Leinfelden-Echterdingen/Berlin - Record anniversary for the Citaro low-floor bus: Since its premiere in 1997, 70,000 units of the most successful bus in the history of Daimler Buses have rolled off the production line. During the Daimler Buses eMobility Days 2.0 in Berlin, Till Oberwörder, CEO Daimler Buses, and Mirko Sgodda, Head of Marketing, Sales and Customer Services Daimler Buses, presented the symbolic key to the anniversary bus, an all-electric eCitaro, celebrating with Karen Bosch, COO at HTM Personenvervoer N.V., The Hague, Netherlands.

Mercedes-Benz Citaro: Milestone in bus history

Till Oberwörder: "It fills us with joy and pride to celebrate this special milestone together with HTM Personenvervoer. Of course, the 70,000th Citaro from our production is an electric Citaro. The vehicle is not only proof of the innovative strength of Daimler Buses and the trust of its customers, but also demonstrates our commitment to a more sustainable future. The all-electric eCitaro represents the path that Daimler Buses will consistently continue to take in the coming years."

HTM COO Karen Bosch: “With the arrival of the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro, HTM is making an important contribution to a sustainable The Hague region with its public transport. With the eCitaro, we offer our passengers comfortable and quiet bus transport. And our bus drivers get a beautiful new workplace, so that they can continue to bring passengers to their destination with pleasure and professionalism.”

Safe and passenger-friendly: the eCitaro anniversary bus

The anniversary bus is part of an order for 95 eCitaro and eCitaro G buses for use in The Hague, Netherlands. The three-door solo bus is equipped with the latest generation of NMC 3 batteries. Charging takes place via a pantograph. As with all eCitaro buses for use in the HTM fleet, the anniversary bus is equipped with numerous safety assistance systems. These include Sideguard Assist 2, Frontguard Assist for the area in front of the bus, Traffic Sign Assist and Attention Assist (AtAs). This creates a safe environment for both passengers and other road users.

In the interior, passengers are welcomed by a friendly ambience with a wood-look floor and luxuriously upholstered seats in HTM design. Special wheelchair spaces have been created on board the buses for passengers with reduced mobility or passengers with prams. The state-of-the-art automatic climate control system ensures a pleasant and comfortable climate in the eCitaro.

The transport company HTM Personenvervoer N.V. operates the tram and city bus network in the The Hague area. In addition to the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro and eCitaro G solo and articulated city buses, Daimler Buses and the experts from Daimler Buses Solutions have supplied HTM with the e‑infrastructure required for operation.

The unique success story of the Mercedes-Benz Citaro

The 70,000th Citaro is another highlight in the unique success story of the Mercedes-Benz low-floor city bus. At its world premiere in 1997, its first generation already marked the turning point towards passenger-friendly, economical and safe urban transport using low-floor buses, with a spectacular exterior and interior design as well as innovative technology.

After more than 32,000 units, the second generation of the Citaro from 2011 onwards further expanded the strengths of the bestseller. This included the world’s first city bus to comply with the Euro VI emissions standard in 2012. When it comes to environmental protection, safety technology and comfort: the Mercedes-Benz Citaro has repeatedly set new standards and taken on a pioneering role - not least with the all-electric eCitaro, which has been one of Europe’s most popular electric buses since 2018.

The Mercedes-Benz Citaro has received numerous awards over the course of its career. Among other things, it has won the European “Bus of the Year” award several times and the “Electric Bus Champion” award twice in a row, most recently this year.