0 Blaguss drives towards future with new Setra bus generation

New buses with a new company design. True to its guiding principle that everyone has goals (“Weil jeder Ziele hat”), the Viennese bus company “Blaguss” has reinforced its claim to operate exclusive and innovative touring coaches by investing in the S 515 HD. The Vienna-based large fleet operator decided to introduce a change of generation with the two-axle vehicle and took delivery of its first vehicle in the new Setra ComfortClass 500.

The luxury coach is part of a framework agreement for a total of 100 buses from the new generation of Setra coaches, to be delivered by 2015 – and as such the largest order for ComfortClass 500 coaches in the whole of Europe. “The large-volume order is a vote of confidence we reserve only for the Setra brand,” promised managing director Thomas Blaguss, during the official handover at the EvoBus ServiceCenter in Wiener Neudorf: “In our eyes, the concept behind the Setra ComfortClass 500 is a thoroughly successful combination of environmental and safety technology, economic performance and state-of-the-art design and it absolutely meets all our requirements 100 percent.”

Dr Thomas Rohde, CEO of EvoBus Austria GmbH, is appreciative of the praise: “With the handover of the first ComfortClass 500 to Blaguss, we begin a new chapter in our joint success story that will have a significance well beyond the boundaries of the city of Vienna. The framework agreement is a clear vote of confidence for our product and for the Setra brand and sends out a strong signal in the Austrian market.”

Throughout Europe with the S 515 HD

The long-established, family-owned company from the Burgenland region of Austria is to deploy the ComfortClass 500 on long-distance routes and for European travel. Guests will enjoy the comfort of the 49 touring seats, which feature footrests, armrests and leather head sections, and fortify themselves with snacks and beverages from the on-board galley. Extended seat bases create additional space for even greater freedom of movement and extra comfort for passengers. The Coach Multimedia System (CMS) guarantees high-quality audio and video entertainment and information, and features a DVD player, iPod and iPhone jack with free Wi-Fi connection. Blaguss also showed an eye for detail in equipping the S 515 HD. Thanks to a d.c./a.c. inverter, passengers can use 220 V sockets to charge all kinds of electronic devices during the journey or while at a standstill.

Austria’s second-largest private bus operator switches to state-of-the-art bus fleet

Bus operator Blaguss can look back on a long and successful history. Paul Blagusz founded the original “Lohnfurhwerk” company in 1929 and the “Blaguss Reisen Gesellschaft m.b.H” was established in May 1970. Today Blaguss is the second-largest private bus company in Austria, with subsidiaries in Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and is led by Familie Dr Robert Blaguss, Thomas Blaguss and Paul Blaguss. The company owns around 330 vehicles, which in total clock up almost 16 million kilometres on national international routes every year. The average age of its bus fleet is two and a half years. With a workforce of 550 employees, the company has bought almost 900 buses from the traditional Ulm brand Setra since 1978.

ComfortClass 500 sets benchmarks for economy and comfort

With the pioneering ComfortClass 500 series, Setra sets new benchmarks in economy, value, comfort and safety. The new premium touring coaches impress with their streamlined design, achieved as part of a holistic wind tunnel development process.

Furthermore, the hybrid light-weight design offering even greater rigidity for considerably less weight, as well as an intelligent fuel consumption and energy management system, turn the new Setra touring coaches into attractive added-value vehicles. The ComfortClass 500 already meets the EURO 6 emission standard, which comes into force for new vehicles in 2014, as well as many other safety guidelines and legal regulations for the years ahead.

Credits: Daimler AG

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