Magazine for customers and friends of the Setra brand

Transcription

1 Number 49 Issue 1/12 Magazine for customers and friends of the Setra brand Family Imprint Publisher EvoBus GmbH Setra Omnibusse Carl-Zeiss-Straße Neu-Ulm Tel. +49 (0) Fax +49 (0) Responsible for content: Dr Jens Heinemann, Head Marketing Communication Setra The following people worked on this issue: Christine Denzel, BUS/MPM-S Bernd Goy, BUS/MSG-4 Dieter Startz, BUS/MSE-2 Sonja Waldenspul, BUS/MSD-D Concept, editorial work, layout: Newport3 Werbeagentur GmbH & Co. KG Neumann-Reichardt-Str Hamburg Repro: Final Art Production Neumann-Reichardt-Str Hamburg Printing: Süddeutsche Verlagsgesellschaft Ulm Nicolaus-Otto-Straße Ulm Crowning glory The truly amazing Final Edition Football EC Football EC consortium bus Off to the stars Setra serves the shuttle service ComfortClass 400 special series operators kick off with Setra at the Guiana Space Centre Page 08 Page 20 Page 42

2 02 Setra Impressions Setra Editorial 03 Dear customers and friends of the Setra brand, when American playwright Woody Allen was asked what his secret for success was, his answer was very straightforward: Being different than the rest. At Setra, we have been following this very simple maxim for decades. And with this in mind, the latest edition of the SetraFamily magazine takes a close look at the Setra ComfortClass truly unique and very refined vehicle concept. With its special Final Edition model, the ComfortClass sets unprecedented standards with regard to materials, comfort, equipment, reliability and design. In this issue, we also report on the delivery of a Final Edition coach to Linden-Reisen. We gathered fascinating impressions from the operator, his driver and passengers, having accompanied this very special vehicle on its maiden journey from the Customer- Center in Neu-Ulm to its new home Stadtkyll in Germany s Eifel region. By the way, were you aware that our ComfortClass 400 vehicles are the most popular and most widely sold Setra touring coaches ever? In fact, shortly before this issue s editorial close, the 6,000 th vehicle from the ComfortClass 400 range was delivered. The proud recipient of the milestone S 416 GT-HD Final Edition was Reisedienst Flaschenträger. We gladly send them our very best wishes. A major sport highlight this year is just around the corner. I m talking about the European Football Championship which will be held in June/July in Poland and the U- kraine. We are looking forward to this event with bated breath, not only from a sporting perspective, but because the European Football Championship s bus consortium will be kicking off with Setra. During the whole event, 40 Setra touring coaches will be deployed to transport teams, managers and officials. On April 18, the Sindbad and RafTrans companies, which make up the consortium, took over the first 30 coaches in the context of a large event which we report on here in the SetraFamily. Also in this issue, we have a number of stories for you that are pure Setra. We are happy to introduce the 5-star luxury touring coaches recently purchased by Car Rouge a premium tour operator in Bern, Switzerland. In spite of the 90 cm distance between seats, the developers succeeded at incorporating a fifth row of seats in front of the second entrance, as well as a 2+1 row right at the front entrance. We also report on Möllers Reisedienst s experience with yet another seat configuration staggered seating. The article is most interesting and certainly worth reading. Staying on the topic of customised seating, we have also highlighted how decorative stitching and quilting can give the seats in your Setra a touch of individuality and luxury. We also have news from the world of telematics. Most of you are familiar with the OMNIplus BusFleet fleet management system. Well, it has been developed further specially for coaches and buses. As introduced for the first time at a recent SetraShow, it is now available under the name FleetBoard and can also be managed very easily from wherever you are on the road via iphone or ipad. Of course, that isn t all you ll find in this latest issue of the SetraFamily. You can look forward to many exciting highlights from the fascinating and ever-changing world of coaches and buses. Wishing you pleasurable and informative reading. Best regards Lothar Holder Head of Sales Setra Buses and Coaches EvoBus GmbH Always on the ball! During the European Football Championship, teams, managers and officials will be travelling to the stadiums in Setra touring coaches

3 04 Setra Content Setra Content 05 The culmination of the ComfortClass 400: 08 a look at the Final Edition special series 06 The high-end tourism provider Club Med deploys Setra for its shuttle services 20 The European Football Championship bus operator consortium kick off with Setra Two MultiClass 400 buses connect Latvia s 17 metropolis Riga with the city of Talsi 42 Setra coaches deployed as shuttles at the Guiana Space Centre In Norway, there are Setras which have 30 been customised into small hospitals Cover Story Best in Class Highlight Family News Setra Individual 08 Final Edition The highly advanced ComfortClass 400 vehicle concept 06 A Setra for the islands Setra wins Club Med tender 18 Tailor-made electrics A look behind the scenes at pre-assembly in Neu-Ulm 28 Staggered seating A progress report from Möllers Reisedienst in Neumünster 40 Swiss flagship model Four Setra luxury coaches for premium tour operator Car Rouge 20 Setra at the Football EC 16 teams, managers and officials travel in Setra coaches Premium Service 26 New fleet management system FleetBoard system for coaches and buses has come a long way 34 At your service 600 times over The various categories of the OMNIplus service points 16 A princely contract Four new low-entry buses for PostAuto Liechtenstein 17 To the pearl of Kurland Talsu Autotransports takes over 100 th new vehicle for Latvia 22 Setra Family get-togethers A look back and a look ahead at shows and exhibitions 24 Sweet dreams in a Setra A Setra for the baby s bedroom 25 Contagious enthusiasm Sales-Lentz Autocars S. A. places most extensive Setra order in the history of EvoBus Belgium and Luxemburg 32 Coach and bus stories Real-life Setra stories 36 WESTbus drives Setra An attractive and very unique model for city connections in Austria 37 With safety in the foreground Cars Moreau also invests in passenger safety with ten new Setra coaches 38 Donating wages Bus builders at the Neu-Ulm location support the Aktion und Ulmer helft charity campaign 42 With Setra to the stars Setra bus shuttle at the Guiana Space Centre 30 Hospital on wheels Geilo Turbusser uses Setra buses for transporting patients in Norway 38 Your company in the leading role The benefits of customised Setra on-board videos 39 Always a stitch ahead Decorative stitching and quilting give seating a touch of individuality 41 Travel pleasure all along la ligne Setra takes on intercity applications for the first time in France

4 Setra Best in Class 07 A perfect holiday feeling: Club Med offers its guests all-inclusive luxury including an extremely comfortable shuttle bus T he Les Boucaniers Club Med in the Lesser Antilles offers everything to make travellers hearts beat just a little faster. The breathtakingly beautiful Club village is reminiscent of a fishing town on a picturesque bay where turquoise waters, endless palm trees and white powder beaches soothe the soul. With all this at guests disposal at the Club Med luxury resort, life can hardly get any better. Needed: luxury shuttles There are four different types of Club Med resorts, each offering a different level of comfort. Les Boucaniers is a premiumcategory resort visited by affluent international guests. To meet their discerning expectations in terms of comfort and luxury in shuttle services, Club Med called for tenders where only the best would have a chance of winning. Setra customer, Transports Bernard, with a Setra S 411 HD and headquarters in Rivière-Salée, easily persuaded the resort management and was given the contract. Guy-Albert Bernard from Transports Bernard knew all along that he was on the right track with Setra: At Transports Bernard, we believe that a luxurious holiday begins with a comfortable shuttle bus on the way to the resort from the airport. And from this perspective, Setra is and will always be our first choice. Equipment perfectly suited to the tropics The S 411 HD carries guests to the Caribbean Club Med resort from the airport to the village, and also takes them on sightseeing excursions around the Flower island, as the locals call their Antillean gem. The luxury shuttle has 43 seats, two 19-inch screens as well as a panoramic-view and rear-view camera. As well, the shuttle is especially equipped for the tropical island climate. With a refrigerator, tinted windows and an air conditioning system suited to high tropical temperatures, journeys in the Setra are pure holiday pleasure. Club Med: A new definition of holiday luxury Since its inception in 1950, the Club Med chain, with its all-inclusive concept, has been single-mindedly driven by its objective to offer a new definition of holiday luxury to its guests. Travel, rooms, and evening entertainment are all included in the package. The concept has been met with great success: today the chain provides its guests all-inclusive holidays in over 80 Club Med resorts worldwide. Whether families, singles or newlyweds, sports enthusiasts, wellness fans or simply those looking for utter relaxation, Club Med has the right package for any target group. Martinique Club Med uses Setra for its shuttle service: A Setra for the Caribbean islands Where happiness meets the world just like its slogan promises, the luxurious Club Med chain offers all-inclusive, premium holidays. To ensure that the all-around luxury promise is met and that guests are absolutely satisfied with their travel experience, the Les Boucaniers Club Med resort on the Caribbean island of Martinique deploys a Setra S 411 HD coach as shuttle.

