Arriving today. Thinking about tomorrow: Daimler Buses contributes to responsible local public transport

• Daimler Buses at the UITP Global Public Transport Summit: contributing to efficient mobility and reducing traffic impact in urban areas
• Fully electric eCitaro for locally emission-free mobility: emissions and use of resources viewed over the entire life cycle
• We accompany customers and towns making the switch to electromobility
• Safety and assistance systems provide safety for passengers and other road users as standard

An improved environment, dynamic growth and quality of life - these are the predominant topics at the Global Public Transport Summit (GPTS) from 9 to 12 June in Stockholm. A clear vision for the future and further development of local public transport are at the heart of the UITP Global Public Transport Summit. Daimler's bus segment contributes to this vision in many ways, with the motto 'Arriving today. Thinking about tomorrow.' One of the aims of Daimler Buses is to shape and develop the future of global (bus) mobility in a responsible way.

Efficient, sustainable mobility in urban areas

As a bus pioneer, Daimler Buses stands traditionally for the safety, efficiency and comfort of urban and long-distances buses and coaches. Furthermore, Daimler Buses keeps an eye on sustainability: the buses from the Mercedes-Benz and Setra brands are an indispensable part of local public transport and play an important role worldwide in reducing the impact of traffic, pollution, and nitrous oxide emissions on our roads. The aim of Daimler Buses is to enable more efficient mobility in urban areas and help reduce the strain caused by traffic, particularly in urban areas. Products from Daimler Buses are not only environmentally friendly, they also enable mobility for a large number of people.

Contribution to climate protection and clean air

With this background, Daimler Buses pursues the aim of reducing the CO₂ emissions of its city buses and overland coaches weighing over 18 tonnes in real use (Tank to Wheel) by 20 percent by 2020 in Europe. A further aim is to reduce the nitrogen oxide emissions of buses in real operations by 75 percent by 2030.

In order to lower CO₂ emissions even further, Daimler Buses focuses on buses with low-emission and emission-free drive. One example of this is the Mercedes-Benz Citaro hybrid, which was awarded the Sustainability Award 2019. Besides efficiency and sustainability, the jury looked at criteria like safety, comfort, noise emissions, re-usability of components, environmental conservation, and efficiency.

Since the launch in 2018 of the all-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro, Daimler Buses has been able to offer a locally emission free urban bus for environmentally-friendly public transport in cities and urban areas. The battery-electric eCitaro is already in series production. Products like the eCitaro provide a substantial contribution towards clean air in urban areas.

eCitaro and its eco-assessment: emissions and use of resources viewed over the entire life cycle

To assess the environmental compatibility of a vehicle, Daimler Buses looks at the emissions and resource consumption over the entire life cycle. This is done by means of a life-cycle assessment, which covers the main environmental impacts - from raw material extraction to production and use through to recycling. In 2018, Daimler Buses examined the fully electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro city bus for the first time as part of a life-cycle study. For the assessment of the eCitaro, two ways of producing electricity during use were analysed. The eCitaro was more efficient in environmental terms than the conventional Citaro city bus with a diesel engine - depending on the method of electricity production used - by 38 percent (for the European electricity mix) or by 86 percent (for hydro-electric power).

eCitaro is part of the overall eMobility system from Daimler Buses

The eCitaro is part of the overall eMobility system from Daimler Buses. Our eMobility Consulting Team advises customers about different operational possibilities, accompanying them in their switch to e-mobility. Aspects like route length, passenger numbers, energy requirements, range calculation and charging management are considered. We also offer EcoTraining courses for bus customers and their drivers, to encourage environmentally friendly driving. All these elements demonstrate the contribution made by Daimler Buses on the topic of 'The Art of Public Transport' at this year's UITP summit.

Intelligent mobility for urban traffic in the future

A fundamental part of tomorrow's mobility solutions, and of increasing importance, is Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), a sustainable mobility concept currently in use in over 160 cities around the world. Mercedes-Benz buses are in use in 41 of these cities. The features of these systems are above all separate bus lanes, special stops and priority at junctions, enabling passengers to reach their destinations swiftly and in comfort and safety.

Daimler Buses has a holistic approach in the field of Bus Rapid Transit. For the introduction of BRT systems, we offer authorities vehicles and also advice and financing services. Together with different partners, and in close cooperation with municipal authorities, we accompany the development and planning of BRT systems. These are already showing impressively high eco-friendliness, short planning and manufacture times, and low investment costs.

Safety always has right of way

Another main focus by Daimler Buses is on safety. With modern driver assistance systems and vehicle protection systems, the bus segment of Daimler aims to considerably improve road safety, with the final aim of being accident-free mobility. With this aspiration, the business area contributes towards achieving the European Union's target of reducing the number of road deaths to almost zero by 2050.

Examples of standard safety and assistance systems are the emergency braking assistance system Active Brake Assist 4 which not only automatically initiates full braking in the case of stationary and moving obstacles, but which also warns the driver of a possible collision with pedestrians and at the same time initiates partial braking. Preventive Brake Assist, the brake assistant for regular-service urban buses, warns of collisions with moving pedestrians or stationary or moving objects and automatically initiates partial braking in the event of the risk of a collision. Sideguard Assist, the first radar-based turning assistant for buses to detect people, supports the driver in critical situations when turning right.