Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches have always been pioneers of new safety technologies and assistance systems. The brand with the three-pointed star continuously strives for greater safety, in particular by preventing accidents and protecting vulnerable road users. From 2024 onwards, all Mercedes-Benz city buses, intercity buses and touring coaches will be equipped with a whole bundle of new and advanced assistance systems – many of which already count as standard equipment.
Omnibus Magazine
A focus on safety.
New and advanced assistance systems for all buses and coaches bearing the three-pointed star.
A focus on safety.
New and advanced assistance systems for all buses and coaches bearing the three-pointed star.
Protecting vulnerable road users.
Improved safety in road traffic – that is the aim of the EU’s General Safety Regulation (GSR). It stipulates numerous assistance and safety systems for newly registered buses and coaches and will come into force in July 2024. The systems include blind spot assistance for the right side of the vehicle and the area immediately in front of the vehicle. In addition you can have traffic sign recognition for speed limits, an attention assistant, a tyre pressure monitoring system, a reversing camera and light signals in the event of emergency braking.
Above all, the GSR focuses on accident prevention and the protection of vulnerable road users, goals which Daimler Buses has vigorously pursued for many years.
“Active Brake Assist, which is already standard in touring coaches today, has been completely revamped and is now in its 6th generation. Once again it raises the bar by exceeding legal requirements.”
ABA 6 prevents accidents even more reliably.
For Mercedes-Benz, maximum safety is more than just an obligation. That is why Daimler Buses engineers had already developed a new generation of our own assistance systems and had them ready for series production long before the new EU safety regulations coming into force in July 2024 were ever established. And on top of all this, Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches not only meet the new standards – they exceed them. One prime example is the emergency braking assistant Active Brake Assist 6 (ABA 6). It is even more effective than its predecessors and so sets the standard once again.
Keeping track of pedestrians and cyclists.
ABA 6 uses a combination of short-range and long-range radar sensors and a camera. In the event of an impending accident, a warning sequence of visual and haptic alarms is triggered. If the driver fails to react, the vehicle automatically initiates partial braking and then emergency braking.
The new sensors make ABA 6 even more powerful than its predecessor. It detects moving or stationary people and cyclists in front of the vehicle and can initiate emergency braking independently. Accidents can be avoided even more reliably with ABA 6. The system covers the entire speed range of the vehicle and remains active in the background. During emergency braking, the brake lights and turn signal lamps light up at intervals to warn following traffic.
ABA 6 is used as standard in the Mercedes-Benz Tourismo high-deck touring coach. The latest generation of Emergency Brake Assist is available as special equipment for the Mercedes-Benz Intouro high-floor intercity bus.
Preventive Brake Assist 2 warns of impending collisions.
Preventive Brake Assist has been further developed to meet the requirements for regular service buses. The new, enhanced generation is even more effective. It reacts to stationary and moving objects, including pedestrians and cyclists, and warns of imminent collisions. Preventive Brake Assist 2 also initiates a partial braking manoeuvre. The assistance system is optionally available for the solo and articulated versions of the eCitaro fuel cell, eCitaro, Citaro and Conecto buses.
Sideguard Assist 2 helps when turning.
The radar-based Sideguard Assist system has been providing greater safety when turning in Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches since 2018. It reacts and gives an even more precise warning if there is a risk of collision with pedestrians or cyclists.
Previously only available for the door side, it is now also available for use on the driver’s side. Frontguard Assist monitors the area immediately ahead of the vehicle. This system is also radar-based and detects and warns the driver of people located directly in front of the vehicle at speeds of up to 15 km/h.
Lane-changing made easy.
Sideguard Assist 2 also provides lane change assistant functions at speeds above 40 km/h. Up to the maximum permissible speed, it informs the driver of any objects on the driver’s side and passenger side. In combination with the optional 360° camera system (articulated buses: 270° camera system), the driver is provided with a comprehensive warning system encompassing the entire vehicle. Sideguard Assist 2 and Frontguard Assist will be standard from 2024.
“The previously optional reversing camera is now a standard equipment feature, as is the tyre pressure monitoring system (TPM).”
Superior safety as standard.
A further new feature is the smart Traffic Sign Assist system. It compares the current speed of the bus or coach with the permitted vehicle speed and warns the driver if they exceed the speed limit.
Traffic Sign Assist is now standard equipment as is the previously optional TPM (tyre pressure monitoring system). TPM prevents tyre damage by indicating possible pressure loss. Maintaining the correct tyre pressure also reduces both wear and fuel consumption.
The Attention Assist (AtAs) system and an interface for breathalysers in the driver’s workplace have also been integrated into the standard equipment of Mercedes-Benz buses. The same applies to the formerly optional reversing camera. Depending on the model series, images from the camera are transmitted to a monitor already present in the cockpit or to an additional seven-inch monitor.