5 08 Setra Cover Story Setra Cover Story 09 Two S 416 GT-HD/3 Final Edition coaches for Linden-Reisen: Experiencing something ultra-special It is the culmination of a longstanding success story. With the Final Edition, the ComfortClass 400 has been refined even further with exclusive design features and unusual, luxurious equipment details. The Krebs family of bus entrepreneurs recently took delivery of two S 416 GT-HD/3 Special Edition models at the Setra CustomerCenter in Neu-Ulm. And SetraFamily was there to witness their maiden voyages.

6 10 Setra Cover Story Setra Cover Story 11 S hortly before 12 noon. Gearing up to the festive handover ceremony with over 80 guest passengers, driver Ralf Juchems had a little time to make himself comfortable in the coach. He studied the cockpit with meticulous attention to detail. His first impression: The seating, the legroom and the all-around view are ideal. They promise a relaxed drive. He was also impressed with the shape of the windscreen and the Final Edition s uniquely forward-pulled roof. The windscreen isn t overly curved, so it offers ideal protection from direct sunlight. ComfortClass 400 success model with 6,000 vehicles The day at the CustomerCenter was also a premiere for senior partner Dieter Krebs. Linden-Reisen, which was founded as a transportation company in 1939, has been a Setra partner since And now, the third-generation family business which is managed by son Marco is also deploying ComfortClass 400 Final Edition vehicles. And he knows he is in very good company. First launched in 2003, the advanced ComfortClass 400 has since sold 6,000 units and is thus the most popular Setra of all times. With the new Setra coaches, including the 20 th new Setra coach for Linden-Reisen, the company is ushering in a new generation of touring comfort. Both S 416 GT-HD/3 beautifully complement our S 415 HD TopClass 400 coaches. With these remarkable vehicles, we are once again underscoring our quality commitment to safety, technology and to comfort as well, proudly stated Dieter Krebs. 4-star luxury The 4-star luxury coaches are equipped with 49 Voyage Plus touring seats. The seat backs feature leather headrest inserts. With the coaches on-board galley with integrated 40-cup coffee machine and 8.5 l sausage cooker, service personnel can pamper passengers. The touring coaches, which are driven by a powerful, dynamic and environmentally friendly 315 kw OM 457 LA Mercedes-Benz engine, no wishes unanswered under their sheet metal exterior. Safety features include Adaptive Cruise Control (ART) with Active Brake Assist (ABA), Front Collision Guard (FCG) and Lane Assist (SPA). The driver has a complete view of goings-on all around and inside the coach. Both S 416 GT-HD/3 vehicles are equipped with a rear-view backup camera with integrated cleaning system, as well as a video surveillance system for the rear entrance. The best proof of satisfaction If his passengers are satisfied, then Dieter Krebs is too: Many of our customers have been travelling with us all over Europe for years. And to me, that is still the best proof of satisfaction. So, with this in mind, the premiere trip from Neu-Ulm to Rhineland- Palatinate was a true pleasure. The guests were delighted. Especially in Neu-Ulm when they were informed about the coaches ingenious, fully integrated safety system. After their return, 81-year-old Karl Holzhäuser commented: I ve been travelling with Linden-Reisen for over 50 years. It is hard to believe and so fascinating just how much has been done in the key areas of safety and comfort. You feel pleasantly relaxed The state-of-the-art safety system also gives Jakob Blum peace of mind and a reassuring feeling. But there were other reasons why the 67-year-old felt comfortable on his first trip in a ComfortClass 400: I noticed the generous leg space immediately. There is nothing that is narrow or cramped in this coach. You are made to feel absolutely relaxed. Even our driver was virtually seated as comfortably as he would be in a living room. Top design 44-year-old Ute Klinkhammer also found the coach very comfortable: I really liked the two-colour ambiance with the curtains and ultra-comfortable seats. You notice these details as a woman. Klaus-Peter Meyer (47) is a passionate coach traveller who looks at things very closely and admitted with a smile: I love to run my hands over different surfaces. I can t resist. For example, I find the lighter carpeting on the side walls beautifully finished. It all reflects a very high quality and attention to detail. Also the Setra lettering in the seats. You really do feel like you re sitting in a premium limousine. And that wasn t all he enjoyed: The Setra S 416 GT-HD/3 is very quiet. I sat in the last row at the rear directly above the engine. But during the whole drive, you could hardly hear a thing. What a smooth ride.

7 12 Setra Cover Story Setra Cover Story 13 For the love of detail The state-of-the-art cockpit of the Final Edition is a dream come true for bus drivers. The elegant, subdued design elements in the coach bear witness to the attention to detail Setra designers are known for.

8 14 Setra Cover Story Setra Family News 15 1,000 th Setra S 431 DT goes to Dr. Richard T he Dr. Richard Group in Vienna took delivery of the double-decker coach. The largest private coach operator in Central Europe has accompanied the Setra brand right from the beginning with all five series the 10, 100, 200, 300 and 400. It was also the first operator to drive all five model types of the current TopClass 400 series. The company uses the S 431 DT for touring and excursion applications as well as in the prestigious G1 line, which connects the South Burgenland with Vienna The handover of the 1,000 th double-decker: Axel Stokinger, Head of EvoBus Austria, Lothar Holder, Head of Sales Setra Buses and Coaches EvoBus GmbH, Dr. Ludwig Richard, Dr. Richard Group Management Board, Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses (l. to r.) several times a day. The new double-decker coach is in good company at Dr. Richard s. Close to 450 vehicles carrying the Setra name are deployed by the group, and 40 of them are double-decker S 431 DT coaches. Since the market introduction of the S 431 DT in 2002, close to 15 % of all Setra double-decker coaches have been sold to customers in Austria. Passengers feel pampered when surrounded by the Final Edition s stylish ambiance. You can not only see the attention to detail, you can also feel it. Austria crosses the 4,500 mark he Penner travel agency in Stockerau T recently became the proud owner of the 4,500 th new Setra vehicle destined for Austria an S 411 HD along with a ComfortClass S 415 GT-HD and MultiClass Anniversary coach handover: Martin Biewald, Setra Brand Manager Central Europe, Erwin and Mag. Elke M. Penner, and Josef Schmitt, Sales Setra Buses and Coaches (from l. to r.) S 415 H. Managing directors Erwin and Mag. Elke M. Penner are proud to have made the largest investment since the foundation of their company, which is celebrating its 20 th anniversary this year: The three new Setra coaches feature state-ofthe-art equipment and the greatest possible comfort. And we now have the most advanced and environmentally friendly coach fleet in Austria s Weinviertel region. Scandinavia, Sweden, Setra! anaging directors Lena Persson and M Lennart Robertsson took delivery of the S 416 GT-HD anniversary vehicle at the Neu-Ulm CustomerCenter from Michael Frey, former Head of Market Management Setra Export Markets. With this new vehicle, the Karl Everts company, which was taken over four years ago by entrepreneurs Persson and Robertsson, currently deploys five Setra coaches. Lena Persson: Most of all, we value Setra s high quality and comprehensive aftersales service. The vehicles owned by the South Swedish operation are on the road throughout Europe. Grattis!/Congratulations! Lena Persson (l.), Lennart Robertsson (m.) und Michael Frey, former Head of Market Management Setra Export Markets

9 16 Setra Family News Setra Family News 17 In Liechtenstein s mountainous landscapes, powerful buses such as the Setra S 415 NF are needed Liechtenstein four new Setra low-entry buses for PostAuto: A princely contract for Setra More than half of PostAuto Liechtenstein s fleet has been modernised since 2011 including four Setra S 415 NF buses. PostAuto Liechtenstein is on the road for the LIECHTENSTEINmobil Transport Services. Latvia 100 th anniversary vehicle is a Setra S 415 UL: Two Setra vehicles for the pearl of Kurland With its purchase of two Setra S 415 UL buses, the Talsu Autotransports company recently took over the 100 th new vehicle for Latvia. The MultiClass 400 buses connect Talsi in West Latvia with Riga, the country s capital. n the principality of Liechtenstein, public I transportation is almost exclusively served by bus lines. These are operated by PostAuto Liechtenstein under the authority of LIECHTENSTEINmobil (LIEmobil) with 39 buses. Since January 2012, LIEmobil is the successor organisation to the Liechtenstein Bus Company. PostAuto Liechtenstein is a PostAuto Switzerland company, the most important distributor in Swiss public transportation. PostAuto has been operating the bus network in the principality on behalf of LIEmobil since As PostAuto was once again awarded with the contract in 2010, over half its fleet was updated. The country s mountainous landscapes call for very reliable, powerful buses and the S 415 NF easily fulfils these requirements. Since then, four more Setra S 415 NF buses have joined the fleet. Their maintenance is in the best of hands: all LIEmobil buses are serviced by OMNIplus BusPort Altherr AG Schaan from Nesslau in St. Gallen. I t was the 100th new Setra for Latvia, and the first to embark on the long trip to the central Baltic country since The S 415 UL from the Setra MultiClass 400, along with another S 415 UL, was delivered to the Talsu Autotransports company from Talsi to the West Latvian region Kurland. Both buses from Setra s current generation of intercity buses are equipped with 49 seats. With their integrated service sets, double-glazing, adjustable seatbacks for the Route seats, air conditioning, destination display and space for a baby carriage across the middle entrance, they fulfil all requirements defined by the Latvian Raimonds Kalejs from the Talsu Autotransports bus company in front of the new Setra S 415 UL, the 100 th Setra for Latvia Ministry of Transportation. Both vehicles will be deployed in interurban applications all around the pearl of Kurland, as Talsi is often referred to, as well as on the route to the country s capital Riga, 120 kilometres away. The Talsu Autotransports company has coaches from all three Setra ranges the TopClass 400, ComfortClass 400 and MultiClass 400 in its fleet. The operation not only serves local and regional service lines, it also deploys its coaches on behalf of tour operators for tours all across Europe.

