At the event, the first ten units of the Consortium Mīdina Bus were presented to the main Moroccan authorities. The vehicles will start operating in April.

Mr. Khalid Chrouate, President of Mīdina Bus, Jean Plénat, President of Irisbus Iveco and Gerardo Múgica, CEO of Hispano, began the official presentation of the first ten units of the 200 buses which will be released throughout the year 2006. This units are part of the massive renovation project of the public transport in Casablanca, which will be increased by 800 units during the upcoming 3 years.

The ceremony was presided by Mohammed Kabbaj, Wali de Grand Casablanca, and Mohamed Sajid, President of the Casablanca Urban Community, at the Civil Government Square. It counted with the presence of the main authorities of the community, business associations representatives and main personalities of the civil society. Mr. Mohamed Sajid declared that " the release of the first vehicles means a new stage on the modernization process on the public transport network of Morocco. The combination Iveco - Hispano is ideal for meeting the expectations on the increasing mobility demands of Casablanca. Also, the presidents of Hispano and Irisbus, and the President of Mīdina Bus, underlined "the importance of creating value in Morocco through the assembly of CKDīs on Irisbus chassis at the Atlas AVI plant ( official importer of Iveco in Morocco), and the manufacturing of the habit bodyworks at the Hispanoīs Moroccan plant in Casablanca. This value reaches 60% of the vehicle value"

The main characteristics of the vehicles are:

Chassis: Iveco Eurorider 397.12.27 Body: habit model, designed by Studi Pininfarina.
Dimensions: length 12m, width: 2.5m, height: 3m. 
Engine: Iveco F4A Tector of 267 CV, according to Euro3 regulations. 
Automatic gear box VOITH 851.3 
Structure made with steel profiles, built according to Reg. 66 ECE 
Galvanized steel bonded side plating 
39 imported seats 
Simple front door and double central door, air powered operated

M'dina Bus 
The local transport operator Mīdina Bus started the administration of the urban transport of Casablanca on November 2004. It comprises stakes of the Moroccan companies Transinvest, Finance.com and the French group RATP. Mīdina Bus launched in December 2004 an international tender for the acquisition of 800 urban buses for the period 2006-2009. Also, in July 2005, allocated the manufacturing of the first 200 vehicles for 2006.

This important order of Mīdina Bus and the renovation perspectives for the upcoming years will mean the sector reorganization in the Moroccan industry. This will happen with the investment of 100 million Dirham's by ATLAS AVI and a 225 million Dirham's investment by Hispano through and agreement with the Moroccan Government. This agreement has the objective of the creation of 1800 direct jobs for a new industrial plant.

The first stage of the Project Mīdina Bus will reach a key point in 2009, when the infrastructures of the organization, vehicles fleet, employment and training of personnel will be completely renovated through the investment of 2 million Dirham's granted by the Moroccan banking consortium BMCE.

Hispano: Moroccan market leader on the luxury segment.
Since the establishment on 2000 of the buses and coaches manufacturing plant in Casablanca, HISPANO has become rapidly the market leader of the passenger transport industry, counting with the most important clients of the urban transport such as Grupo ALSA in Marraketch and Grupo Ruiz in Tangier, and the Groups CTM, Atlas Rider, SATAS o Supratours within the interurban and tourist transport.

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