Mercedes-Benz Unveils the Future of Urban Bus Transportation

Mercedes-Benz has created a bus based on its Citaro G model, as part of the European Bus System of the Future transport project that is being shown at the Bremen bus show. The German automotive specialist has packed it with a lot of goodies, including WLAN, GPS, and LCD monitors showing everything from onward connections to cultural, political and business information.

The first out-of-the-ordinary thing you’ll notice about this bus is the use of LED illumination, that can turn red or green, placed around the doors. In simple terms, the system uses illuminated door entries which quickly and clearly tell passengers where they may enter and exit.

Two externally aligned 58 cm LCD monitors at door 1 inform passengers about the route and bus-stops even before they board, while four monitors in the interior perform the same function. In addition, they show onward connections, deviations, waiting times in real-time and, when in idle mode, cultural, political and business information.

The driver has a place of particular importance in a bus. The aim of the project for an ergonomically optimised European bus driver’s cockpit is therefore to take this human factor into consideration by establishing the same ergonomic parameters for the driver’s workplace in all European cities. Apart from the ergonomic aspects, factors such as the driver’s personal needs, safety considerations and compliance with European regulations play a part.

“The driver’s cockpit as we know it know was completely reexamined and redesigned,” says Dr. Helmuth Warth, Daimler Buses and EBSF project coordinator. “In the study presented, practically all components can be adjusted to suit individual needs. Whether the instrument panel itself, the steering wheel or the driver’s seat suspension system. Only in this way can we ensure that all the different physiological factors – large, small, male or female – will meet with the same driving and working comfort in the cockpit.”