10 18 Setra Best in Class Setra Best in Class 19 Facility tour guide Rolf Kürsammer, 68, was previously employed as expert welding engineer at Kässbohrer/EvoBus for 38 years Factory tour electrics pre-assembly: Tailor-made electrics The underbody cable bundle assembly at the Setra manufacturing facility in Neu-Ulm In the third part of our Factory tour series, tour guide Rolf Kürsammer, 68, escorts us through the Neu-Ulm production facility where he takes us through electrics pre-assembly for the underbody cable bundle and cockpit cabling. Now that s what I would call cable spaghetti! Mr Kürsammer, can anyone keep a clear overview here? Of course! Everything that goes on here is planned down to the smallest detail. For every vehicle, there are circuit diagrams, piece lists and working plans. This is how we make sure that during and after assembly, we can quickly follow up on where each cable comes from and where it s going. Here we are at the underbody cable bundle assembly area. What exactly goes on here? The underbody cable bundle runs through the length of the bus from the main control panel under the driver s seat all the way to the secondary control panel right above the rear-right wheel well. It supplies the bus with its complete electrics and all circuitry, excluding the roof s electrical system. But all we see here is what looks like a very thick hose...? It s the so-called zipper hose and there is a lot on its inside. In fact, the underbody cable bundle includes around 150 individual cables sometimes a little more and sometimes a little less. After all, each and every Setra is unique customised with its own features and components. Over and above the cable bundle supplied, at Setra it is given a tailor-made suit specific to each bus. For this very purpose, the zipper is opened, additional cables are inserted and the bundle is then closed again. It looks quite heavy. How does it get into the bus? You re right: heavy it is. The underbody cable bundle alone weighs around 75 kilograms. When it is ready, it is rolled onto an assembly trolley. During assembly, it is then installed in the so-called cable package in the central channel with different lines for fuel, water, air conditioning and brakes. This cable package is then lifted using a crane through the windscreen and sunk into the coach s central channel, so that all cables run under the floor. And what happens if one of these lines is defective? The lines all have a white casing with a number that matches one on the circuit diagram. Customers special options have yellow cables with numbers and are easy to recognise. Coloured lines are data lines, for example to connect diagnostic devices. This way, problems with a line can be easily identified. Here we see everyone working with great concentration. But who is actually supervising their work? There is no supervision per se during assembly, since the electrics work is performed with so-called worker self-inspection. This means that each worker is responsible for his or her own work and signs off on the vehicle s specifications. But there must be some kind of a control system? Of course. At the final stage, a customerspecific software which is perfectly aligned to the specific customer s bus configuration is entered into the system and then a tenpage checklist is processed. First of all, things are tested visually do lights, indicators, brake lights, etc. all work? This is then followed by verification with diagnostic devices. In a stationary position, heating, pumps, valves, etc. are tested. And then, with the vehicle running, all electrical systems which relate to the engine are checked as well. In the finishing hall, the headlights are adjusted, and then it is verified in great detail whether the vehicle runs properly. Now we have arrived at the workstation for cockpit cabling. It doesn t look any less complex. You re right. The cockpit has a separate cable bundle, which also connects between 400 and 500 cables with the main switchboard. In the cockpit itself, depending on the model, there will ultimately be up to 40 switches with which the driver can operate the coach s complete electrical system. How do the workers manage to lay 400 to 500 cables, without getting their arms all in knots? The cockpit is assembled on a so-called oxen grill, on which an original bus part is positioned, so that the cockpit then fits 100 percent during assembly. This oxen grill can be turned 360 degrees, so that the worker can always maintain an ideal working position, without having to twist and turn. When the cables are mounted, the cockpit is installed onto a steel structure, with the instrument panel and the various switches. Then, using a crane, the entire cockpit is lifted to its position through the opening in the windscreen. Looking at the cables, I can t help but notice that they don t have any soldered joints connecting them to the plugs. We don t solder the cables. Instead we squeeze them using crimp connectors at cable ends. And that lasts? As long as a Setra does. In other words: forever. Underbody cable bundle and cockpit cabling facts & figures: Approx. 150 cables are used in the underbody cable bundle The bundle weighs approx. 75 kg It is m long It has a diameter of approx. 6 cm There are approx. 3 km of cables in the underbody cable bundle cables are deployed in the cockpit cabling There are approx. 40 switches in a Setra cockpit And 7,000 connectors in every bus 10 km of cable are used in a bus 40 workers work in electrical pre-assembly Cables of different colours facilitate the diagnosis of problems as they occur Using a crane, the cable package is lowered into the bus middle channel

11 20 Setra Highlight Setra Highlight European Football Championship: Successful double pass On June 8, the 14 th Football EC will be kicked off. The whole football world will be watching Poland and the Ukraine and the Setra brand too. Bus operators from the 2012 European Football Championship consortium have already taken over the first 30 Setra touring coaches of the total 40 ordered. Gearing up to the EC with a smile (from left to right): Lothar Holder (Head of Sales Setra Buses and Coaches EvoBus GmbH), Rafał Janczuk (owner of the RafTrans company), Ryszard Wójci (owner of the Sindbad company), Hartmut Schick (Head of Daimler Buses) J ust two short months before the official kick-off in Warsaw, the only thing everyone was talking about at the Setra CustomerCenter in Neu-Ulm was football. On April 18, Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses, and Lothar Holder, Head of Sales Setra Buses and Coaches EvoBus GmbH, handed over 30 luxury touring coaches to the organisers and drivers of the 2012 European Championship which will be held in eight stadiums between June 8 and July 1. During the three-week championship, the vehicles will be available to transport the 16 teams, managers, officials and their guests. A consortium bringing together two bus operators Sindbad and RafTrans, as well as Setra s Austrian customer Blaguss, is responsible for the organisation of the transfer. All three operations unanimously opted for the quality and safety of Setra s touring coaches in coordination with the UEFA European Football Association and Hyundai, its official sponsor. Once again this year, the double pass with OMNIplus comprehensive service offering and its wide-coverage network were also key to the consortium s decision. The three bus operators purchased a total of 40 coaches. The order included 19 S 415 GT-HD vehicles, 15 S 416 GT-HD coaches, an S 417 GT-HD and two S 419 GT-HD vehicles from the Setra ComfortClass 400. An S 417 HDH and two double-decker S 431 DT coaches will be available to carry officials and VIPs in Poland and the Ukraine, along with two luxury Setra TopClass 400 coaches. Following the awards ceremony, the vehicles will be joining the fleets of the three respective tour operators. As with football, solid training is vital to success in the bus world as well. For this very reason, OMNIplus invited the drivers of the European Championship coaches to Neu- Ulm two days prior to the festive handover celebration. In the nearby town of Langenau, the drivers received a theoretical and practical briefing at the buses followed by an extensive training program focusing on the key areas of safety, cost-effectiveness and driving skills which they successfully completed by passing a written test.

