Daimler
Buses delivers 300 Mercedes-Benz Citaro city buses to South East Asia
Press Release - 21 April
2011
Singapore, the city of five million, will soon use Citaro city-buses
produced at the EvoBus plant in Mannheim. The delivery has just begun.
Daimler Buses has once again received a major order, and is now
delivering a total of 300 Mercedes-Benz Citaro city buses to Singapore.
The vehicles were ordered by Singapore’s SBS Transit, which is
responsible for a major part of local public transportation in the city
of five million. Over the last five years alone, SBS Transit has
invested more than 850 million Singapore dollars (€470 million) in
modernizing its bus fleet. All of the 300 Mercedes-Benz Citaro city
buses meet the Euro 5 emissions standards, are produced at the EvoBus
plant in Mannheim and will be used for public transportation in
Singapore. The Citaro is the most successful city bus of all time, with
more than 32,000 units produced over a period of only 12 years.
Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses, says, “We are delighted that one
of Asia’s most important cities is ordering Mercedes-Benz buses to
prepare its bus fleet for the future. This is a great expression of
confidence in us, and it shows that SBS Transit knows it can rely on
our buses’ high quality, environmental compatibility, and reliability.”
The vehicles in question are Mercedes-Benz Citaro low-floor buses with
two doors and a length of 12 metres. Thanks to the buses’ low-floor
design, elderly and physically handicapped people can easily get in and
out of the vehicles or use the wheelchair ramp. Each bus has 13
priority seats for elderly or handicapped passengers. Due to
Singapore’s humid tropical climate, all of the vehicles are equipped
with powerful air conditioners. The Citaros are also fitted with a
closed-circuit camera also in the passenger compartment and the outside
section. The fuel-efficient, low-emission buses are equipped with the
environmentally friendly Mercedes-Benz BlueTec diesel technology and
meet the Euro 5 emissions standards.
Says Gan Juay Kiat, Chief Executive Officer of SBS Transit, "We decided
to get these buses because they provide our passengers with a high
level of comfort and are easy to get into. This is another step in the
systematic modernization of our fleet. We will soon have one of the
youngest bus fleets in Asia.”
SBS Transit operates more than 250 bus lines in Singapore and has a
total fleet of around 3,000 buses. The company accounts for 75% of all
bus services in the city, including feeder, express, and premium routes.
Daimler Buses is the world’s leading manufacturer of buses and bus
chassis of eight tons GVW and up. In 2010 the company employed a total
of 17,134 people worldwide and sold more than 39,100 buses. The product
range covers urban and intercity buses as well as travel coaches, and
includes everything from minibuses to double-deckers, all which are
available with different engines and equipment features. The European
bus operations are managed by EvoBus GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of
Daimler AG. |