The European bus and coach jury at this year's international bus and coach fair, "Busworld Kortrijk", has crowned the Mercedes-Benz Travego, currently available since the beginning of 2009 in its third generation, "Coach of the Year 2010". The trophy was awarded by Stuart Jones, president of the Coach of the Year jury, to Michael Göpfarth, manager of the Mercedes-Benz Bus and Coach Unit of EvoBus GmbH, on 15 October.
With the capacity to treat and carry up to 123 people, and an overall length of 20.03 metres, the world's largest ambulance - a large-capacity emergency ambulance based on the Mercedes-Benz Citaro articulated bus - has entered the Guinness Book of Records.
Daimler Buses has once again won two contracts, and as a result it will deliver a total of 425 buses to the Netherlands by December. The biggest contract from the Netherlands to date is for 350 Mercedes-Benz urban and intercity buses, which were ordered by Qbuzz, a private bus operator with headquarters in Amersfoort. The second major contract is for 75 natural gas-powered Mercedes-Benz urban buses, which were ordered by Connexxion, the Netherlands’ largest public transport company, with headquarters in Hilversum.
Last week, Daimler Buses North America announced that sales for the Orion VII diesel-electric hybrid bus had surpassed 3,000 units. In other words, Daimler Buses has sold more hybrid drives than any other manufacturer in the world. The announcement was made in Oriskany, where the Orion VII hybrid buses are manufactured. Over 2,200 of the Orion VII hybrid buses are already in service, with an additional 850 firm orders on the books from cities such as New York City, Seattle, Houston, and Ottawa, as well as from Puerto Rico.
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) and Nissan Diesel Motor Co., Ltd. (Nissan Diesel) today announced that the companies have signed a letter of intent (LOI) to explore expansion of their relationship regarding the bus business, including the possibility of establishing a joint venture company in the bus business.
Daimler Buses has been awarded a major contract to deliver 125 Mercedes-Benz feeder buses for the Gautrain Rapid Link project in South Africa. The Gautrain railway line will connect Johannesburg to Pretoria and Johannesburg's Oliver Tambo International Airport via Sandton. The project combines the railway line with a feeder bus service to allow commuters in Gauteng province to reach the train stations quickly. The first phase of construction is due for completion in 2010. The delivery of the Mercedes-Benz buses is expected to be completed by mid-2010.