12 22 Setra Family News Setra Family News 23 A look back and a look ahead: Setra get-togethers A main attraction for show visitors: the Setra stand at the RDA Workshop in Cologne Direct, personal contacts with peers are key to most business people, and this is especially true in the coach and bus sector. For this very reason, operators are keen on having all the important trade shows in their calendars. Here, SetraFamily provides an overview of past trade show highlights as well as the fascinating to operators who organise oneday shopping tours. UMA Motorcoach Expo, California, 2/8-12/2012: At this year s United Motorcoach Association (UMA) show, Setra presented an exclusive TopClass S 417 touring coach as well as an exceptionally cost-effective ComfortClass S 407 model. Along with a host of comfortable equipment features, this year s exhibits were shown with the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) which will be available from now on in Setra s North American touring coaches. In contrast with the Setra TopClass S 417 which features a European design concept, the Setra ComfortClass S 407 is a classical touring coach reflecting North American design trends a very attractive alternative in the business segment. An American dream: the Setra TopClass S 417 Showing its colours in Prague: the Setra S 415 GT-HD Holiday World, Prague, 2/9-12/2012: The first two days of the largest international tourism show in the Czech Republic, with its 20,000 m 2 exhibition area, were reserved for trade visitors. On the following weekend, the event was open to the public. 725 exhibitors from 47 countries presented their goods and services to over 32,000 visitors and nearly 800 press representatives. Setra was present on location with an S 415 GT-HD exhibited outdoors. SetraShow Berlin, 3/3-4/2012: The SetraShow in the German capital! Everyone, including Berlin residents, were delighted that a SetraShow once again took place at the BusWorld Home in Berlin-Mariendorf. With an S 8, an S 80, an S 208 H, an S 309 HD and an S 411 HD in the entrance area alone, five generations of coaches gave visitors an impressive welcome. At the BusWorld Home Berlin, an S 411 HD, a Final Edition S 415 GT-HD and an anniversary edition S 416 HDH were the true highlights of the show. The show also featured presentations on the Coach travel 2.0 topic, the popular Setra GrandPrix Qualifying, test drives, ABA demonstrations as well as the introduction of FleetBoard, the new fleet management system. TUR Show, Göteborg, 3/22-25/2012: As always, the travel season in Sweden began with the TUR Show in Göteborg. Exhibitors from all over Sweden and other parts of the world with a focus on travel and tourism were there. Setra presented a Setra S 416 HDH which now belongs to Vartofta Buss AB. The TUR Show is an important Swedish meeting point ideal for networking and meeting customers. BeoTruck, Belgrade, 3/27-31/2012: The BeoTruck show is the most important commercial vehicle trade exhibition in Southeast Europe. In close collaboration with its local organisation, the Setra brand presented the Final Edition S 415 GT-HD. As well, in the context of the show, Setra s new sales partner for Serbia, Mr Branislav Vajagic, was officially presented to Serbian customers. A highlight of the event was the sale of an S 431 DT to a customer from Bosnia and Herzegovina. most important ones for the coming year. A look back: 19 th International Pre-Owned Coach & Bus Fair (IGOM), 1/4-6/2012: The IGOM, which kicks off the new year, has evolved into an important contact platform with international flair. Right next to the Setra Pre-owned Vehicle Center, wellknown used-vehicle dealers, EvoBus subsidiaries and general representatives once again presented their attractive wares. And in fact, many of the 217 pre-owned vehicles available found proud, new owners. The participating dealers were also delighted with their sales success. The high export share of close to 50 % of the vehicles sold appears to indicate a recovery of export markets. More than 1,600 visitors from all over Europe gathered in Neu-Ulm for the event. Setra Träff, Sweden, 1/13-14/2012: In spite of the snow and cold weather conditions, the Swedish Setra Family got together in January at the traditional Setra Träff. Visitors had the opportunity to testdrive Setra coaches along the 2 km long test course, and to take part in seminars and technical discussions. This year s uncontested guest of honour was, along with an S 416 GT-HD Final Edition, a Setra S 419 GT-HD with a second entrance behind the rear axle, and a WC and galley at the rear of the coach. This model sparked A cool appearance in Sweden quite a lot of enthusiasm, especially among customers who offer long-distance trips. While the very large luggage compartment with a continuous loading surface and the possibility to load from both sides was most A look ahead: Exhibition Preview RDA Workshop, Cologne, 7/17 19/2012: Service providers from all tourism sectors will be presenting their ideas and products to support tomorrow s business. Not only will trends be highlighted, contacts made and enhanced, but also, orders will be placed and experiences shared all at one venue and in just a little while. This year again, Setra will be presenting itself in Hall 10 with two current vehicles in a very attractive ambiance. 81 st Izmir Enternasyonal Fuari, 8/31 9/9/2012: Trade shows in Turkey are always a very special experience. Doors usually open at and visitors can meet and chat in a relaxed atmosphere and enjoy the balmy weather until 1.00 in the morning. 64 th IAA Commercial Vehicles Trade Show, Hanover, 9/20-27/2012: This year, the number one trade show for mobility, transportation and logistics will be profiling itself under the motto Driving the Future. Its comprehensive offering of innovations, exhibitors from wide-ranging groups and sectors, discussions and well-informed visitors all together make for an event that is quite unique. Setra will be represented with 7 exhibits in the Daimler Hall. SetraShow Neu-Ulm, 11/17-18/2012: A new date at a well-known venue! Please note that the SetraShow in Neu-Ulm will be held at new dates this year. For more information on Setra and Setra events, simply visit If you d like to be kept up to date, our online newsletter will keep you informed regularly on all Setra news. Register now at and in no time at all, you ll start receiving all your information first-hand.

13 24 Setra Family News Setra Family News 25 Bulgaria customised Setra furniture: Sweet dreams in a Setra Family businesses are often successful in the coach and bus sector. A company founded by the grandfather is often passed on to a son or daughter, and then further managed by their own children. These children are weaned on a love of buses and coaches early on. Or even in the coach itself, as with the Petkov family from Bulgaria. T he Chona Travel company is a small family operation in the Petrich region in Southern Bulgaria. Stefan Petkov manages the business together with his father and his older brother. The fleet includes only Setra coaches an S 215 HD, an S 315 UL, an S 315 HD and, since 2010, an S 415 HD TopClass the company s pride and joy. As Stefan Petkov and his wife Gergana announced their family was expanding just a few months after the fleet itself had grown, Stefan came up with an offbeat idea. He thought it would be wonderful to pass on his passion for coaches directly to his child. Not with a real Setra of course, but a wood model created especially for a child. With a sketch of his company s Top- Class in hand, he headed to a local master carpenter and asked him to build a piece of kids furniture to look just like a Setra coach. The master carpenter, whose speciality is kitchen furniture, was pleased to accept the challenge and immediately got to work. With great attention to detail, he created a piece of furniture combining a bed, a clothes cupboard and a diaper-changing table. He sawed, drilled and sanded for close to a month, until his masterpiece was finished 150 cm long, 70 cm wide and 100 cm high. Just in time for the arrival of the baby, the mini-model Setra was delivered to Gergana and Stefan Petkov s home. We don t know yet whether the child dreams of coaches and travel. But little Alexander s parents are convinced that we feels perfectly at home in his Setra. Get-together at the BusWorld show in Kortrijk: l. to r. Lothar Holder (Head of Sales Setra Buses and Coaches EvoBus GmbH), Jos Sales (Managing Director Sales-Lentz), Marc Sales (Managing Director Sales-Lentz), Hans Smits (CEO EvoBus Belgium) Belgium/Luxemburg the Sales-Lentz Group drives Setra: Non-stop passion for Setra as the first Setra coaches to Voyages Léonard S. A. are handed over (l. to r. Lothar Holder, David Léonard, Pascal Léonard) Contagious enthusiasm Close to the real thing with a lot of storage space in the luggage compartment. A clothes cupboard is located behind the door, with a changing table right above it It is the most extensive Setra order in the history of EvoBus Belgium and Luxemburg. In January 2011, Sales-Lentz Autocars S. A., the largest private bus operating company in Luxemburg, took over the Belgian touring company Voyages Léonard S. A. and ordered 32 new Setra coaches. W ith its impressive fleet of close to 300 vehicles, Sales-Lentz Autocars S. A., from the Bascharage region in Luxemburg, is a wellknown entity in the bus sector. Since January 2011, the Voyages Léonard S. A. with headquarters in the Barchon area in Belgium also belongs to the Sales-Lentz Group. Pascal and David Léonard are both active in the third-generation family business which has been a loyal Setra customer for 40 years. The brothers are so convinced of the brand that the company s 30-vehicle fleet includes only Setra coaches. Their enthusiasm for Setra was apparently contagious. After the take-over, Sales-Lentz signed a contract for the delivery of 32 new Setra TopClass coaches. Setra belongs to the top segment and radiates top class, says managing director Marc Sales. We consider the Setra TopClass the Rolls-Royce among coaches. The drivers enthusiasm as well as that of all Voyages Léonard employees for the quality offered by the brand from Ulm really impressed us. This was definitely a big part of our decision to select the Setra brand for our company in Luxemburg as well as for Voyages Léonard. The festive handover of the first ten vehicles for Léonard five S 431 DTs, four S 416 HDHs and one S 415 HD took place in December 2011 at the Setra Customer- Center in Neu-Ulm. For the occasion, the Belgians gathered together 50 employees, travel directors and several journalists, taking advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a tour of the city and the Setra manufacturing facilities. In January 2012, delivery of the first three from a total of 15 TopClass coaches for Sales-Lentz took place, and at a later date seven more will be delivered to Léonard. All coaches are equipped with premium components and features, including a glass roof, multichannel sound system, state-of-the-art safety systems such as SPA, ABA and ART, as well as alloy wheels and Power- Shift transmission. Four vehicles are also equipped with premium 2+1 Ambassador seating.

