It defines its class like practically no other bus. Whether in design, eco-friendliness, safety, comfort or operation – the Mercedes-Benz Citaro has set milestones in the city bus sector.
Omnibus Magazine
Happy Birthday, Citaro!
The best-selling city bus from Mercedes-Benz turns 25.
Happy Birthday, Citaro!
At the UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Stuttgart, 1997, the prototype of a completely new low-floor city bus attracts attention. The name alone already clearly positions the Mercedes-Benz Citaro for use in densely populated areas. Made for urban passenger transport, it will define the key emphases of developments over the next 25 years, becoming a synonym for the perfect city bus.
The design: typically Citaro and always fresh.
In 1997, Mercedes-Benz’ designers packaged the innovative Citaro technology in an attractive and practical superstructure. Designed throughout, from the headlights with white indicator lenses and the tall windscreen with its frame of curved, colour-contrasting A0 columns to the integrated destination display. The large, continuous side windows rise all the way to the edge of the roof. In short: a bus practically cast in one piece.
Over the next decades, the design of the Citaro is allowed to carefully evolve. In early 2006, curved indicators lend a friendly appearance. In 2011, large almond-shaped headlights and a rounder frontage soften the severity previously characteristic of the appearance of city buses. And with the arrival of the fully electric eCitaro, the wheel continues to turn in 2018. The central element of the design, seen from the front, is the large Mercedes star with decorative features to left and right. Both are set into the high-gloss black front panel alongside the LED headlights.
The drive: from low-exhaust to locally emissions-free.
Using environmentally friendly, economical drive systems, the Citaro has been up-to-date from the get-go – and usually even ahead of its time. At the world première in 1997, it is powered by a rear-mounted diesel engine with the emissions level Euro II. And progress is swift: already in 2004, the Citaro is fitted with then-innovative SCR technology to fulfil the emissions level Euro IV – a milestone. In 2012, with the introduction of Euro VI diesel motors, the Citaro is once again a pioneer.
After intensive practical investigation into various alternative drives, the eCitaro, released in 2018, rings the changes for the transition to electromobility. With its innovative, continuously developed battery technology and thermal management, it sets new benchmarks. To be announced in the near future are an eCitaro with the latest battery generation – NMC3 – and one with a fuel cell as a range extender – thanks to which the electric city bus can seamlessly dispense with combustion engines.
The cockpit: ergonomic and functional.
Alongside the Citaro, 1997 sees the début of a new, ergonomically exemplary cockpit. Outstanding: the steering wheel can be adjusted along with the instrument panel, adapting perfectly to the driver’s measurements. But even good things can be improved – as shown by the second-generation Citaro cockpit in 2011. With a raised seating position, the driver is now at eye level with passengers as they climb aboard. More legroom, an informative colour display, a multifunctional steering wheel, more and larger storage compartments – the Citaro cockpit is at the top of its game.
The passenger compartment: bright and inviting.
Passenger-friendly low-floor technology, a bright compartment with fine views through expansive windows, cantilevered seating attached at the walls without obstructive supports – these were and still are just some of the essential advantages from the point of view of passengers. The subsequent generations of the Citaro continue the line of evolution towards ever greater passenger comfort. Today of note is the ceiling design with its curved edges. Attractive technical modules combining individual cassette elements combine both interior lighting and loudspeakers.
The various models: perfect for every deployment.
On the starting line in 1997 are the low-floor Citaro solobus and Citaro G articulated bus in their classic lengths of around 12 and 18 metres. Just one year later, the cross-country Citaro Ü/GÜ models are added. In 2005, the low-entry Citaro LE/LE Ü with a low-floor front and high-floor rear joins them, along with the right-hand-drive Citaro and imposing four-axle high-capacity articulated bus, the CapaCity, based on the Citaro. Again just a year on from this, the compact, particularly agile Citaro K, only 10.5 metres long, becomes part of the range. With the second generation of the Citaro, the impressive, 21-metre, four-axis CapaCity L adds a further XXL member to the family.
Safety features: always ahead of the times.
At the start of its career, the Citaro impresses with disc brakes all round, its anti-blocking system and electropneumatic braking system (EBS) – revolutionary at the time. In 2011, Mercedes-Benz offers the solobus as the first ever city bus with the Electronic Stability Program (ESP). Then, in 2014, the articulated bus receives the Articulation Turntable Controller (ATC) to prevent jackknifing. Today, the Citaro sets benchmarks in all its models with the turning aid, Sideguard Assist, and Preventive Brake Assist, the first active braking assistant for city buses.
Special vehicles: designer bus, ambulance bus, future bus.
The low-floor Citaro is the sturdy basis for numerous special vehicles. It can be found as a library bus, prison bus or school bus. On the occasion of the World Expo 2000, Hanover-based transport company Üstra orders designer buses with individual bodywork and fittings. A high-capacity ambulance made for Dubai and based on a Citaro G enters the Guinness Book of Records in 2009 as the largest such rescue vehicle in the world. In 2016, the Mercedes-Benz Future Bus, also based on the Citaro, gives an exciting view of the future of urban transport by bus.
The awards: a potential record.
The Citaro is an acclaimed bus in every sense of the word, as numerous prizes attest. Over 25 years it has won Bus of the Year multiple times and gained the Dekra environmental prize, the Grand Award of the Busworld trade fair, the EBUS award and the IBC award. It practically has an annual subscription to the ETM award “the best commercial vehicles”. Starting in 1998, the Citaro has triumphed 20 times in its class for this annual public choice award, most recently in 2022 as the eCitaro G – as befits its silver jubilee.
