0 The Setra ComfortClass 500 reinforces European long-distance network

Their route is Prague to Bratislava, or even further to Budapest. By introducing three touring coaches from the new ComfortClass 500, Deutsche Touring GmbH is opening a new chapter in international long-distance service.

"The three two-axle S 516 HDs are the first vehicles from the new Setra generation that we are using in our international regular service network, and therefore also the first ComfortClass 500 touring coaches to be used in the Czech Republic," said Frank Zehle during the ceremonial handover of the coaches at the Setra Customer Centre in Neu-Ulm. The General Manager of Deutsche Touring GmbH in Frankfurt took delivery of the three new two-axle coaches together with Milan Tuhacek, the General Manager of the Czech transport operator Touring Bohemia. Also present was Vladimir Krstic, General Manager of Touring Serbia in Nis, who took delivery of two ComfortClass 400 coaches - an S 416 GT‑HD and an S 417 GT-HD - on the same day. Both companies are wholly owned by the large Frankfurt-based fleet operator.

Frank Zehle knows that with this start into a new vehicle era, he will score with both his passengers and against competitors in the market: "With the new Business Class coaches we will be able to expand our range of safe and inexpensive tours even further. Our customers will be delighted with the comfort of these economical 48-seater coaches." In addition to a high-quality interior design and a seat spacing that allows plenty of legroom, passengers can enjoy free internet access. Each seat row is also equipped with a 220V power connection. A multi-channel system enables passengers to entertain themselves by listening to the radio or music CDs, or watching a film. In a few weeks Deutsche Touring will also take delivery of two new S 516s for its subsidiary in Croatia. This makes the Frankfurt-based company the first to use this ultra-modern touring coach in the Balkans.

Heinz Friedrich, Setra brand spokesman for Germany, is gratified by this prestigious order which enables the Daimler AG brand to demonstrate the commercial advantages of the ComfortClass 500 on an international basis: "I am convinced that these coaches from the new vehicle generation will attract admiring looks and show that they are ideally suited for use on European long-distance routes."

Deutsche Touring – also linked to Setra by the logo

As early as 1949 Deutsche Touring GmbH started its first international regular services from Frankfurt to Basle, Salzburg and Vienna. When regular bus services to Zagreb were introduced in 1971, regular international services developed into the company's main business. Further expansion of the network to Serbia in 1980 and to Bosnia in 1983 made the Balkans the most important source of income.

Using the slogan "We connect Europe", the modern touring coaches operated by Deutsche Touring Gesellschaft serve 700 destinations in 32 countries from 80 departure points in Germany. More than 1.7 million passengers from a wide range of nationalities used the regular service routes of Deutsche Touring last year to travel through Europe in the utmost comfort.

The company is linked to the Ulm-based Setra brand by a long tradition. The first Setra buses were introduced into the fleet as early as 1955. In 1949 the logo of Deutsche Touring GmbH was created by the designers at the bus manufacturer Kässbohrer, the owner of the Setra brand before the takeover by Daimler AG. In slightly modified form it is still in use today.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Detail: The Setra ComfortClass 500 reinforces European long-distance network

0 Gössi sets a new tone for its coach fleet

On taking delivery of two coaches from the Setra ComfortClass 500, Gössi Carreisen AG from Horw near Lucerne has set a new tone for its fleet of vehicles. Managing Director Marco Gössi and his wife took the opportunity afforded by the official handover of two S 515 HD models at the Customer Center in Neu-Ulm to pay tribute to the move over to the new bus generation with a very personal touch of their own. In front of their accompanying guests, the couple named one of the two vehicles after their daughter Joline, who was born just a few weeks ago.

For Marco Gössi, the decision to purchase the new ComfortClass 500 was backed up by lots of plus points in its favour. In addition to the low operating costs and fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly Euro VI drive system, it was also the modern design of the new coaches which gently persuaded him to make the transition to the new generation: "The well-conceived design of the new touring coaches is very stylish and will certainly still be modern and trendy in years to come. But I appreciate the fact that the ComfortClass 500 is not completely different from the preceding models in terms of its appearance. This therefore makes it easier for us to integrate it into our existing fleet and combine it with vehicles which our customers value highly."

With the two S 515 HD each boasting 44 Setra Voyage Supreme-type travel seats featuring a leather/fabric combination, passengers will be able to make themselves comfortable on board and relax with a coffee from the galley while enjoying the views of the passing landscape. LED reading lamps and buttons for calling the tour guide, which are fitted with visual indicators in the service sets above the seats, are just a few examples of the exclusive appointments available on the luxury coach. The best in entertainment and information as well as an optimum audio experience are guaranteed thanks to the Coach Multimedia System, which among other features is fitted with a DVD player and also provides passengers with iPod and iPhone connection options for the playback of audio and video files. To guarantee travellers the best possible safety in addition to high levels of comfort, the travel company's management opted for two special equipment variants available for the ComfortClass 500. The "Visibility package" comprises a variety of safety features. These include bi-xenon headlamps for dipped and main beam as well as a reversing camera. Also focusing on the issue of safety is the "Assist Systems package" which comprises equipment such as the Lane Assistant , adaptive cruise control, Active Brake Assist (ABA2) with additional stop-and-go function, Attention Assist and also the tyre pressure monitoring system.

