At the UITP Congress 2011, ZF Group presents products for buses and rail vehicles. Every two years, at this leading trade show for public passenger transport, many transport operators obtain the latest information on driveline and chassis technology for buses and rail vehicles. In Dubai as well, ZF technology is already used in many applications. Also in this region, requests for a more powerful bus and rail infrastructure are on the rise due to higher headcount numbers and increasing traffic density.

At the international exhibition UITP 2011 in Dubai, ZF Friedrichshafen AG further emphasizes its system expertise with a wide range of innovative products for buses and rail vehicles. A highlight is the EcoLife 6-speed automatic transmission: The "hybrid ready" transmission has been consistently designed for cost-effective operation and convinces thanks to its long service life. Furthermore, ZF presents a highly compact driveline solution for electrically driven city buses: the AVE 130 low-floor electric portal axle. For transport operators with a mixed fleet, the new telematics platform openmatics is especially interesting. With the innovations at the UITP, ZF meets the mega-trends for more flexibility, cost efficiency, and reduction of CO2 in public passenger transport.

Not only at the ZF trade fair booth but also in the city, ZF's technology is omnipresent; Dubai's Ministry of Transport, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), thus relies with its high-tech bus fleets on ZF technology: 600 buses - equipped with ZF Ecomat transmissions - by the manufacturers Daimler, Scania, and Neoplan operate between the air-conditioned bus stops of the metropolis. The 6-speed automatic transmission also convinces under extreme climate conditions, thanks to its cost-effectiveness and reliability; in the neighboring countries of the Persian Gulf alone (without Saudi Arabia), roundabout 3,000 buses are on the road, equipped with an Ecomat transmission. However, also in this market, the electrification of the driveline has commenced and thus, ZF is ready to supply this market as well with the Ecomat's successor: the EcoLife - as a parallel hybrid transmission for buses.

Moreover, as a system provider, ZF also has the right product at hand for serial hybrid solutions: The AVE 130 electric portal axle is suitable for drive concepts where the combustion engine is used as a generator and is no longer directly connected to the driveline.

ZF technology also plays an important role in the bus chassis. Over 3,100 ZF axles (with dampers from ZF Sachs) provide reliable, comfortable, and efficient solo buses, articulated buses, doubledeckers, and midibuses for Dubai's streets: While the RL 75 EC independent front suspension ensures pleasant driving comfort, the AV 132 and AVN 132 drive and trailing portal axles play an important role for really brief cycle times: They facilitate the consistent low-floor concept and thus, steps in the bus can be prevented. The result: An increase in the number of passengers boarding & exiting and shorter dwell times at bus stops.

In order to adapt Dubai's infrastructure in an even better way to the rapidly growing average daily traffic, the RTA invests in another efficient transport network in the context of the "Dubai Metro Project": Here, the world's longest fully automatically controlled metro system is constructed to cover a distance of about 75 kilometers. The initially 79 trains of the Japanese manufacturer Kinki Sharyo are equipped with altogether 790 rail vehicle dampers by ZF. They facilitate a comfortable and fast metro ride and, in addition, are very easy to maintain.

Mowasalat, the state-owned transport company of Qatar, has been a ZF partner since the beginning of the year 2010: 1,800 buses are on the road equipped with Ecomat transmissions by ZF; four fifths of these also have ZF steering systems. In order to be able to maintain these buses, a workshop for ZF products is currently built in Qatar with the support of ZF Services Middle East.

In Abu Dhabi, the state owned transport company DOT operates about 40 buses with Ecomat transmissions and 50 buses with the automatic AS Tronic transmission system from ZF. In total, also approx. 500 ZF axles are installed in Abu Dhabi's buses.

In a globally committed supplier corporation, such as ZF, there is no white spot on the map regarding service programs: ZF Services Middle East with headquarters in Dubai coordinates ZF activities in those countries that, in German language use, are comprised under the term of 'Middle East'. In particular the booming metropolises of the United Arab Emirates revert stronger to vehicles equipped with ZF technology and thus, rely also on the spare parts and aftersales program of the ZF Group in their transport concepts. The demand of high-quality products is very strong; in particular in the transport companies of the Middle East, heat, sand, and extremely brief cycle times - e.g. with the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems - impose high requirements on efficiency and the service life of all vehicle components.