MASA (company)

Last updated
Mexicana de Autobuses, S.A. de C.V. (MASA)
Type Public limited company, S.A.
Founded1959
Defunct1998
FateAcquired by Volvo
Successor Volvo Buses de México, S.A.
Headquarters
Tultitlán
,
Mexico
Products Buses, trolleybuses, highway coaches

Mexicana de Autobuses, S.A. , or MASA, was a major bus and coach manufacturer located in Mexico. Formed in 1959, it was owned by the Mexican government until being privatized in 1988. [1] [2] It was the country's second-largest bus manufacturer [3] when it was acquired by Volvo, in 1998, [3] and renamed Volvo Buses de México, S.A. [1]

Contents

History

MASA was created when the Mexican state-owned investment bank, SOMEX (Sociedad Mexicana de Crédito Industrial), acquired the private company, Sheppard Hnos. (Sheppard Brothers), on 10 September 1959. [4] In 1972 the company built a new factory in Tultitlán, and this facility was expanded in 1980. [4] Somex continued to be a major shareholder in the company, and buses built by MASA often carried "Somex" nameplates on the front.

The government sold the company to private investors on 17 October 1988, but the original buyer defaulted on its debt payments. [2] The company had already ceased production before then, [4] and was reported by some transport media to have "gone out of business" during 1988, [5] but it was resold in November 1989 to an industrial group [2] and in 1993 underwent a restructuring. Production continued during this period, as evidenced by the delivery of 30 new MASA trolleybuses to Mexico City's STE in 1991. [6]

Volvo Buses acquired MASA for US$74 million in September 1998, [7] renaming it Volvo Buses de México and continuing production in the same factory, [7] the then 153,000 sq ft (14,200 m2) plant in Tultitlán. [8] In addition to the purchase amount, Volvo indicated that it planned to invest an additional $80 million in MASA, over a two-year period, [9] to modify the Tultitlán facility [10] and add automobile production (starting in 1999), giving it access to this North American Free Trade Agreement region. [9] At the time of its acquisition by Volvo, MASA's owners were Mexican bus manufacturer DINA S.A., Brazilian bus-body maker Carrocerias Nielson (Busscar) and individuals on MASA's board of directors. [9]

Products

The company manufactured motorbuses for city and suburban use, trolleybuses, and intercity buses (i.e., coaches). [4]

Trolleybuses

MASA was the major supplier of new trolleybuses to the country's only two trolleybus system operators, building more than 700 for the Mexico City trolleybus system, operated by Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos del D. F. (STE), and 100 for the Guadalajara trolleybus system, then operated by Sistecozome. [11] Trolleybus production began after the company partnered in 1978 with Toshiba, for the latter to supply the electrical propulsion systems for the vehicles. [12] The first MASA/Toshiba trolleybus, a prototype for STE, was completed in 1979. [13] Trolleybuses built after 1987 were fitted with electrical equipment from other suppliers, including Melco/Mitsubishi and Kiepe. [14] [15]

In 1985 MASA constructed an articulated trolleybus for STE, which that transit agency compared with another prototype articulated trolleybus, one built for STE by Moyada (Motores y Adaptaciones Automotrices, S.A.) from two existing MASA two-axle trolleybuses; [13] MASA's prototype was an all-new vehicle. [14] After evaluating these two prototypes, STE decided to contract with MASA to fabricate 67 articulated trolleybuses, using the rear halves of 67 existing two-axle trolleybuses in STE's fleet and combining them with new forward body sections to be built by MASA. The assembly was also undertaken by MASA, and these 67 vehicles were delivered to STE in 1986–87. [14] Apart from these 68 articulated vehicles, all other MASA trolleybuses were two-axle vehicles. [11] However, the company also built articulated diesel buses, of which the production quantities are not known.

MASA's last order for trolleybuses was one received from STE in December 1996, for 200 12-metre (39 ft) trolleybuses. At least 50 of these were delivered in 1997, [16] but delays in STE's obtaining funding resulted in the final 75 not being built—or at least not delivered—until 1999, [17] after the company had been sold.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geneva Public Transport</span> Public transport company in Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva Public Transport operates most of the public transportation system in canton of Geneva, Switzerland, including the city of Geneva. The agency's head office is in Grand-Lancy, Lancy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvo Buses</span> Swedish transportation manufacturer

Volvo Buses is a subsidiary and a business area of the Swedish vehicle maker Volvo, which became an independent division in 1968. It is based in Gothenburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Articulated bus</span> Articulated vehicle used in public transportation

An articulated bus, also referred to as a slinky bus, banana bus, bendy bus, artic bus, tandem bus, double bus, vestibule bus, wiggle wagon, stretch bus, sausage bus or an accordion bus, is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usually a single-decker, and comprises two or more rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint (articulation) enclosed by protective bellows inside and outside and a cover plate on the floor. This allows a longer legal length than rigid-bodied buses, and hence a higher passenger capacity (94–120), while still allowing the bus to maneuver adequately.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xochimilco Light Rail</span> Light rail line in southern Mexico City