Exclusive special paint finish adds the trademark touch

Gössi Carreisen AG was established in April 1975 by Xaver Gössi in Horw, in the canton of Lucerne. Just four years later in 1979, the operator made the joint decision with his wife Verena Gössi to purchase a coach from the Ulm-based brand. The amicable partnership which was created has been continued by son Marco Gössi and his wife Karin. Located in the vicinity of Lake Lucerne, the company is currently one of Switzerland's most famous coach tour operators. With 19 luxuriously equipped coaches and over 300 of its own holiday packages, Gössi offers the largest range of coach tours in central Switzerland. One of the most distinguishing trademark features of the exclusive travel specialist are the individually designed, imaginative special paint finishes applied to its Setra touring coaches.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Detail: Gössi sets a new tone for its coach fleet

0 Milestone coach marks two-fold landmark

A coach handover held a pleasant surprise in store for a Setra customer recently. When Gunnar Brustad went with his son Ole Jacob to celebrate the collection of his new Setra coach, little did he know that a very special vehicle was awaiting him at the Customer Center in Neu-Ulm. The two-axle S 516 HD not only represented the first vehicle from the new ComfortClass 500 series to be heading to Norway, but it was also the 500th Setra coach being delivered by the brand to the Scandinavian country.

Gunnar Brustad, with his company "Brustad Busstrafikk", has been a partner of the Ulm-based brand since 1983 and first learned about the two-fold milestone during the vehicle handover: "We are extremely pleased to be bringing the new generation of this very special coach to our country. After the successful Setra 400 model series, it is now important for us to be able to offer another superlative touring coach to our passengers travelling throughout Europe."

With 48 comfortable Setra Voyage-type travel seats, a functional galley with coffee machine and a modern audio and video system, the new Setra provides everything to make passenger journeys - which can sometimes cover long distances stretching from the far north to the deep south of Europe - as comfortable as possible. All of this also comes with an extremely high level of safety. The S 516 HD is equipped with the most state-of-the-art driver assistance systems available from the Ulm-based brand forming part of Daimler AG. These include adaptive cruise control as well as the extended advanced emergency braking system BAS PLUS, which is able to brake the coach automatically in the event of a collision, even in front of stationary obstacles. Gunnar Brustad also opted for the ComfortClass 500 for the Visibility package offered exclusively by Setra, which in addition to bi-xenon headlamps for dipped and main beams also includes a high-pressure headlamp cleaning system as well as ambient lighting for reversing manoeuvres.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Detail: Milestone coach marks two-fold landmark

0 Blaguss drives towards future with new Setra bus generation

New buses with a new company design. True to its guiding principle that everyone has goals (“Weil jeder Ziele hat”), the Viennese bus company “Blaguss” has reinforced its claim to operate exclusive and innovative touring coaches by investing in the S 515 HD. The Vienna-based large fleet operator decided to introduce a change of generation with the two-axle vehicle and took delivery of its first vehicle in the new Setra ComfortClass 500.

The luxury coach is part of a framework agreement for a total of 100 buses from the new generation of Setra coaches, to be delivered by 2015 – and as such the largest order for ComfortClass 500 coaches in the whole of Europe. “The large-volume order is a vote of confidence we reserve only for the Setra brand,” promised managing director Thomas Blaguss, during the official handover at the EvoBus ServiceCenter in Wiener Neudorf: “In our eyes, the concept behind the Setra ComfortClass 500 is a thoroughly successful combination of environmental and safety technology, economic performance and state-of-the-art design and it absolutely meets all our requirements 100 percent.”

Dr Thomas Rohde, CEO of EvoBus Austria GmbH, is appreciative of the praise: “With the handover of the first ComfortClass 500 to Blaguss, we begin a new chapter in our joint success story that will have a significance well beyond the boundaries of the city of Vienna. The framework agreement is a clear vote of confidence for our product and for the Setra brand and sends out a strong signal in the Austrian market.”

Throughout Europe with the S 515 HD

The long-established, family-owned company from the Burgenland region of Austria is to deploy the ComfortClass 500 on long-distance routes and for European travel. Guests will enjoy the comfort of the 49 touring seats, which feature footrests, armrests and leather head sections, and fortify themselves with snacks and beverages from the on-board galley. Extended seat bases create additional space for even greater freedom of movement and extra comfort for passengers. The Coach Multimedia System (CMS) guarantees high-quality audio and video entertainment and information, and features a DVD player, iPod and iPhone jack with free Wi-Fi connection. Blaguss also showed an eye for detail in equipping the S 515 HD. Thanks to a d.c./a.c. inverter, passengers can use 220 V sockets to charge all kinds of electronic devices during the journey or while at a standstill.

Austria’s second-largest private bus operator switches to state-of-the-art bus fleet

Bus operator Blaguss can look back on a long and successful history. Paul Blagusz founded the original “Lohnfurhwerk” company in 1929 and the “Blaguss Reisen Gesellschaft m.b.H” was established in May 1970. Today Blaguss is the second-largest private bus company in Austria, with subsidiaries in Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and is led by Familie Dr Robert Blaguss, Thomas Blaguss and Paul Blaguss. The company owns around 330 vehicles, which in total clock up almost 16 million kilometres on national international routes every year. The average age of its bus fleet is two and a half years. With a workforce of 550 employees, the company has bought almost 900 buses from the traditional Ulm brand Setra since 1978.

ComfortClass 500 sets benchmarks for economy and comfort

With the pioneering ComfortClass 500 series, Setra sets new benchmarks in economy, value, comfort and safety. The new premium touring coaches impress with their streamlined design, achieved as part of a holistic wind tunnel development process.

Furthermore, the hybrid light-weight design offering even greater rigidity for considerably less weight, as well as an intelligent fuel consumption and energy management system, turn the new Setra touring coaches into attractive added-value vehicles. The ComfortClass 500 already meets the EURO 6 emission standard, which comes into force for new vehicles in 2014, as well as many other safety guidelines and legal regulations for the years ahead.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Detail: Blaguss drives towards future with new Setra bus generation