The FINANCIAL — Deutsche Bahn AG has received the first production vehicle of the S 431 DT double-decker bus with Euro VI engine, according to Daimler AG.
The vehicle forms part of an order for eight vehicles with which Deutsche Bahn is aiming to expand its travel programme on Germany's roads. To date, rail passengers travelling on the route from Munich to Freiburg have had to change trains in Karlsruhe or Mannheim. It is now also possible to cover this stretch in the comfort of a double-decker S 431 DT bus – with no changes necessary. Seven so-called "IC buses" run four to six times daily between Munich and Freiburg, with just one stop in Ravensburg, according to Daimler AG.
In all, the two Deutsche Bahn subsidiaries Regionalverkehr Oberbayern GmbH (RVO) and Südbadenbus GmbH (SBG) took delivery of eight double-decker buses in modern IC look at the Setra customer centre in Neu-Ulm. In addition to the direct service from Munich to Freiburg, another S 431 DT will be bolstering the existing line from Munich to Prague, according to Daimler AG.
The disabled-friendly double-decker buses were the first vehicles of this type to be delivered by the Setra brand with Euro VI engine technology on board. The S 431 DT buses afford wheelchair users easy access via a folding ramp at widened door 2. In all, the S 431 is able to accommodate 72 passengers on its upper and lower decks. On the journey through Upper Swabia and the Black Forest, passengers have a snack and beverage vending machine at their disposal, while free WLAN enables them to work or surf the net on their laptops to their hearts' content. The vehicles are also equipped with power sockets for charging small electronic devices. Newly designed seat numbers in braille are an important aid to visually impaired passengers on board the IC buses. On the lower deck, the buses equipped with lane assistant and emergency braking assist (ABA2) also offer passengers a luggage locker and double seats with three-point seat belts to which parents can securely attach infants' seats, according to Daimler AG.
Last autumn, the Setra brand presented the first S 431 DT to be equipped with an advanced engine of the environment-friendly Euro VI-compliant "Blue Efficiency Power" generation. Apart from the new engine technology, the latest Setra TopClass 400 double-decker buses boast over 40 new features in comparison to their Euro V predecessors. These include a revised cockpit with a new multifunction steering wheel, two access steps as standard and a 23 cm wider luggage compartment door.
The S 431 DT can also be ordered with Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC). This pro-active cruise control system refers continuousy to topographic data which are communicated by satellite and helps to reduce fuel consumption by intervening in the powertrain, according to Daimler AG.
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