From 7 October to 12 October 2023, Daimler Buses presented their latest products and services at a 2700-square-metre exhibition stand at the Busworld trade fair. Key topics were electromobility, safety and sustainability. The seven presented buses were of the usual high quality and were kitted out with first-class equipment, making them a real attention-grabber for exhibition visitors.

The most important topics of the whole event – electromobility, safety and sustainability – were also key themes of the Daimler stand. This was reflected both by the vehicles on display and OMNIplus and Daimler Buses Solutions GmbHs' information areas. The seven presented buses were of the usual high quality and were kitted out with first-class equipment, making them a real attention-grabber for exhibition visitors. Visitors from all over the world were fascinated by the electrified chassis as well as by the four Setra and three Mercedes-Benz models.

Mercedes-Benz exhibits at Busworld included an advanced variant of the Tourismo, the eCitaro NMC3 with third-generation lithium-ion batteries, the Brazilian city bus chassis eO500 U and the innovative eCitaro fuel cell. The all-electric drive and fuel cell of the latter made it a highlight in the Mercedes-Benz area. Shahrukh Javed, project manager of the eCitaro fuel cell, was at the Brussels trade fair as a presenter. He describes the feedback on the solo bus that was showcased at the exhibition: "The twelve-metre-long eCitaro fuel cell was launched at the Busworld trade fair in Belgium. This vehicle features a fuel cell and uses hydrogen as range extender. It was very well received by customers. The vehicle's long range also drew lots of interest".

Interested visitors had the exclusive opportunity to experience the hydrogen-powered city bus at first hand during a test ride. Against the impressive backdrop of the Atomium, the eCitaro G fuel cell glided effortlessly through the urban traffic. Patrick Lange, head of scheduling and vehicle fleet at Univers Reisen, and operations manager Lars Tempelmann were on board. They both found that, “the new technology makes this the most interesting vehicle at the Daimler Buses trade fair stand”. “As soon as the right infrastructure has been set up and an urban customer has been found, the eCitaro fuel cell will be the next city bus we use”, said the two representatives of the Bonn-based bus company. Customers are also talking to Daimler Buses Solutions GmbH about setting up the required charging infrastructure. A delighted Dietrich Müller, CEO of Daimler Buses Solutions, says: "At Busworld, we presented our range of charging infrastructure systems to a wide audience in one-to-one and group discussions. We now also have infrastructure solutions for hydrogen logistics, storage and refuelling stations suitable for the eCitaro fuel cell."

Safety systems are a further main area of innovation. In future, it will be possible to equip all Daimler Buses with the optional new MirrorCam instead of the classic front mirror. Jerome Mouret, president of Cars Bouisse and visitor to the trade fair, said: "Safety is our priority because our job is to transport passengers safely to their destination. Daimler Buses has always been a safety pioneer – features that were already standard for this brand ages ago have now become mandatory for all".

The emergency braking assistant Active Brake Assist 6 (ABA 6) for coaches and high-floor buses, the active braking assistant Preventive Brake Assist 2 for low-floor buses and the radar-based turning assistant Sideguard Assist 2, which is installed on both sides of the vehicle, are among the other safety and assistance systems that Daimler will install in its buses in the future.

Thomas Schneemann, sales representative for Mercedes-Benz Bus & Coach Region West, understands why safety is so important to customers: "I get a lot of questions about the MirrorCam and the assistance systems. The safety features are convincing and play a key role in buyers' decisions, as does the high passenger capacity of our buses and the individual design consulting services we offer".

Potential customers could also find out about Daimler's expertise in bus design and equipment options at the Daimler Buses stand. “Our goal is to equip every bus according to customer wishes and passenger requirements”, explains Juliane Rupp from Daimler Buses Design Consulting. Almost any bus can be visualised and adapted in the design program. Visitors were able to view and feel fabrics for seats and curtains on site. The topic of sustainability also came up time and again during consultations. "We have a new sustainable collection of yarns made from recycled materials and want to expand this range in the future. We not only want to use materials that conserve resources, but also those that are suitable for eco-friendly disposal and recycling", adds Dagmar Laurer-Martin and Marc Philipp Jech, both of whom also work in Design Consulting.

Visitors could also view sustainable products from OMNIplus at the heart of the Daimler Buses trade fair stand. For example, reconditioned and 3D-printed spare parts have been on offer for some time. Bernd Mack, head of Customer Services & Parts, explains: "OMNIplus is all about providing bus-specific solutions and a comprehensive range of cost-effective services. These ensure that the buses are always ready for use and help our customers to make their business sustainable. At Busworld, we demonstrated this in impressive fashion". A further innovation – the digital service OMNIplus ON monitor Performance Analysis – was also launched at the event. It allows fleet managers to analyse different driving styles and optimise them in a targeted manner. The range of OMNIplus service contracts has now also been expanded. Two dynamic variants are now available in which the monthly fee adapts flexibly to the actual mileage covered by the customers' buses.

Daimler Buses dazzled visitors to Busworld 2023 in its usual fashion with high-quality, future-oriented products across the board.