Daimler Buses is showcasing the future of (bus and coach) mobility at a booth shared by the Mercedes-Benz and Setra at the International Automobile Fair (IAA) in hall 14/15

As a leading manufacturer of buses, Daimler Buses and its brands Mercedes-Benz and Setra, as well as its service brand OMNIplus are moving into the future. With the shift in bus and coach mobility at the core, involving autonomously driving vehicles, connectivity, and alternative drives, it is Daimler Buses' clear intention to be the driving force in this change. Visitors to the Daimler Buses booth at IAA can see for themselves: no one at the trade fair can afford to not have a look in hall 14/15.

In hall 14/15 visitors of Daimler Buses will be able to witness the following highlights: 

• Five Setra exhibits (DT, 418 LE business, 516 HDH, 515 HD, 516 MD)
• Four Mercedes-Benz exhibits (Citaro NGT, Minibus City 65, Tourismo, Intouro) 
• The Mercedes-Benz Future Bus with CityPilot as the main attraction 
• The Mercedes-Benz school bus from India
• The OM 470/471 FE1 and M 936 G engines as part of the Powertrain section
• OMNIplus with the presentation of 24 h telediagnosis
• Connectivity, e.g. with Fleetboard
• Mercedes-Benz and Setra design advice.

The future has already begun: the Mercedes-Benz Future Bus, which was showcased for the very first time in Amsterdam in July, is one of the main attractions at IAA. It represents a city bus that relieves drivers thanks to autonomous driving functions, is fun for passengers, and also brings additional safety, efficiency, and convenience to cities. The technology behind CityPilot in the Mercedes-Benz Future Bus is based on the self-driving Mercedes-Benz Actros with Highway Pilot, which was unveiled two years ago at the IAA. Due to its specific application in a city bus, the technology was further developed in a targeted manner, seeing the addition of numerous additional functions. Accordingly, CityPilot can communicate with traffic lights, detect obstacles and, above all, pedestrians on the road, automatically braking in response to them. Furthermore, it automatically drives up to bus stops, where the doors are opened and closed automatically. Because of that, this pioneering bus is ideal for BRT systems, which help towards solving traffic problems in densely populated areas and metropolitan regions all over the world. The around 12 m long solo bus is a completely new departure in terms of exterior and interior design which take their lead from city architecture.Taken together, the Future Bus represents a milestone not only in terms of the history of the bus, but also on the road to autonomous and accident-free driving.

However, Daimler Buses also demonstrates how appealing the present can be: because of his quiet running, reduced CO2 emissions, low fuel consumption, impressive passenger capacity as well as long maintenance intervals the Mercedes-Benz Citaro NGT with M 936 G natural gas engine will celebrate its fascinating IAA premiere. It offers clear benefits for driving in heavily frequented inner cities and convinces with less emissions compared with a comparable diesel engine. 

A world first for Mercedes-Benz and Setra sees the IAA premiere of the first integrated LED headlamps in a bus. Drivers benefit from light which is less tiring on the eyes: the colour temperature of the light from LED headlamps is very close to that of daylight. A further safety feature: the light flow from an LED lamp remains almost exactly as high across its entire service life.  The high efficiency helps to cut the energy consumption, and that is why several bulb changes are thus no longer required, and thus their associated costs and downtimes can also be dispensed with. Businesses benefit from LED headlamps thanks to noticeably lower maintenance costs.

The Setra featuring 1+1 seating offers a fascinating traveling experience. Swivelling seats with generously-proportioned folding leather armrests as well as stowage compartments and a folding drinks holder are all par for the course. Adjustable luxury head restraints, clip-on tables in the side wall, sockets at each seat, stowage pockets left and right, illuminated stowage compartments under each seat as well as footwell illumination allow the seats to meet the highest of expectations. While this new comfort equipment adds value to Mercedes-Benz and Setra coaches, the Coach MediaRouter converts them into a mobile hotspot. In addition to simply providing an internet connection, it ensures that users can also use their end devices to access media stored locally in the bus while on the road. Accordingly, this reduces the level of internet use. Because high-speed internet for passengers is a competitive advantage in the bus travel market, many busmodels can now be optionally equipped ex factory with a router and antenna. 

OMNIplus has also further enhanced its comprehensive services: the tried and tested 24h service will become even better thanks to telediagnosis. In this process, customers can send the location and fault codes to the nearest service center within a fraction of a second usingtheir FleetBoard device.  Already before the service technician sets out to the scene, the error codes allow him or her to prepare appropriately for the breakdown case in question and, where possible, to take along any special tools and parts required or already arrange for a replacement vehicle to be made available. This prevents passengers from having to wait around unnecessarily for their journey to continue. The Touring Coach Service focuses especially on coaches subject to long-term operation and offers specific services for long-distance buses, as checks of all important technical and safety functions on the bus and stocking a greater number of parts and accessories for all common Mercedes-Benz and Setra long-distance buses.

The Sprinter City 65 minibus trade fair exhibit showcases a new, lighter retarder weighing 15 percent less while maintaining functionality and brake output. As a result, it is able to generate the required output with even more efficiency. Its combined wheelchair and pram area is also new, as this feature will be obligatory in city buses from July 1, 2017. The exhibited vehicle also features impressive connectivity equipment, video surveillance of the passenger compartment and a computer-supported operational control system at the entrances with generously dimensioned central monitor for displaying route information. Meanwhile, destination and passenger management are also as much a part of the system as a Wi-Fi media router and USB connections on all seats. Visitors will also be able to catch a glimpse of the Mercedes-Benz school bus from India.

The Daimler Buses road map in terms of alternative drives was also underlined at meetings with both press and customers. The battery-driven, electrical city bus on the basis of the Citaro will be launched in series production in 2018. It goes without saying that Daimler Buses is supporting transport and fleet operators in driving forward the issue to turn electric buses into an outstanding business case for our customers. By the way, in time for IAA the new "Mobility Solutions" department is offering independent online content.

For more information about the "Mobility Solutions"-Team please click here