A TOTAL OF 112 Mercedes-Benz Intouro (106 vehicles) and Setra S 416 LE MultiClass business interurban buses (six vehicles) were delivered to operator Mohlins Bussar in Sweden, marking Daimler’s largest ever order from the Nordic state, the company reports.
From January, 2021, the Swedish company will be operating the buses together with its subcontractors Gimo Buss & Taxi and Högbergs Bussresort, in the Upplands län region, in the north of Stockholm. They are to be mainly used as school buses, but also on interurban lines, the operator confirms.
Both buses have features in common; for example, comfortable seating with a distance of 710mm between the seats and three-point seat belts, a breath-alcohol ignition interlock device, a reversing camera and a lift for the Intouro, Daimler explains.
The Setra interurban bus has a low-entry design with a folding ramp for wheelchairs at the rear door.
All 112 buses combine the compact Mercedes-Benz six-cylinder in-line OM 936 engine with 220kW (299hp) and the fully automated Mercedes-Benz GO 250-8 Powershift bus transmission. An environmentally friendly fuel made of hydrogenated vegetable oil (known as HVO for short) is used to power the engines.
LONG-TERM SUPPLY
The privately run operator Mohlins Bussar, from Ljusdahl in central Sweden, usually use Mercedes-Benz buses, with about half of the fleet of around 160 vehicles bearing the MB three-pointed star. The long-term cooperation is primarily based on coaches, but it is now being expanded to include interurban buses, Daimler explains.
Evobus Sverige CEO Ergiz Esen said: “The key to such a long-term and successful relationship lies not only in the quality of our buses and coaches, but also in the after-sales service. We are there for our customers whenever they need us.”
Mohlins Bussar AB CEO Robert Mohlin added: “To start a new line in these Corona times was a new experience for us. The vehicle deliveries were a great challenge, but Daimler Buses reacted and delivered on time.”
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LEADING SPOT
Daimler Buses has been the market leader in Sweden for buses with a gross vehicle weight above eight tons for several years, it explains. The basis for this has so far been its role as the long-standing number one in coaches with its Mercedes-Benz and Setra brands, it adds. Now, Daimler Buses is increasingly expanding its position in the scheduled-service bus segment; the current major order is a striking signal in this regard, it states.
Photography: courtesy Daimler Europe