Good news for Bengaluru's harried commuters stuck in never-ending traffic jams - the city's traffic woes may ease a little with the news that the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has ordered 240 air-conditioned city buses from Volvo India, the Indian subsidiary of the Swedish manufacturer Volvo.

This is in addition to the 70 Volvo buses already plying on the roads. In fact, it was the positive experience of commuters, many of whom ditched individual transport for the comfortable public transport, which prompted the corporation to place this order. "Passengers are very satisfied with the comfort provided by the Volvo buses," said Upendra Tripathy, managing director of BMTC.

Data suggests that half of the passengers in the Volvo buses today previously travelled by cars or two-wheelers. Lesser cars on the roads automatically translate to lower number traffic congestion, which has recently become the bane of the urban traveller in Bengaluru.

The buses will be built at  Volvo India's plant in Bengaluru, based on the B7RLE chassis with a body designed on Volvo's 8700 European model. The 290-horsepower engine to be used meets the Euro III emission standard. A wheelchair ramp, low-entry doors and air-conditioning form part of standard equipment.

"BMTC's decision after two years of testing to now make a larger investment is an important step in our company's development," said Akash Passey, managing director of Volvo Bus Body Technologies India. Volvo had inaugurated a new plant in the city only a few months back, which will be involved in implementing this latest order.