14 26 Setra Premium Service Setra Premium Service 27 With the App for iphones and ipads, you can call up the location and availability of your fleet and your drivers anywhere, anytime and free of charge! New FleetBoard fleet management system: Saving time and fuel with FleetBoard conveniently and with ease Up until recently, the fleet management system specially conceived for coaches and buses was known under the BusFleet name. Now, the telematics system for intercity, touring and city vehicles has been developed further and is available through the Daimler FleetBoard GmbH telematics provider. The system s latest innovation is that you can access it conveniently via iphone or ipad when you re on the road. W here exactly is my bus? How long has my driver been on the road? How soon will both of them be ready for the next trip? Operators know that high-level transparency with regard to their coaches and drivers is indispensable for a well-run operation. And this is exactly what FleetBoard, the coach and bus-specific fleet management system, offers. Serving customer needs to a tee, it can reveal significant unused savings potential. For instance, it offers the possibility to significantly reduce fuel consumption. Setra and Mercedes-Benz coaches and buses Europe-wide can be equipped with the FleetBoard system ex works. Vehicles from other manufacturers can be retrofitted. Here, SetraFamily provides an overview of the different FleetBoard services available. Mapping: Where is my bus? With FleetBoard Mapping, using a digital street map, operators can call up the current location of a coach or even a detailed tracking at 30-second intervals. And this, at any point in time. Over and above locating, key trip events, warning and status notifications and reports can be displayed as well. With the Geofencing function, specific entry and exit areas can be defined. This not only provides key information on location of bus and driver, but also a big security benefit in the case of theft. Deployment Analysis: How cost-effective is my coach s performance? Using the FleetBoard Deployment Analysis function, you can considerably optimise your coach s cost-effectiveness: fuel consumption as well as wear & tear can be reduced by up to 10 % simply by driving more cost-effectively. Driver data and data on vehicle speed, rotational speed and heavy braking enable objective conclusions to be drawn on the driver s individual driving style. These assessments provide valuable assistance, especially on how driving style can be optimised. Trip Recording: When is my bus moving and when has it stopped? With the help of the Trip Recording function, you can determine exactly when and where the coach drove or stopped, and whether the doors were opened or closed. Based on this information, you can follow up on passenger requests as to whether a certain vehicle actually stopped at a bus stop, or whether the ramp for people with limited mobility was used. Via the Reports feature, the driver can send standardised messages to headquarters. And vice versa: messages can also be sent from the company to the bus via the instrument cluster display. The transmission of further vehicle reports enable, for instance, information on the use of the retarder or the usage cycles of additional heating or air conditioning. Conclusions regarding the condition of the An overview of FleetBoard services FleetBoard services encompass numerous functions targeted at optimising the quality of driving and processes to reduce vehicle wear and fuel consumption while increasing service quality: Mapping: Worldwide overview at a glance Deployment Analysis: Documentation on quality of driving Trip Recording: Transparency on bus deployment Notifications: Text communication with the bus Time Management: Analysis and archiving of tachograph data Service: Analysis of operational data, maintenance planning vehicle, and therefore on cost-effectiveness or comfort, can be derived. This contributes to more effective planning of required maintenance schedules and timecritical vehicle inspections. Time Management: When is my driver driving or relaxing? With the FleetBoard Time Management function, driver work times can be planned based on actual rest periods and remaining drive times. The data can then be automatically entered into a payroll accounting system. Also, the legally prescribed driver card download can be carried out anywhere and anytime. Additionally, automatic transmission of mass memory data from the digital tachograph can be performed remotely. Especially for long coach absences, this enables significant time and cost savings. Service: When does my coach need to be inspected? Using the Service function, all key operational data including of course mileage, along with selected warning messages can be transmitted. Timely messages and alerts, i.e. on oil level or pressure are processed immediately by FleetBoard and made available by means of the Bus- Client. The operator therefore knows early on when the bus needs to go in for repairs or maintenance. Free FleetBoard App As the first provider of telematics solutions, FleetBoard offers a free App for iphones and ipads to support fleet management and deployment analysis. The only prerequisites for use are a vehicle equipped with FleetBoard and a service contract. The App enables vehicle deployment, work times and driver s driving style, vehicle fuel consumption and even door and ramp status to be displayed anywhere and anytime. With just a few clicks, operators can access a detailed overview of their entire fleet. This not only saves time and money, but also frayed nerves. You ll find further information at The Daimler FleetBoard GmbH... has, since its foundation in 2000, established itself as one of the European market leaders in commercial vehicle telematics. The user-friendly FleetBoard terminals and services support fleet managers, planners and drivers of buses, trucks and transportation fleets in all sectors and brands. With FleetBoard, you can significantly improve your fleet s performance with regard to: Cost-effectiveness: with considerable savings on fuel, repairs and maintenance costs. Optimising logistics, information and organisational processes: transport management and time management with tachograph downloads. Environmental protection: CO 2 savings through reduced fuel consumption. Since 2000, 95,000 vehicles with over 2,500 customers have been equipped with a Fleet- Board system.

15 28 Setra Best in Class Setra Best in Class 29 Staggered seating as special equipment: Never again without! Setra always comes up with innovative concepts for its coaches interiors as well. For example, its staggered seating configuration with the aisle seats positioned slightly ahead of the window seats available as special equipment for TopClass models since Companies like Möllers Reisedienst from Neumünster love the idea. J ust a few extra centimetres make a huge difference. In fact, six centimetres open up more space and comfort in the shoulder and elbow areas, while allowing an enhanced view through side windows. With the staggered seating, the aisle-side passenger seats are positioned six centimetres ahead of the window seats. The passengers were somewhat perplexed when they entered the coach and saw the staggered seats for the first time, reports Peter Möller from Möllers Reisedienst in Neumünster, Schleswig-Holstein, but as soon as they settled into their seats, they were delighted. Comfort is key to our passengers Siblings Silke and Peter Möller are the managing directors of the company in Neumünster. And, since the early eighties, they only deploy the coaches from Neu-Ulm, currently eight TopClass S 415 HDH models. Setra simply builds the best and the safest coaches, says Peter Möller. He is convinced that his 4-star fleet will soon evolve into a 5-star business. Since 2011, they have had two S 415 HDH models with the staggered seating configuration available exclusively with Setra and the response has been so positive that another one joined the fleet in March Never again without staggered seating, Peter Möller adds. Along with safety, what s really important for passengers is comfort. And staggered seating, with generous space between seats, plays an important role. It s not only couples who travel by coach. There Staggered seating: more freedom of movement and an enhanced view for passengers are times where you re sitting next to someone you hardly know or even a perfect stranger. Freedom of movement is therefore really important. Coveted window seats Over and above more freedom of movement, passengers are delighted with the enhanced view. Driver Thomas Holstein knows this well. He has been driving for Möllers Reisedienst for a good 25 years. Passengers who have travelled just once with staggered seating, want to have it again on their next trip, he reports. One of the great advantages of coach travel is the fact that you can enjoy the landscapes up close. With staggered seating, the passenger sitting in the aisle seat can enjoy the view just as much as the one seated right next to the panoramic window. Experienced drivers have also come to appreciate another fact resulting from staggered seating: Before staggered seating, there were often discussions between passengers as to who would take the coveted window seat. Now, it s no longer an issue.

