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

Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Detail: Blaguss drives towards future with new Setra bus generation

0 Setra secures largest ever order from Sweden

It is the largest order which the Setra Bus and Coach unit has ever received from Sweden. The bus brand of Stuttgart-based Daimler AG is to deliver 65 vehicles from the Setra MultiClass 400 series for use on school and regular bus services in the Scandinavian country. Delivery of the two-axle S 416 UL and three-axle S 417 UL for the region of Region Kronoberg extends over a ten-year period, with the first buses being delivered in June 2013.

The order has come about as the result of a tender which has been won by four bus operators from the province of Småland in southern Sweden. No less than 50 of the buses are to go to the company Karlssonbuss i Vaggeryd and the subsidiaries Sven Carlsson Trafik, Moheda Buss and Grimslövsbuss. The remaining 15 vehicles are to be brought into service by the bus companies Gerts Busstrafik, Tingsryds Buss and Ryssbybygdens Buss. Driven by Euro V engines featuring BlueTec technology, the vehicles are fitted with double doors at the rear point of entry, wheelchair lifts, monitoring cameras and a modern infotainment system, among other features.

"We are extremely pleased to be able to support the bus operators with an attractive overall package, which in addition to a high technical specification for the vehicles also comprises a comprehensive service offering. The buses of the Setra MultiClass 400 series meet all of the requirements of the customers and will contribute to making the local public transport in the region more efficient, more comfortable and safer", explains Till Oberwörder, Director of Marketing, Sales & After-Sales of Daimler Buses, commenting on the large order. In Sweden, sales of new and used Setra vehicles as well as the Omniplus Service Centre come under the umbrella of EvoBus Sverige A.B., located in Vetlanda in southern Sweden.

Setra MultiClass 400 – flexible and economical

All nine models of the Setra MultiClass 400 range feature optimum levels of flexibility and economy. The 13-metre-long S 416 UL and the S 417 UL, measuring 14 metres in length, combine generously sized luggage compartments, comfortable seats and a wide variety of equipment options with attractive operating and maintenance costs and a high level of value retention.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Detail: Setra secures largest ever order from Sweden

0 Daimler Buses receives order from Austria

ÖBB Postbus GmbH is focusing on vehicles from Mercedes-Benz and Setra as it modernizes its bus fleet. After a Europe-wide advertising Daimler Buses and the ÖBB Postbus GmbH entered into a frame agreement which provides the delivery of vehicles between 2013 and 2017. The orders are open, the exact distribution on the individual models as well but it might be around a volume of about 400 Buses.

ÖBB Postbus operates local public transportation systems throughout Austria and also receives operating contracts from almost all of the transportation networks in the country. “Daimler Buses is a reliable partner of ÖBB Postbus. We’re delighted that the company places such trust in our safe, clean, and reliable high-quality vehicles,” says Till Oberwörder, Managing Director of Sales, Marketing & After-Sales Daimler Buses.
Models supplied are the Mercedes-Benz Intouro, Integro, and Citaro buses as well as the Setra Multi Class 400. All high floor vehicles have a wheelchair elevator in the double broad middle way to enter. All vehicles of Mercedes-Benz and Setra are also equipped with air conditioners for the passenger space and for the driver.

The Mercedes-Benz and Setra buses offer not only outstanding comfort and safety but also great efficiency and excellent sustainability. With a lower engine speed and optimized sound insulation, Mercedes-Benz Citaro, which was named `European Bus of the Year 2013`, won the title against strong hybrid competition. At the Record Run Buses 2012 Mercedes-Benz and Setra showed under a supervision of the examination organization DEKRA that their Euro VI-compliant vehicles consume around 8% less fuel than their Euro V-compliant predecessors.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Detail: Daimler Buses receives order from Austria