OREANDA-NEWS. GAZ Group has announced that 739 buses have been produced especially for the Sochi Winter Olympic Games.

The buses were specially developed for the Olympics with nearly a third, 227 buses, modified for the disabled, athletes competing in the Paralympics and others.

The buses have also been tested on the Olympic routes in Sochi for customer preference, as they have to withstand extreme winter conditions on mountain roads and need to still be safe and comfortable. The results were equally important for the establishment and development of the Olympic routes

GAZ Group is the official “Sochi 2014 Games Supplier” and is proud of its long heritage as an Olympic supplier.

GAZ Group has produced 709 GOLAZ (including 227 special vehicles for disabled and wheelchair passengers) and 30 LiAZ buses for the transportation of visitors and athletes of the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.

Manfred Eibeck, Chief Executive Officer of Russian Machines Corporation said: “GAZ Group has completely fulfilled the contract for supplying buses for the Olympic Games in full compliance with the requirements of the customer. GAZ Group produces buses according to the highest international standards enabling the company to participate in such large-scale national projects. The reliability, safety and high level quality of equipment ensure maximum comfort for athletes and visitors of the Olympic Games.”

The buses were tested on the Olympic Game routes in Sochi and the test results were taken as a reference point for consumer properties and development of the Olympic routes.

Andrey Zhukov, the General Director of ANO Olympic Games Transportation Directorate said: “The Transportation Directorate pays particular attention to fleet quality: we control acceptance and give recommendations on improvements on technical features of the vehicles. The manufacturers had to take into account all these features, as the buses will be operated on mountain roads in winter. The buses have been tested on Olympic routes in the city and have demonstrated they are in excellent conditions. Today, we have safe, reliable and comfortable vehicles in preparation for visitors of the Sochi Olympic Games”.

In 2011 the Sochi 2014 Olympic Organizing Committee has granted GAZ Group and Scania Rus the status of official “Sochi 2014 Games Supplier” for the “Bus” category and GAZ, indeed, already possesses a long heritage as collaborator on the Olympic Games, having first gained earned their reputation as a leading, award-winning and reliable supplier during the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Being named as official supplier reinforces the company's reputation as a leader in the domestic automotive market and attests to its continued excellence in practice and trust earned.