16 30 Setra Individual Setra Individual 31 Transporting patients and medicine Geilo Turbusser from the winter sport paradise Geilo in Hallingdal won one of these tenders and, to meet demand, purchased two new Setra S 419 G-HD hospital buses rounding out Geilo Turbusser s active fleet to seven Setra hospital buses. The two new Setra coaches drive the Geilo-Ringerike-Oslo and Geilo-Drammen-Oslo routes. They have several hospitals along their routes and transport not only patients, but also medical supplies and equipment between hospitals. Medical first aid Over and above their daily routes, the hospital buses are also deployed as emergency stations at large sports events or whenever quick medical support is required for many people at one time. The separating walls, workstations, WC, electronics, water tanks and vacuum units in the hospital buses are installed by the Frenzel company in Obersulm-Sülzbach near Heilbronn. The specialised medical equipment is then installed by the Norwegian company Handicare. A hospital on wheels The buses left the Setra production facility with an even floor, a disabled lift and airline tracks ideally equipped for the tasks to come. The front part of the buses is equipped like a touring coach with passenger seating, including calf support, whereas medical devices and equipment are located in the rear section of the coach. Moreover, there are three hospital beds, a WC for the disabled, a mini-galley to provide patients with hot beverages and snacks, hot and cold water, as well as an electrical connection at every seat. Just like a small hospital on wheels. In 1999, Geilo Turbusser was founded by Steinar Juvet in Geilo, Hallingdal. In the same year, he purchased his first Setra, an S 215 HDH coach. Geilo s core business is to provide hospital bus services. But coach travel and class excursions are also on the program. Geilo Turbusser is currently planning on further expanding the company s hospital bus business: the next S 419 GT-HD hospital bus is expected in May of this year. Along with the hospital buses, the company has three Setra touring coaches in its fleet. Norway two Setra hospital buses for Geilo Turbusser: The hospital on wheels Long-distance touring and line service are the most common applications for Setra coaches. But Setra can also offer so much more. In Norway, bus operators such as Geilo Turbusser are deploying Setra buses for unusual applications: for instance, as a mobile hospital. I n Norway, many rural areas are sparsely populated. As a result, many people live quite a distance from hospitals and, if need be, they have to call a taxi or an ambulance which can be extremely expensive especially for the chronically ill. With this in mind, Norwegian hospitals came up with the idea to equip and deploy spacious coaches with emergency medical equipment and personnel, as an alternative to individualised transport. It turned out to be much more than just a good idea. Today, all around the country, tenders for supplying medical services are being held where such support is needed. Patients can lie comfortably in Geilo Turbusser s Setra hospital bus

17 32 Setra Family News Setra Familien News 29 Setra anniversary year coach stories: Real-life Setra stories To commemorate the 60 th anniversary of the Setra brand, we collected stories about Setra coaches and buses from all around the world. The SetraFamily is delighted to present to you a selection of these very unique anecdotes as part of an ongoing series. You ll also find them at B us operator Christian K. remembers March 10, 1961 very well. It was the day he took delivery of his very first Setra. And from that day on, the Setra S 6 was his pride and joy. At the time, the Club bus with its six rows of seats was quite unusual. Kässbohrer had succeeded in designing a coach with all the handling characteristics of a passenger car. Christian couldn t wait to go on tour with it, so he quickly spread the news and announced the first trips. The destinations were mostly in the Alps and were very well received by the passengers who didn t have cars and who wanted to do some exploring. During the Pentecost holiday in 1984, Christian had become the proud owner of another Setra S 6, and he was once again headed towards the Swiss Rhone Valley. As always, both Setra-Kässbohrer coaches easily mastered the steep mountain passes. The trip was a great success. The following morning, however, he looked out the window and couldn t believe his eyes everything was covered in pure white! He knew right away that we wouldn t be able to climb the 2,436 m Furkapass, which joins the Ursern valley in the Swiss Canton of Uri with the district of Goms in the Canton of Wallis. But then, since the weather was not scheduled to improve, he had an idea. Why not drive on the Bahn rail with the two coaches? He immediately contacted the historic Furkabahn. At the rail station, you could feel the excitement. Never before had buses been loaded onto the Furkabahn! Would the two coaches even fit onto the rail which usually only A coach on rails carried cars? The railway manager arrived with his yardstick and took the exact coach measurements. According to his figures, they would just fit. Loading them onto the rails seemed to take forever, and it was with great apprehension that Christian watched his coaches as they were heaved onto the wagons, centimetre by centimetre praying that they wouldn t get stuck along the way. In the meantime, several spectators had congregated, speculating whether something would go wrong with the loading process. But happily, everything worked according to plan. Once the coaches were safely loaded, the Furkabahn was more than generously rewarded for its efforts. The rail employees were thrilled: they had never done such good business on that line before. The bus operator was also relieved after all, there is nothing you wouldn t do to make sure your passengers arrive safely and on time. So they drove by rail all the way to Andermatt where there was no snow to be found and where they could continue on their journey. The passengers didn t seem to mind the delay. After all, not many of us can boast ever having travelled in a coach on rails. Submitted by Christian K., Lorch, Germany A fter working at Setra for 40 years, and today as a tour guide at the Setra plant, Rolf K. has some great stories to tell. But there is one that is most definitely his favourite story of all. For months, he and his co-workers laughed every time they thought about it, and even the one who the story is all about was ultimately able to laugh about his misfortune as well. Setra is famous for its special equipment anything is possible. Along with club corners for tour groups or extravagantly luxurious equipment with gold and marble for oil barons and rock stars, Setra also customises coaches for very specialised applications, for instance library buses or even buses for prisoner transport. Of course, for applications such as these, it is especially important that the bus be taken for a test drive and checked very meticulously. After all, who wants to experience a breakdown with a bus full of criminals on a lonely country road? Excuse me, All locked up would you pass me the jack? I don t think so: none of us really needs that. So, our colleague was driving through the countryside testing the various functions, when he suddenly heard a strange rattling at the back of the bus. Three curves later, he could still hear it. So he stopped the bus, walked around to the back and climbed in to check where the noise could possibly be coming from. As fate would have it, at that very moment, a hefty blast of wind slammed the door shut, literally imprisoning our test driver. And, as you would expect, the door could not be opened from the inside. As well, the bus didn t feature normal windows, but only very small ones. Great views were clearly not a priority when customising these buses. Unfortunately this meant that the driver couldn t even see when help was in sight. Our imprisoned test driver had no alternative but to hammer away at the walls and doors of the bus to catch attention. At one point, someone driving by noticed the bus and was perplexed by the noise coming from its insides. But, just think about it: would you be very enthusiastic about freeing someone from a prisoner bus? I know I wouldn t. The police were called to the site where they proceeded to question the prisoner in great detail, until the driver was finally released. Needless to say, that after this experience, the bus passed the test and was certified as delivering absolute reliability against possible escape. The rattling door which caused the whole problem in the first place has since been taken care of as well. Submitted by Rolf K., Ulm, Germany

18 16 Setra Premium Service Setra Premium Service 35 OMNIplus service point categories: How well do you know OMNIplus? Wherever you are, OMNIplus is always close with 35 of its own service points and over 600 authorised service centers. What exactly do the OMNIplus BusWorld, OMNIplus BusPort and BusPoint designations mean? Here s an overview from SetraFamily. We did it for our customers In January, the Eugen Herrmann GmbH from the Middle Franconian Schwabach area was rated with the highest possible OMNIplus BusWorld service category designation. The company, which was founded in 1967 by Eugen Herrmann, has 24 employees and is now managed by daughter Susanne. hether for repairs, maintenance, W original parts supply or even paintwork, lettering and film applications, the full-coverage OMNIplus ServiceNetwork is OMNIplus BusWorld is what we call our premium service points with the broadest available spectrum of services. BusWorld Home identifies our own operations in this category. The services offered by an OMNIplus BusPort are supplemented by: Certified employees with expert training The highest level of diagnostic expertise with direct contact to factory customer service Body repairs, tire services and paintwork The greatest parts availability Extended opening hours: Mo-Fr 8-20h; Sa 8-12h; 24h SERVICE unique Europe-wide in its quality, reliability, speed and proximity to customers. So that all our customers know who the right partner is to answer their needs, we have OMNIplus BusPort is the designation we use for basic ServiceNetwork locations offering bus-specific services with OMNIplus quality. This encompasses: Bus-specific repairs; standardised basic employee qualification, supplemented by training in a variety of key areas A diagnostic system for coaches and buses and comprehensive special tools Either our own or coop partnerships with HVAC specialists The complete offering of all OMNIplus services and service products as well as acceptance of the OMNIplus ServiceCard and SetraCard The mobility concept High parts availability Europe-wide, country-specific opening hours categorised the OMNIplus service points according to the scope of services offered: BusPoint locations are our emergency service points which supplement the ServiceNetwork in export markets with low coach and bus inventories: Repairs in the context of 24h SERVICE only, standardised basic employee qualification for emergency repairs A diagnostic system for coaches and buses and a minimum inventory of special tools Coop partnerships with HVAC specialists Acceptance of the OMNIplus Service- Card and SetraCard Susanne and Martin Herrmann from Eugen Herrmann GmbH in Schwabach (Middle Franconia) received the coveted OMNIplus BusWorld service category designation in January Ms Herrmann, congratulations, Mr Herrmann, congratulations and welcome to OMNIplus BusWorld! What are the requirements which had to be met for you to achieve this highest category rating? The investments we made to meet all the requirements were quite high. It all began with a finely tuned replacement parts logistics and ordering process, and with our stocking up on the most important parts. Then, employee training in replacement parts logistics and in repairs was required, and we had to purchase special equipment and tools. Additionally, we adapted our outdoor signage and overall appearance to reflect the OMNIplus identity. And, of course, we had to be linked to the OMNIplus Service- Network. Finally, extended opening hours and 24h SERVICE were also important. What do you hope to achieve with the OMNIplus BusWorld service category designation? On the one hand, we want to underscore the fact that we offer specialised bus and coach services. We have 12 repair positions and are equipped to handle everything from maintenance to mechanics, bodywork, paintwork and upholstery all the way through to retrofitting comfort installations. As an OMNIplus BusWorld service point, we can now offer our customers even better service while ensuring enhanced operational availability and minimised vehicle downtime. Ultimately, we didn t do it for ourselves, but for our customers. Did you know... that you can find the service centres closest to you with addresses and maps, and determine the itineraries for all service stations along the selected route quickly and easily at

