New Budapest Mercedes buses come with phone chargers and other innovations
The production of the new Mercedes-Benz Citaro K buses will start shortly, bringing 65 new vehicles to Budapest’s public transport system.
New Mercedes buses
According to BKV, the arrival of these vehicles marks a major milestone in BKV’s fleet renewal programme. With this new replacement, around 8 percent of the bus fleet will be modernised with vehicles that meet current aesthetic, technical and passenger comfort requirements. The new Maximidi buses will be equipped with “state-of-the-art” equipment, ergonomic passenger compartments, onboard cameras, and a modern passenger information system that includes transfer connections. USB chargers placed at the seats will enhance passenger comfort. The Mercedes buses have low floors and are air-conditioned, with LED exterior and passenger lighting.
During the visit to Mannheim, BKV and Mercedes-Benz experts clarified several design and functionality details. Among other things, they specified the number and location of handrails, ticket machines and landing lights, the exact function and role of the switches on the driver’s dashboard, and the colour and finish of the small body and trim elements. A key objective of the meeting was to ensure that the electronic onboard equipment of the vehicles, in particular the passenger counter, can communicate with the FUTÁR system in a “Budapest-specific” way and fully complies with its specific technical criteria.
The arrival of the new Mercedes-Benz Citaro K also paves the way for the roll-out of assisted vehicle systems at BKV. In addition to cameras that monitor the passenger compartment and traffic, safety will be enhanced by blind spot monitoring, tyre pressure monitoring, driver vigilance, sign recognition and pedestrian and cyclist presence warning systems. Cybersecurity of vehicles equipped with IT devices will also be given special attention.
Last November, BKV Zrt. signed a contract with Truck-Trailer & Parts Kft. for the long-term lease of 65 (plus 20 options) Mercedes buses with 7.7-litre engines. The agreement is for 96 months and can be extended for a further 24 months.
As we wrote earlier, Budapest airport shuttle to be much cheaper and will touch a new downtown station