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On 13 November 1894, it was agreed that poor transport connections between Siegen, Netphen and Deuz could be improved by a motorised bus service. The original bus service was operational on 18 March 1895, using one of the first bus models produced by Karl Benz. A ticket for the complete journey cost 70 pfennigs.
The bus would carry eight passengers, completing the journey within an hour, up to four times a day.
Mention buses and most people, particularly in the continental markets, will immediately think of Mercedes-Benz. Starting with the invention of the omnibus by Karl Benz in 1895, the Mercedes-Benz brand has led the way both in engineering and in production volumes. As in other areas, the automotive pioneers Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler were fierce rivals right from the start, until the two companies merged in 1926 as Daimler-Benz AG. Whether in regular-service buses or coaches, diesel engine development or marketing, both at home and abroad, the two brands followed each other neck and neck. New developments came thick and fast, the last notable advance before the merger of the two companies being the low-frame chassis in 1925.
From 1927, with a joint bus line-up bearing the name Mercedes-Benz, the two brands joined forces in a move which spurred an avalanche of innovations. With all-steel bodies, standard-fitted diesel engines and an explosive growth in power and performance, development moved steadily forward right up to the start of the Second World War. After the war, in 1949 and 1950, the last of the classic-design Mercedes buses - models O 3500 and O 6600 - came to the starting grid. From 1951 Daimler-Benz went over to new drive configurations and designs, creating new milestones throughout the nineteen fifties with the rear-engined O 6600 H, the semi-integral O 321 H, the O 319 minibus and the O 317 urban bus with its engine mounted under the floor. The O 321 H and its successors, the O 302 and O 303, broke one production record after another.
In 1965, the versatile O 302 coach marked the start of a shift away from the use of a single type of bus for all applications. The company now went over to building two types of bus: urban buses and coaches. The O 305 standard urban regular-service bus, with its articulated and rural-service variants, confirmed this new direction. The story continued in 1974 with the Mercedes-Benz O 303 coach, which was built in record quantities and soon became a legend. On the regular-service side too, development continued apace, with a range of buses which included the highly specialised Mercedes-Benz O 405, O 405 G and O 407, and the O 405 N low-floor bus with stepless entrance. In 1991, the O 404 marked a new high-water mark in coach engineering. Shortly afterwards it was joined by the complementary Tourismo, a lower-priced coach with a high level of stylistic appeal.
The formation of EvoBus GmbH in 1995, with its two brands Mercedes-Benz and Setra, sparked a further outpouring of innovation. The Integro rural-service bus, the revolutionary Citaro urban bus and the equally interesting Cito urban midibus followed each other in quick succession. Amid these developments, a further landmark appeared in 1997, the NEBUS fuel-cell bus.
The roll-out of the strikingly styled and technically innovative Mercedes-Benz Travego coach in 1999 marked a new peak in Mercedes-Benz bus and coach development. Completing the attractive coach line-up are the revised Tourismo and the new Mercedes-Benz Medio midibus, which made its debut in 2000. With a completely renewed product range, the new millennium has got off to a flying start for the Mercedes-Benz brand. No other bus and coach manufacturer can draw on a greater wealth of experience and few come anywhere near this brand for innovative drive. |
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Models