The Xochimilco Light Rail is a light rail line that serves the southern part of Mexico City. It connects to, but is not considered a part of, the Mexico City Metro. Rather, it is operated by the Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos (STE), the authority that operates Mexico City's electric trolleybus system and formerly operated the municipal electric tram system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillig</span> American bus manufacturer

Gillig is an American designer and manufacturer of buses. The company headquarters, along with its manufacturing operations, is located in Livermore, California. By volume, Gillig is the second-largest transit bus manufacturer in North America. As of 2013, Gillig had an approximate 31 percent market share of the combined United States and Canadian heavy-duty transit bus manufacturing industry, based on the number of equivalent unit deliveries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GM New Look bus</span> American public transit bus

The GM New Look bus is a municipal transit bus that was introduced in 1959 by the Truck and Coach Division of General Motors to replace the company's previous coach, retroactively known as the GM "old-look" transit bus.

The Marmon-Herrington Company, Inc. is an American manufacturer of axles and transfer cases for trucks and other vehicles. Earlier, the company built military vehicles and some tanks during World War II, and until the late 1950s or early 1960s was a manufacturer of trucks and trolley buses. Marmon-Herrington had a partnership with Ford Motor Company, producing trucks and other commercial vehicles, such as buses. The company may be best known for its all-wheel-drive conversions to other truck maker's units, especially to Ford truck models. Founded in 1931, Marmon-Herrington was based in Indianapolis, Indiana, with a plant in Windsor, Ontario, and remained in Indianapolis until 1963. It is now based in Louisville, Kentucky.

Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern (VBL) is the main provider of public transport in the Swiss city of Lucerne. It operates some 92 buses and 74 trolleybuses on 25 daytime routes, as well as 5 overnight services and one funicular service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bi-articulated bus</span> Bus formed of three sections

A bi-articulated bus or double-articulated bus and sometimes train-bus or tram-bus is a type of high-capacity articulated bus with an extra axle and a second articulation joint, as well as extended length. Bi-articulated buses tend to be employed in high-frequency core routes or bus rapid transit schemes rather than in conventional bus routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric Transit, Inc.</span> Defunct trolleybus manufacturer in the United States

Electric Transit, Inc. (ETI) was a joint venture between the Škoda group in the Czech Republic and AAI Corporation in the United States which made trolleybuses for the Dayton and San Francisco trolleybus systems, constructing a total of 330 trolleybuses. ETI was formed in 1994, and ownership was divided as 65% by Škoda and 35% by AAI. The latter was a wholly owned subsidiary of United Industrial Corporation. Up to that time, Škoda had built more than 12,000 trolleybuses since 1935, but none for cities outside Europe and Asia. The ETI joint venture was dissolved in 2004, shortly after an unsuccessful bid to supply trolleybuses to Vancouver.

Rocar was a van, light truck, bus and trolleybus manufacturer based in Bucharest, Romania. The firm also produced light offroad vehicles and later heavy road vehicles. During its existence, the company produced over 350,000 vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos</span> Trolleybus and light rail operator in Mexico City

Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos de la Ciudad de México (STE) is a public transport agency responsible for the operation of all trolleybus and light rail services in Mexico City. As its name implies, its routes use only electrically powered vehicles. It was created on 31 December 1946 and is owned by the Mexico City government. STE is overseen by a broader local governmental authority, Secretaria de Movilidad de la Ciudad de México (SEMOVI)(Secretariat of Mobility of Mexico City), formerly (SETRAVI) which also regulates the city's other public transport authorities, including Sistema de Transporte Colectivo, Red de Transporte de Pasajeros del Distrito Federal and Metrobús, as well as other forms of transportation in the district. STE's passenger vehicle fleet consists exclusively of trolleybuses, light rail, and aerial lift vehicles, and in 2007 its network carried 88 million passengers, of which 67 million were on trolleybus services and 21 million on light rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mafersa</span> Brazilian bus and train manufacturer

Mafersa S.A. is a Brazilian manufacturer of passenger rail cars, buses and trolleybuses, and related components. It was founded in 1944 and was located in the city of São Paulo. At the end of 1997 it became a subsidiary of Alstom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viseon Bus</span> German vehicle manufacturer

Viseon Bus GmbH was a German bus, trolleybus and coach manufacturer, based in Pilsting, Bavaria, Germany. It was established in July 2008, and in April 2009 it took over the former Neoman bus and coach production facility of MAN Truck & Bus in Pilsting and a workforce of 220 employees. That plant had been manufacturing vehicles under the Neoplan brand, owned by MAN since 2001. Because of financial difficulties, Viseon Bus ceased production in 2013 and was liquidated in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Dayton</span>

The Dayton trolleybus system forms part of the public transportation network serving Dayton, in the state of Ohio, United States. Opened on April 23, 1933, it presently comprises five lines, and is operated by the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority, with a fleet of 45 trolleybuses. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 1,813,600, or about 6,300 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in São Paulo</span>