19 36 Setra Family News Setra Family News 37 France ten Setra coaches for Cars Moreau: With safety always in the foreground In October, ten new Setra coaches made their way to Cars Moreau to join the company s fleet. Austria new WESTbus transit provider drives Setra: bus + train = network With coordinated schedules, WESTbus and WESTbahn offer an attractive and very unique model for intercity transit in Austria under the name WESTnetz. The WESTbus routes are served by comfortable Setra coaches. Outstanding safety was a decisive purchase factor in favour of Setra coaches. T he family company from Fontaine- Fourches which was founded in 1958 has been a Setra customer for a good 30 years. It currently owns 23 Setra coaches. Along with design and first-class customer service and support, Setra s exceptional safety was key to manager Danielle Moreau s decision. For the most part, the coaches will be deployed in long-distance touring applications: Passenger safety is always in the foreground. But we never compromise on comfort: with high-quality seats, an extra-generous distance between seats and the panorama roof. The new coaches four S 415 GT-HDs, four S 416 GT-HDs and two S 415 HDs all feature state-of-the-art active and passive safety components. With the Adaptive Cruise Control (ART) feature, which automatically controls the distance to the vehicle ahead, the Active Brake Assist (ABA) emergency braking system, Lane Assist (SPA) which via video camera recognises the lane for up to 30 metres ahead of the coach, or the Front Collision Guard (FCG) system, Cars Moreau can rely on state-ofthe-art safety with its new coaches from Setra. S ince December 2011, the WESTbahn Management company, a private competitor to the Austrian state railway company (ÖBB), has been offering a close to hourly transit connection between Vienna and Salzburg. To meet their service standards and to carry customers to their destinations safely and on time, gaps in the WESTbahn schedule have been filled with coaches from WESTbus. The coaches and trains have also been coordinated in terms of looks. Together they create WESTnetz a very positive example of a mutually beneficial collaboration between otherwise competitive methods of transportation, buses and trains, and a model for other countries. On a trip from St Pölten to Vienna, Stefan Wehinger, WESTbahn Managing Director, and Paul Blaguss, Blaguss Reisen s Managing Director, had discussed how they could offer their customers even better service if coaches were used to supplement the train connections. Shortly thereafter, they founded the WESTbus company together, with 51 percent from Blaguss Reisen and 49 percent from Rail Holding AG, the WESTbahn parent company. The passengers are delighted that lengthy waits for the intercity connections are a thing of the past. WESTbus kicks in whenever there s a gap in the WESTbahn schedule. The WESTbus is perfectly timed to the WESTbahn schedule and therefore ideally supplements our rail offering, says Stefan Wehinger. We are now closing gaps in the public transit network and responding to the thinning out of the rail offering. There are ten new Setra coaches serving WESTbus. Four Setra S 431 DT double-decker coaches with 76 seats travel the Klagenfurt-Vienna line, two triple-axle S 417 GT-HD coaches with 53 seats are deployed for the Linz-Graz line, and four double-axle S 415 GT-HDs with 45 seats are used for the Linz-Prague and Klagenfurt-Salzburg lines. A further Salzburg-Graz connection will be added in the course of The brand new, environmentally friendly Setra coaches feature very comfortable seats and generous legroom. WESTbus customers can access WLAN (WESTlan) on board free of charge and a plug is always within reach. Of course, a lavatory and beverage dispenser are available in the coaches as well, explains Paul Blaguss, Blaguss Reisen s Managing Director. The SetraFamily magazine wishes this very promising business model resounding success! Welcome to the Setra family Austria: Böhm Judith, Kleinmutschen Gollowitsch Franz Josef, Markt Hartmannsdorf Gruber Touristik GmbH, Graz Hofstätter Touristik GmbH, Althofen Reisebüro Komm. Rat Franz Mayer GmbH, Semmering Franz Mitterbauer GmbH, Ruprechtshofen Neubauer Regina, Altenberg P. Springer & Söhne, Klagenfurt Belgium: Jean-Luc Cars, Bressoux Voyages Roland Van Gyseghem, Mons Zeimers AG, Heppenbach Denmark: AlsBussen, Hadsund Estonia: Indreg Kahn, Tallinn Germany: Bad Wildunger Kraftwagen-Verkehrs- und Wasserversorgungsgesellschaft, Bad Wildungen BE-Reisen, Minden Bender, Ehringshausen Beth, Lampertheim Boos, Allershausen Erich Diekena & Sohn, Upgant-Schott Eisgruber, Velden Florian Enders, Enders-Busbetrieb, Hannover Enzinger, Piding Friebel, Beerfelde Geraldy, Schmelz Hamburg City Vision GmbH, Hamburg Halbasch, Lieberose Emil Hilgen, Edewecht Hirschmann, Lautenhofen Höninger, Waldfeucht Individual-Reisen, owned by Michael Koch, Bad Wünneberg Kammerbauer, Titting Königswinkel, Füssen Landgraf-Reisen, Rückersdorf LPG, Markranstädt Ludwig, Schlottheim Marquardt, Crailsheim Nette, Burgstädt Növermann, Mettmann Pellemeyer, Lienen Pfeil, Hohenstein Pussack, Syke Quitzk, Kolkwitz Rothhaar, Zweibrücken Sausner Reisen, owned by Frank Cordes, Stuhr Scherer, St. Peter Sdunek, Werneuchen Schmid, Heubach Stiehlow Tours, Schafflund Tabu-Reisen, Eggersdorf Teich, Quitzdorf Ufer, Wipperfürth Wackerl, Todtenweis WMR, Müllheim Else Wulf, taxi operator, Ihlow- Westersander Iceland: Sudurleidir e.h.f. Netherlands: Kras Reizen, Ammerzoden Sweden: Sölvesborgs Taxi, Sölvesborg Stockholmsbuss, Sollentuna Sundströms Buss, Färila Tottes Bussar, Visby Switzerland: Bührer, Hirzel GBS, Susten Gloor, Veltheim Twerenbold, Baden-Rütihof Turkey: Ulusoy, Istanbul

