A national survey of 449 fleet operating companies conducted by the Ecuadorian magazine, Buen Viaje, specialized in tourism and bus operations, which represents 56.5% of the total of 709 dedicated to passenger transportation, revealed that the vast majority of buses in use in the country has bodies produced by domestic manufacturers.

Metra Metropolitan Transport System (Metra), the operator of the ABD Corridor and its extension Diadema-Brooklin in São Paulo, in partnership with UBus, has launched a new ‘on-demand’ city bus service operating a new line between São Bernardo city and São Paulo on the São Bernardo - Berrini corridor (33km).

The capital and largest city of Peru, Lima, in June received 300 buses with Caio Induscar Apache VIP bus bodies and Mercedes-Benz OF-1721 high-floor chassis for the Pan American Games, which are taking place there between July 26 and August 11.

Phillipp Schiemer, the president of Mercedes-Benz do Brasil Ltda and CEO of Latin America, ahead of the Fenatrans Show this month announced the New Actros truck, which is to be launched in 2020, would revolutionize the extra-heavy vehicle segment in Brazil and provide customers with the smartest, most secure, connected, and efficient model of all time.

Marcopolo SA reported revenues of  BRA898.6m (USD224m) in the first quarter of this year, which is an increase of 17.5% on BRA764.8m (USD191m) registered in the same period of 2018.

Fundições Tupy SA, an engine block and components manufacturer, reported a 17.9% increase in revenue to BRA2.68bn (USD670m) for the first half of 2019 compared with BRA2.27bn (USD568m); net income increased by 33% to BRA139.8m (USD35m).

VW Caminhões e Ônibus Ltda announced it would use Fenatran 2019, held in Sao Paulo this month, to promote a series of technological upgrades and new variants in its truck range for the Brazilian and South American markets with a concentration of them being in the light and heavy-duty segments.

DAF Caminhões Brasil Ltda has announced it is expanding its facilities in Ponta Grossa, State of Paraná with the construction of a new 15,000 square metre DAF parts distribution centre.

As an initiative to help transport operators in Argentina, where the economy has been contracting, Volvo Trucks Argentina of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has initiated a price freeze on original spare parts in the country.

Volvo Buses Latin America Ltda has delivered the first 336 buses (202 articulated and 134 bi-articulated) of the 700 new buses ordered last November for Transmilenio operations in Bogotá; the vehicles started operations in June.

Maxion Wheels is collaborating with ZF Openmatics sro to develop what it claims is the industry’s first, fully-integrated wheel connectivity solution.

Scania Mexico has supplied 37 gas-powered buses to the Bus Rapid Transit system in Puebla– where they are to supplement the 27 Scania articulated diesel buses, supplied in 2015, operating on the 32km Red Urbana de Transporte Articulado system in the city of Puebla.