On 15 August 2013 Ulrich Sieg, director of operations and infrastructure at Hamburger Hochbahn AG, and Steffen Rothhardt, head of the buses division at Hamburger Hochbahn AG, commissioned the 50th Mercedes-Benz Citaro to be delivered in 2013. The anniversary vehicle symbolises the more than 15 years of trust which Hamburger Hochbahn AG has placed in the Citaro concept since 1997. Tammo Voigt, Head of Public Transport Fleet Sales at Mercedes-Benz Buses & Coaches, handed over the vehicle at the port of Hamburg. "The anniversary bus stands for the strong partnership which we have enjoyed with Hochbahn for many years now. Around 15 years ago, Hochbahn was one of the first companies to believe in the successful Citaro concept, and it has kept its faith to this day, having taken delivery of over 1000 Citaros in the meantime" said Tammo Voigt during the presentation ceremony. "With its modular design, the Citaro has always managed to combine functionality, modernness and innovation, providing the basis for a successful concept," noted Ulrich Sieg.
Custom solutions from a modular system
Hochbahn has ordered a total of 81 Citaro vehicles for 2013. The anniversary bus, a Citaro LE (LowEntry), will operate in Hamburg as a so-called express bus. In addition to the two LEs, Hochbahn has also ordered 46 Citaro Gs and 33 Citaro rigid buses. It is precisely this broad range of different variants in the modular Citaro line which is valued so highly by transport operators in the many major cities throughout the world where some 37,000 Citaros are in service. Since it went into production in 1988, the Citaro has offered a range of urban and rural buses in different lengths and equipment variants, the diversity of which is unrivalled among low-floor regular-service buses. The first generation of the Citaro covered 28 different variants, ranging from the compact Citaro K measuring 10.5 m in length to the four-axle, 19.54 m long CapaCity articulated large-capacity bus which is also based on the Citaro modular system.
The new-generation Citaro with Euro VI engine technology already comprises 19 model variants. In addition to the Citaro Solo, the artic and the Citaro LE, the range also includes the short variant, the Citaro K, and RHD Citaro models of the Citaro Solo and Citaro K. With this diverse spectrum, the Citaro covers virtually the entire range of transportation requirements of bus companies providing regular urban and rural public transport services.
Hamburger Hochbahn AG
With its order in 2013, Hamburger Hochbahn AG has once again placed its trust in the Citaro as a highly capable and comfortable urban regular-service bus. With its fleet of some 900 buses for the most part Mercedes-Benz Citaros - and an annual passenger volume in excess of 230 million, economy, reliability and environmental compatibility are crucial to the Hochbahn group.
With a workforce of over 4500 and a passenger volume of some 1.2 million on weekdays, Hochbahn AG is not only the largest partner in Hamburg's HVV transport association but also the second-largest transport company in Germany. Hochbahn provides high-quality transport services in Hamburg on four underground railway lines and 100 bus lines. As the orchestrator of a multimodal transport offering, Hochbahn aims to combine bus and rail with complementary mobility services under the "switchh" brand in future, thereby establishing inner-city mobility without the use of private cars as the new standard.
Credits: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Credits: Daimler AG