20 38 Setra Individual Setra Individual 39 Coach builders at the Neu-Ulm location support charity campaign: Donating wages In the context of the Aktion und Ulmer helft charity campaign, donations are collected to support the needy in the region. EvoBus employees once again raised funds for a good cause. he Aktion und Ulmer helft T charity campaign, organised by the city of Ulm and the Südwest Presse (the daily newspaper in the Ulm/Neu-Ulm/Alb- Donau district), has taken an all new approach to fundraising. The idea is that employees have an opportunity to donate a half-hour s worth of their working wages. The funds benefit the needy and socialsupport facilities in Ulm, Neu-Ulm and both adjoining districts. For a single employee, wages for a halfhour of work don t amount to much. But when close to the entire workforce of an organisation like EvoBus donates their wages for a half-hour of work, a very respectable sum comes together: EvoBus succeeded in raising 52,400 euros for the Aktion und Ulmer helft charity campaign. 90 percent of the employees at the Neu-Ulm location participated in the voluntary fundraising campaign and collected 39,000 euros. A further 12,000 euros were donated by management, and 400 EvoBus/Kässbohrer retirees collected 1,400 euros at their yearly get-together. Every cent collected goes directly to benefitting the needy. The donation enables the Südwest Presse to make employees available, to reactivate former employees and to source volunteers to participate in this good cause. The 52,400 euro donation is the largest individual donation the campaign has received in the 41 years since its inception. And it s not the first time that Neu-Ulm has given its support: over the past three years, EvoBus donated a total of over 150,000 euros. Design decorative stitching as special customer option: Outstanding quality every stitch of the way Setra has always been a significant step ahead in design. Or, perhaps more appropriately, a stitch ahead with decorative stitching and quilting to lend a touch of individuality and luxury to the seats in your Setra coach. Setra Service customised on-board videos: Your company in the leading role The Setra on-board video is very popular with bus and coach operators. More and more Setra customers are taking advantage of the opportunity to customise the video with their company messages. hat are the benefits of travelling in W a Setra? How can passengers adjust lighting, ventilation and seats? In a compact four-minute film, the Setra onboard video ensures that your guests can fully enjoy all the comfort offered by your Setra coach. We are quite certain that many of you are familiar with the film which is included with every delivery of a Setra TopClass and ComfortClass coach. But did you know that you can order the film in a version that has been customised to your company? Many companies all over Europe are currently using a customised version of the Setra on-board video for instance the Norwegian Høves Royal Class company. The touring company from Nykirke, about 100 kilometres south of Oslo, incorporated its logo at the beginning of the film and its key messages throughout the film. The result is a finely tuned profiling of two film stars the company and Setra which ideally prepares passengers for the trip ahead. If you are interested in a customised onboard video, please contact your Setra representative. He will be pleased to assist you in accessing the ordering platform. O ur specialised sewing machines offer a broad selection of stitches; in fact, up to 80 different stitches can be used to enhance your Setra seats with attractive decorative stitching. You ll find that choosing isn t always easy, however. Some may believe that seat stitching plays a minor role in a coach s interior design. But just take a moment to imagine how black seat upholstery combined with a red, sporty, zig-zag baseball stitch will change the whole interior of your coach. Similarly, well chosen decorative stitching can give uni-coloured seats or a steering wheel an even more distinctive, high-quality appearance. Whether sporty, striking or elegant Setra s decorative stitching offers an opportunity to enhance your coach s interior design with yet another individual note, without having to alter fabrics or cuts. And your interiors can be made even more distinctive with your company logo or other graphic highlights, which can be programmed following a digital template used with our Decorative stitching can upgrade the overall appearance of your coach s seats special sewing machines. The stitching can be done on leather upholstery as well as on Dinamica, fabric or synthetic leather. It s important that a support material be used as padding on the back of the material used, to prevent it from slipping and to ensure seams that are uniform, straight and clean. As well, a band can be used or, for large-surface stitching, a correspondingly large layer coating the cover material to be stitched. Whatever approach you select, the result is always a very unique look for your touring coach.

21 40 Setra Best in Class Setra Individual 41 France Setra S 431 DT used for intercity applications for the first time: Travel pleasure all along la ligne As in many other countries, the S 431 DT is also very popular in France for long-distance trips. What s new however is its use as an intercity vehicle in France. Since May 2011, the SCAL company has been deploying the first French intercity double-decker coach. Switzerland four Setra luxury touring coaches for Car Rouge: Travel comfort as corporate philosophy Car Rouge, a premium tour operator from Bern, has been using Setra double-decker coaches for its trips for over 25 years. Now, for the first time, the company has invested in four S 416 HDH touring coaches from the Setra TopClass, and is now the proud owner of the youngest and most advanced touring coach fleet in Switzerland. S ince the eighties, Car Rouge has been deploying Setra s comfortable touring coaches. With the company s very first double-decker coach from the 200 Series, the S 228 DT, Setra provided the Bern operator with extensively customised solutions as they do today with 5-star coaches specially developed for Car Rouge and equipped with extravagant components and features. All around comfort The four recently delivered luxury S 416 HDH coaches are equipped with 33 recliners and a glass roof. The interior height of 2.1 metres ensures a very generous feeling of space. Car Rouge also offers its guests an automatic coffee dispenser, so they can enjoy free coffee throughout the journey. All seats are equipped with a multi-channel sound system for passenger entertainment. In spite of the generous 90 cm distance between seats, the developers also managed to incorporate a fifth row of seats ahead of the second entrance, and to include a required 2+1 seating row right behind the front entrance. The Swiss tour operator couldn t offer passengers any more comfort. For Managing Director Martin Wüthrich, passenger safety also plays a vital role in all decisions: Bearing in mind our commitment to fulfil the highest standards of safety in the sector, travelling with Setra is an absolute given. Driving comfort is decisive For Car Rouge, a company of the Swiss Eurobus Group, over and above exclusive destinations, passenger comfort is a key aspect of the company s philosophy. Martin Wüthrich, who has headed Car Rouge since 2006, experiences again and again that comfort is decisive to customers: We offer guests our tours throughout Europe exclusively with 2+1 seating. We know that comfort is increasingly important for our customers. Especially people travelling alone appreciate this kind of seating. Comfort in the foreground: Thomas Jenzer, Head of Packaged Tours Eurobus Group, Dietmar Widera, Head of Sales Setra Buses and Coaches, Switzerland, Martin Wüthrich, Managing Director Car Rouge, Christoph Hofmann, Head of Market Management Setra Export Markets (l. to r.) I n October 2011, Setra France presented a high-profile innovation to the French market at the Rencontres nationales du transport public (RNTP) trade show in Strasbourg. The double-decker was introduced under the S 431 DT Ligne name, clearly underscoring its appointment for long-distance line applications. The intercity double-decker s many distinctive features, which include a panoramic glass roof, which Setra France presented at the RNTP, turn long-distance travel into pure pleasure. Room for a wheelchair user, a double rear entrance with an access ramp, as well as announcements of stops via loudspeaker and their display on 19-inch screens facilitate travel logistics and not only for the disabled. Adaptive Cruise Control (ART), Lane Assist (SPA) and Active Brake Assist (ABA) ensure a safe journey. In May 2011, the SCAL company headquartered in Gap in south-eastern France, capital of the Département Hautes-Alpes, had taken over the first French intercity version of the Setra S 431 DT the only intercity bus in France equipped with a stepless entrance. Until then, the high-end double-decker had been used exclusively as a touring coach. And intercity applications were conventionally taken on by less luxurious, single-level buses. For a number of years, the intercity version of the doubledecker coach has been deployed in other European countries. Double-decker coaches are ideal for many intercity applications and not only due to their comfortable touring seats and stateof-the-art safety equipment. The galley is equipped with a coffee machine, an electric kettle, a microwave oven and a small refrigerator. Two gaming tables and outlets are available to the max. 83 passengers. Their much higher number of passenger seats represents a key benefit for companies like SCAL where a single driver and one coach can transport double the passengers normally carried with a singlelevel bus. Over and above the intercity equipment featured by the Setra exhibition vehicle from Strasbourg, SCAL s doubledecker coach boasts a series of clever extras: a money-changer, a breath-alcohol measuring device with an immobiliser unit, two 19-inch LCD screens on the lower deck, two 6.5-inch and two 19-inch LCD screens on the upper deck, and three-point safety belts. SCAL passengers are delighted with the brand new intercity coach now available on the French market: The coach is very comfortable, smooth-running and quiet. I enjoy sitting on the upper deck and taking in the great view through the panorama glass roof, raved a passenger on the trip from Gap to Marseille. The stepless entrance is really practical, and on the lower deck you can sit right across from your travel partners, exclaimed another passenger as he made himself comfortable with his friends in the four-person club seating area. SCAL is a family business which was founded in 1886 in the city of Gap in south-eastern France. With a fleet of 45 vehicles, its main area of activity is servicing the Grenoble-Briançon-Nice- Marseille line, as well as coach tours all through Europe. SCAL, with its Setra double-decker deployed in intercity applications, is a first in France.

22 42 Setra Family News Setra Family News 43 French Guiana Setra shuttles at the Space Centre: With Setra to the stars The Transports Madeleine bus operator in French Guiana is responsible for shuttle service at the Guiana Space Centre. They know they can count on the outstanding reliability of Setra shuttle buses. F or the aerospace professionals at the Guiana Space Centre (Centre Spatial Guyanais, CSG), reliability is vital to success. Nothing is left to chance: when transporting satellites into space, or visitor groups to and from the centre. For this reason Setra vehicles are deployed for the shuttle service at the space centre, where unplanned waiting times are an absolute no-go. A space centre station with a long heritage Since 1979, the ArianeSpace European Space Transport Company s Ariane 5 rockets have been launched from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. The Russian Sojus rockets also take off from there, as have the European Space Organisation s (ESA) state-of-the-art Vega launchers, the smallest of the European booster rockets, since February The CNES French national space agency operates the site. An ideal launch site Thanks to its location, the CSG is one of the most ideally positioned launch sites in the world. Only 500 km away from the Equator, the earth s rotation ensures the best possible momentum for rocket launches. A further advantage is that the rockets can reach the most important orbits by flying directly over the ocean, without having to fly over populated areas. A definite plus for safety. A great atmosphere in the Setra The Transports Madeleine operator has been deploying Setra vehicles for its shuttle service since With several MultiClass S 415 UL and a ComfortClass 415 GT-HD in their fleet, the company transports international delegations and VIP guests who have been invited to a rocket launch in fully airconditioned Setra coaches from the airport to the hotel and back, or to the rocket launch directly at the space station. The aerospace professionals at the Guiana Space Centre swear by Setra s exceptional reliability to transport visitor groups