| | April 18, 2005 saw Berlin transport operator Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) take delivery of its 1250th Mercedes-Benz bus – a 12-metre Mercedes-Benz Citaro solo urban bus. The milestone vehicle was handed over by Winfried Heckt, Sales Manager Germany for the Mercedes-Benz Bus and Coach unit of EvoBus GmbH, to Thomas Necker, the BVG Executive Board member responsible for transport operations, at the Potsdamer Platz in the heart of Berlin. |
BVG’s 1250th Mercedes-Benz bus is part of a major order for a total of 140 Citaro solo buses to be delivered in three batches. All the vehicles comply with the new EU 2001/85 (Class 1) regulation and offer seating for 29 passengers. They are equipped with two passenger doors and are powered by low-emission OM 906 hLA diesel engines which have an output of 205 kW (279 hp). This powerplant is combined with a 4-speed automatic transmission and has a CRT emission control system as well as pipe-fracture protection.
Characteristic features of the bus body, which measures 2.55 metres in width, include side marker lights, numerous LCD destination and route-number displays inside and out, increased-capacity fuel tanks and a special fuel-level monitoring system. |
Other features to be found in the new BVG buses include: an automatic bus-stop brake with starting-off lock, electronic self-levelling suspension with automatic activation of the kneeling function when approaching bus stops at speeds below 3 km/h, manually operated folding ramps at both passenger doors in order to make access significantly easier for disabled passengers/parents with push-chairs, and a powerful heating, ventilation and climate-control system which can be controlled independently for the passenger compartment and driver’s area.
The BVG buses are also equipped with a range of special features comprising a video surveillance system with interior cameras, digital recording and a TFT flat-screen monitor in the front section as well as an alarm system with a panic but-ton for the driver. Specially coated windows as well as the attractive, yet resilient seating with its „Berlin“ design, which is unique to BVG, also help to protect the Berlin bus fleet from vandalism.
Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe is one of the largest bus operators in the European lo-cal public transport sector. Its network comprises nine underground railway lines, 21 tram lines and 204 bus routes as well as six ferries on Berlin’s waterways. Each year, BVG carries some 900 million passengers – equivalent to over 2.4 million people every day. When BVG was established in 1847, it operated five bus routes with 20 horse-drawn vehicles and 120 horses. BVG has been wholly owned by the State of Berlin since 1929. The total length of Berlin’s bus routes is 1626 km. Almost 10,000 unidirectional bus stops (total of day and night services combined) are available.
Since December 2004, the 150 daytime routes have included 15 MetroBus routes. Complemented by ExpressBus routes, the MetroBus routes have become synonymous with customer-friendly local public transport as they allow passengers to specify their own preferred request stops and all services are provided by buses equipped to meet the needs of disabled passengers. The success of these measures is reflected in the extremely high level of passenger satisfaction. BVG is also looking forward to another milestone in September 2005, when it celebrates „100 years of the motor bus“ with a procession of vehicles and an open day for all the citizens of Berlin.
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