News 2026

Daimler Buses plans to invest up to 200 million euros in its European bus and coach-specific service network in the coming years - more than ever before. With more than 630 locations, 36 of which are its own service centres, the manufacturer already has Europe’s most dense network. With new service locations and modernised operations, but also with an expanded range of services, particularly for charging infrastructure, the enterprise intends to further expand its leading position in bus and coach service.

Daimler Buses expects growing customer interest in both the body and operation of e-infrastructure from a single source. The manufacturer is already offering this and is expanding its range in a targeted manner: new features include a dedicated hotline and a dedicated team exclusively for charging station service - initially in Germany and in the coming years also in numerous European countries. The enterprise sees great potential in the infrastructure unit. Till Oberwörder announced this today as part of a press conference to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Daimler Buses service brand OMNIplus. The manufacturer sees another important growth unit in the area of digital services and networking.

Till Oberwörder, CEO Daimler Buses: "Service makes the difference! Buses and coaches only earn money when they are in use. For this, our customers need a partner that supports them from vehicle selection and the right infrastructure to fast and reliable maintenance. The same applies to charging stations: if they fail, operation stops. Daimler Buses is therefore becoming a provider of service ecosystems so that enterprises can concentrate fully on their business. This is exactly where we stand out from others in our market environment."

Daimler Buses also announced today that it will soon send its first battery‑electric coach on test drives as a technology carrier, the “eCoach”. It is based on the conventionally powered Setra 516 HD model. The project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, contributes to the company’s e‑roadmap.* The manufacturer has been offering the Mercedes‑Benz eCitaro electric city bus since 2018 and will launch the battery‑electric interurban bus Mercedes‑Benz eIntouro on the market starting this year. The eIntouro is also suitable for shorter trips, shuttle services, excursion traffic, or school bus operations. These currently represent the most practical use cases for electric buses outside urban public transport. Daimler Buses plans to offer battery‑electric and, at a later stage, fuel‑cell‑powered coaches by the end of the decade, but continues to see insufficient charging and hydrogen infrastructure for long‑distance operations. At the end of 2025, Daimler Buses announced plans to also install public charging stations at tourist hotspots and major transport hubs, including Munich and Cologne. With this initiative, the manufacturer aims to provide an important impulse to the market.

The hotline for charging stations overlays eight languages and is expected to solve around 85 percent of cases remotely. The service team, which supplements the hotline in Germany, works nationwide and is made up of trained electricians for on-site operations. Daimler Buses is also setting up its own charging stations overlaying the bus companies’ depots, thus becoming the charging fleet operator at the customer depot - the so-called Charging-as-a-Service.

Daimler Buses has been relying on vehicle connectivity since as early as 2017. Today, around 50,000 Daimler Buses vehicles across Europe are connected. The manufacturer now equips all new vehicles with the required technology, enabling vehicles to send and receive data at the customer’s request. Daimler Buses will be the first manufacturer in Europe to introduce over‑the‑air updates this year, allowing vehicles to receive software updates without a workshop visit. In addition, the company offers services such as monitoring wear parts, vehicle tracking, and analyzing consumption data as part of fleet management services. Digitalization plays an even more important role for battery‑electric vehicles, as it enables optimal control of charging processes and the most efficient route planning. Daimler Buses has designed the software architecture of its vehicles to log vehicle access and prevent any external remote control. All data is processed in accordance with European security and data‑protection standards.

The OMNIplus service brand from Daimler Buses has been bundling all service and digital offerings for operators for 30 years. Today, the network comprises more than 630 service centers in Europe, including over 130 specialised eBus locations with certified high-voltage experts. With the new sub-brand OMNIplus Charge, Daimler Buses, together with the experts of the 100% subsidiary Daimler Buses Solutions, also offers all services relating to charging and H2 infrastructure from a single source - from feasibility analyses to turnkey implementation. More than 70 projects have been won since the start.

In 2025, Daimler Buses successfully defended its market leadership in its most important core markets in Europe, Brazil and Mexico. The segment sold around 27,000 units worldwide, representing an increase of 2 percent compared with the previous year. In addition, Daimler Buses increased its revenue by 14 percent to around €6 billion. The company also achieved an adjusted return on sales of 10 percent (prior year: 8.3 percent). These results were driven by strong demand and the consistent implementation of efficiency measures.