MERCEDES-BENZ has entered into an agreement to supply a record 950 Citaro city buses to operator Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), in Berlin, Germany.
The flexible order includes up to 600 articulated and remaining maximum 350 solo buses, for a company that uses 1400 buses to transport 441 million passengers annually, it’s stated.
Ultimately, it equates to the largest single order of all time for the best-selling Citaro city bus and the largest order ever placed by a German transport operator, according to Daimler.
Till Oberwörder, head of Daimler Buses, enthused: “The order from Berlin is another major success for the top-selling city bus. I’m delighted that the clean and safe Citaro has won over our long-standing customer BVG – and, therefore, takes part in making the mobility in the capital efficient and sustainable.”
The agreement is highly flexible in character, the company states; an obligation to take delivery does not exist. All Citaros are equipped with highly efficient and low-emission engines in accordance with the latest European emissions directive.
WHO IS BVG?
Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) deploys some 1400 buses on its 154 bus routes, including almost 1000 solo and articulated buses. More than 300 of this total already sport the Mercedes star, the company states. Last year, BVG’s buses transported 441 million passengers, it’s claimed.
Buses from Mercedes‑Benz and its predecessor brands have long-standing traditions in Berlin: Daimler-based buses were already on the roads in the German capital back in 1905, in the service of the “Allgemeine Berliner Omnibus Aktien Gesellschaft” (ABOAG), a predecessor of the present-day Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG).
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GLOBAL SELLER: CITARO
With total sales in excess of 50,000 vehicles, the Citaro is arguably the world’s bestselling city bus. In Europe it is in service in virtually all countries and major cities. Initially launched in 1997, the second generation was introduced in 2011. The range comprises solo and articulated buses, city and rural service vehicles and the low-entry Citaro LE. The four-axle large-capacity CapaCity bus is also based on the Citaro. The Citaro represents the benchmark in its vehicle category in many respects, Daimler says.
In 2012 it became the first city bus to comply with the Euro 6 emissions level, for example, which remains the strictest standard to this day. Despite its soaring sales figures, the Citaro’s latest developments are the economical Citaro hybrid and the fully electric Citaro boasting outstanding performance characteristics, it’s claimed.
The latter will go into series production in the course of this year.