It is the largest investment to date in intercity passenger transportation in Slovenia: The operator Arriva Slovenija is now using 45 state-of-the-art intercity buses with the star. Another 20 Mercedes-Benz Intouro buses will follow next year.

Numerous seats above, space below for larger items of luggage, plus outstanding features in terms of economy and safety as well as comfort and operation – the concept of the versatile Mercedes-Benz Intouro high-floor intercity bus is impressive. A highly remarkable success in its still young history: Rasto Oderlap (CEO of the general distributor Autocommerce Slovenija) recently handed over 45 intercity buses in one fell swoop to Bo Karlsson, CEO of Arriva Slovenija, in the presence of Alenka Bratusek (Slovenian State Secretary for Transport). The buses connect the cities of Ljubljana, Maribor, Kranj, Koper, Novo Mesto, Jesenice and Koper, among others.

The current contingent consists of 35 Intouro buses with a classic length of around twelve meters and ten particularly maneuverable and compact Intouro K buses (10.75 meters in length). Passengers are seated on 55 (Intouro) and 43 (Intouro K) comfortable Travel Star Eco type coach seats manufactured in-house.

Welcoming seat covers in blue-yellow with blue headrests, adjustable backrests, swivel-mounted armrests on the aisle side, a wooden floor, yellow curtains on the windows, continuous luggage racks, double glazing on the side windows and a high-performance roof-mounted air-conditioning system ensure both a pleasant appearance and comfort even on long routes.

Drivers benefit from an attractive and ergonomically designed cockpit at coach level as well as from a reversing camera and reversing warning signal when maneuvering. The powerful, economical and environmentally friendly drivetrain is based throughout on the compact in-line six-cylinder Mercedes-Benz OM 936 with a displacement of 7.7 liters and an output of 260 kW (354 hp). The power is transmitted via the fully automated Mercedes-Benz GO 250–8 PowerShift manual transmission.

Arriva is a British transportation company that is owned by Deutsche Bahn and operates bus and rail lines in numerous European countries. The subsidiary Arriva Slovenija has been operating in Slovenia for almost ten years and has around 950 employees and a fleet of 550 buses. Two thirds of the fleet (370 units) bear the Mercedes star. The buses cover around 31.5 million kilometers a year and are based in eight depots spread across the country. The vehicles are characterised by the bright paintwork in the colour “New Arriva Blue” for the body and bumper.