Especially in times of the COVID 19 pandemic, drivers of city buses are among the system-relevant workers. Public transport (ÖPNV) would be inconceivable without their commitment. At the same time, they are exposed to an increased risk of infection due to their contacts with numerous people. In order to protect bus drivers from infection, OMNIplus is now offering a professional retrofit solution for a driver protection door with a separating pane for the Mercedes-Benz Citaro city bus.
What's new
News 2020
OMNIplus supplies retrofit driver-protection doors for the Citaro city bus.
Stuttgart, 4 May 2020
- Professional Citaro driver-protection door with partition made of safety glass
- High-quality polycarbonate retrofit solution being developed
Professional driver-protection door with partition made of safety glass.
Since April 27, passengers on public transport in Germany have been obliged to wear mouth-nose protection. At the same time, this is also the first official protection for bus drivers. Barrier tape to cordon off the driver’s area, closed front entrance doors, improvised separating panes – transport companies reacted quickly after the outbreak of the corona pandemic to protect their bus drivers from infections. But these are not permanent solutions.
This is why OMNIplus is now offering durable and professional driver protection doors with a full-surface separating pane as a retrofit solution for the Mercedes-Benz Citaro city bus. The separating pane is made of clear toughened safety glass and is 780 millimeters wide and almost 1400 mm high, and covers the space between the passengers and the driver’s cab. It is available both in a closed version and with small openings for ticket sales.
OMNIplus offers the retrofit solution for a driver’s safety door for the current Citaro series, which was launched in 2011. It is in service in Europe and beyond in the tens of thousands as city buses and intercity buses and also as the CapaCity large-capacity version.
The separating pane is available for different cab doors in high and low versions and with an integrated cash register. It is particularly easy to exchange in vehicles that already have a driver-protection door with a separating pane over half the width of the door.
The driver-protection door ensures an unrestricted view through the windscreen to the exterior mirrors as well as to the interior mirror. It is homologated and type-approved in accordance with regulation ECE R43.
High-quality polycarbonate retrofit solution being developed.
The currently available retrofit solution is based on the Citaro’s standard modular system. In addition, a retrofit solution with a polycarbonate separating pane instead of safety glass will also be developped. Due to the simpler manufacturing process, this solution will also be available for earlier versions of the Citaro.
Polycarbonate is a high-quality plastic material that is used for eyeglasses, glazing on buildings and aircraft, as well as for the lenses of vehicle headlights. This professional separation pane for driver-protection doors will also meet all legal requirements. Promising tests and preparations are currently taking place. It is expected that Daimler Buses will soon also be able to make this separation pane available to transport companies to protect their bus drivers from infections.