Trolleybuses in São Paulo provide a portion of the public transport service in Greater São Paulo, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, with two independent trolleybus systems. The SPTrans system opened in 1949 and serves the city of São Paulo, while the Empresa Metropolitana de Transportes Urbanos de São Paulo (EMTU) system opened in 1988 and serves suburban areas to the southeast of the city proper. Worldwide, São Paulo is the only metropolitan area possessing two independent trolleybus systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Shanghai</span>

The Shanghai trolleybus system is a system of trolleybuses forming part of the public transport network in the city of Shanghai, China. Of more than 300 trolleybus systems in operation worldwide, the Shanghai system is the oldest. The system turned 100 years old in November 2014 and was the first trolleybus system anywhere in the world to reach that milestone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crown-Ikarus 286</span> Transit bus that was manufactured by Ikarus and Crown Coach Corporation

The Crown-Ikarus 286 is a type of transit bus that was manufactured for the U.S. market from 1980 until 1986, under a joint venture between the Ikarus Body and Coach Works (Ikarus), of Budapest, Hungary, and Crown Coach Corporation from Los Angeles, California in the United States. Loosely based on the Ikarus 280, the Crown-Ikarus 286 is a high-floor articulated bus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses of Roma–Condesa</span> Art projects in Mexico City

The trolleybuses of Roma Condesa are permanently parked trolleybuses in the Roma and Condesa neighborhoods of Mexico City that were used for art and other projects. Most were Japanese buses that were donated to Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos by the Kansai Electric Power Company in Japan in 1994, for possible operation, which never came to fruition, and in 2000 they were repurposed by Cuauhtémoc borough in a programme to create educational centers. However, the Trolebuses Educativos programme lasted only a few months. Some of the trolleybuses remained in use as simple reading rooms, but others sat abandoned until 2005, when the “Galería Trolebús” was begun to promote non-traditional art projects. The gallery ceased operations in 2009 due to financial problems, but the buses continued to be used for art projects until about 2014. Two other trolleybuses involved were not Japanese vehicles.

As of 2012 there were around 300 cities or metropolitan areas where trolleybuses were operated, and more than 500 additional trolleybus systems have existed in the past. For complete lists of trolleybus systems by location, with dates of opening and closure, see List of trolleybus systems and the related lists indexed there.

References

  1. 1 2 "Volvo Buses de Mexico (previously MASA)". Jane's Urban Transport Systems. Jane's Information Group. November 9, 2005. Archived from the original on August 15, 2011. Retrieved 2013-12-11.
  2. 1 2 3 Wheat, Andrew (October 1996). "Mexico's Privatization Piñata". Multinational Monitor . Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  3. 1 2 Tagliabue, John (December 1, 1998). "International Business: Volvo to Cut 5,300 Workers by Mid-1999". The New York Times . Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Bushell, Chris (Ed.) (1998). Jane's Urban Transport Systems 1998-99, p. 214. Coulsdon, Surrey (UK): Jane's Information Group. ISBN   0-7106-1812-3.
  5. ↑ Stauss, Ed. "A Mexican Home for Flxible". Bus World magazine, Winter 1988-89, p. 6. Los Angeles: Stauss Publications. ISSN 0162-9689.
  6. ↑ Trolleybus Magazine No. 179 (September–October 1991), p. 124. National Trolleybus Association (UK). ISSN 0266-7452.
  7. 1 2 Jack, Doug (April 2003). "Volvo Bus in Mexico". Bus Ride magazine. Power Trade Media. ISSN 0192-8902.
  8. ↑ "Volvo to Acquire Mexican Automaker (sic)". AllBusiness.com: Autoparts Report. October 15, 1998. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  9. 1 2 3 "Volvo to Buy Mexican Bus Manufacturer". Los Angeles Times . October 2, 1998. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  10. ↑ "Volvo Bus Deal In Mexico Set". The New York Times . October 2, 1998. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  11. 1 2 Murray, Alan (2000). World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia. p 109. Yateley, Hampshire, UK: Trolleybooks. ISBN   0-904235-18-1.
  12. ↑ Bushell, Chris; and Stonham, Peter (Eds.) (1987). Jane's Urban Transport Systems 1987, p. 561. London: Jane's Publishing Company. ISBN   0-7106-0841-1.
  13. 1 2 Morgan, Steve (1990). "Mexico Review: Part 2", Trolleybus Magazine No. 174 (November–December 1990), pp. 133. ISSN 0266-7452.
  14. 1 2 3 Aberson, Gert. "Mexico City Update: Part 2". Trolleybus Magazine No. 192 (November–December 1993), pp. 145–155.
  15. ↑ Webb, Mary; and Pattison, Tony (Eds.) (2003). Jane's Urban Transport Systems 2003-2004, pp. 244 and 582. Coulsdon, Surrey (UK): Jane's Information Group. ISBN   0-7106-2565-0.
  16. ↑ Trolleybus Magazine No. 219 (May–June 1998), p. 65.
  17. ↑ Trolleybus Magazine No. 229 (January–February 2000), p. 19.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to MASA buses at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.