requires some time, but we are on track to offer these solutions when the demand arises here.

P&E: Which is your biggest market in the region?

Mommertz: By volume and revenue, it is KSA, as it’s the biggest in terms of population and industry, but we’ve also seen similar numbers in Africa.