The Mercedes‑Benz Citaro is the all-rounder among regular service buses. This is proved by a new Citaro LE Ü owned by the regiobus Potsdam Mittelmark transport company in Bad Belzig, west of Berlin. As a rule the bus is used in regular services, but with its equipment it can also serve as a rescue bus in emergency situations.
What's new
News 2020
With flashing lights and sirens in an emergency operation: Mercedes-Benz Citaro LE Ü as a rescue bus for the regiobus Potsdam Mittelmark transport company.
Rescue bus assists fire service and rescue workers at accidents and fires.
The rescue bus owned by regiobus Potsdam Mittelmark assists in fire service and rescue operations with its special equipment. It serves as a means of transport for uninjured or slightly injured persons, as a climatised and heated shelter and as an evacuation vehicle in emergencies. Rescuers and firefighters can also use it for transportation purposes or as a place of retreat. The bus is ready for service 24/7. It can be requested via the fire service's regional control centre.
Fast arrival at emergency locations with beacons, sirens and front strobes.
The new Citaro LE Ü attracts attention straight away because of its bright red design complemented by an image of active firefighters from the region and a reference to the fire service emergency number 112 on its sides. For emergency operations it is equipped with two LED beacons at the front and rear as well as a four horn siren. Thanks to approval for speeds of up to 100 km/h it can reach its destination quickly in an emergency. The specially trained bus drivers from the transport company are connected to the rescue control centre via a separate mobile network at all times. Thanks to state-of-the-art technology the bus's own navigation system receives the co-ordinates for the emergency location directly from there.
November 2020
- Rescue bus assists fire service and rescue crews at accidents and fires
- Fast arrival at emergency locations with beacons, sirens and front strobes
- Barrier-free inter-city bus with exceptional equipment
- regiobus Potsdam Mittelmark transport company: innovative and successful
With its wood-look flooring and wall trims in needle felt the interior conveys a pleasant atmosphere. The additionally padded Inter Star Eco seats with blue and yellow fabric upholstery for the seats and backrests also contribute to that. Materials for initial medical treatment, drinks, blankets and even cuddly toys for children are stored in an additional cupboard behind the driver's cab. Curtains protect the interior from prying eyes. They also serve as a means of partitioning the vehicle to treat the injured or so it can be used as a changing room, for example.
"We are proud to be able to assist the important work of rescuers and firefighters in our region. With the new rescue bus and its extended equipment, we can react even faster and help both the victims and rescue teams even better," says Hans-Jürgen Hennig, the Managing Director at regiobus. The new rescue bus replaces a previous model that was converted five years ago. Its services were requested on average about once a quarter, for example in the event of severe car accidents, forest fires or evacuations from burning houses. The equipment for the new rescue bus was further developed in agreement with experts from the fire service.
Barrier-free inter-city bus with exceptional equipment.
The two-axle Citaro LE Ü inter-city bus is around 12 m long and offers a suitable platform for a rescue bus. It has a low floor right through to the rear axle and is thus of a barrier-free design. The vehicle for regiobus is equipped with features such as two electrically powered swivelling-sliding doors, LED headlamps, a tyre pressure control system and Sideguard Assist, the turning assistance system. It is driven by the most powerful version of the Mercedes-Benz OM 936 6-cylinder inline engine with 260 kW (354 hp) and a ZF automatic torque converter transmission.
In addition to the equipment typical of a low-floor inter-city bus, the rescue bus also has double-glazing, a reversing camera, an acoustic and visual warning system for closing doors on door two with a red LED light strip, a refrigerator in the front-end assembly and a ball head trailer coupling. Additional starter batteries safeguard the power supply, Wi-Fi connects the passengers to the outside world and double USB ports provide a power supply for their personal end devices. In view of the equipment in the rescue bus the light-alloy wheels were selected mainly because they save weight.
regiobus Potsdam Mittelmark transport company: innovative and successful.
regiobus Potsdam Mittelmark GmbH is the transport company owned by the region Potsdam-Mittelmark, west of Berlin. The company operates most of the regional bus route services in the rural region with 38 communities and connects them with the state capital of Potsdam and the sprawling city of Berlin. The transport company uses around 160 barrier-free buses on 66 routes – from the electrically powered Mercedes-Benz eVito minibus to the large Mercedes-Benz CapaCity articulated bus. Thanks to numerous innovative ideas from attractive paintwork for the vehicles and themes such as PowerBus, PlusBus or the culture and castle route, regiobus Potsdam Mittelmark has been able to significantly increase the number of passengers in recent years.
25 November 2020
