• Italian bus companies Autostradale and Stie improve long-distance services between major cities and airports in northern Italy
• Delivery of 30 latest-generation Mercedes-Benz Tourismo M/2 vehicles ensures excellent passenger and tourist transport
• Sustainability and efficiency with regard to emissions, performance and passenger comfort win over both companies Autostradale and Stie

Leinfelden-Echterdingen/Milan – The bus companies Autostradale and Stie have received a total of 30 Mercedes-Benz Tourismo M/2 touring coaches of the latest generation as part of their campaign to revive tourism in northern Italy. Twenty-five of the Tourismo vehicles will go to Autostradale and five to Stie. These new high-deck touring coaches will be used in Gran Tourismo long-distance services. The two bus operators intend to improve connections between major cities, such as Milan, and the airports of northern Italy.

Matteo Ferrari, head of Retail Sales at Daimler Buses Italia, says, "This is one of the most significant orders of our bestseller, the Mercedes-Benz Tourismo, at either a national or European level. We are delighted and proud to have been commissioned by Autostradale and Stie, two of the most important companies working in Italy in the Lombardy and national passenger transport sectors."

Optimised equipment and services

The equipment and paintwork are identical on all 30 of the new Tourismo M/2 vehicles. Each of the approximately 13-metre-long coaches has 61 seats in 16 rows, 59 of which are reserved for passengers and two for the driver and co-driver. Autostradale and Stie have also equipped the high-deck coaches with a wheelchair lift to enable passengers with reduced mobility to use the buses and so offer an efficient and comfortable means of transport to all passengers. All vehicles have numerous safety features, such as the emergency braking assistant Active Brake Assist 4 (ABA 4).

Both companies have concluded a six-year Omniplus full-service contract with the after-sales organisation of Daimler Buses Italia to keep the new Tourismo coaches in their long-distance bus fleets in optimal condition at all times.

Tourismo coaches ensure sustainable mobility

By investing in these new Mercedes-Benz touring coaches, Autostradale and Stie have opted for premium quality and cutting-edge technology to ensure sustainable and efficient mobility. “The decision to purchase 30 latest-generation coaches with optimum emissions, performance and comfort is concrete proof of just how important the airport transfer sector is to us. We are already leaders in this field and want to consolidate and expand our business”, says Pierluigi Zoncada, president of Autostradale.

For Zoncada, the primary importance of the 30 Tourismo coaches, newly integrated into the fleet and used to serve connecting lines and feeder routes to the airports of northern Italy, lies in meeting the high demands and quality awareness of national and international travel customers: “Our Gran Tourismo buses give customers – international customers in particular – their first impression of public transport in Italy when they arrive at the airport. We feel responsible for this and are proud that these high-quality coaches will boost the good reputation of our country at home and abroad.”

About Autostradale and Stie

Founded in 1924, Autostradale was one of the first passenger transport companies in Italy. Today, the company employs over 200 people through its organisation and subsidiaries and transports over three million passengers every year in various segments of the transport and travel sector. Autostradale focuses on connections between airports and city centres. The company also still operates the historic Gran Tourismo lines, which connect Milan and Lombardy with the most important holiday destinations on the Tuscan coast.

Stie currently has 198 employees. The company’s buses cover around four million kilometres a year in the provinces of Varese, Milan and Monza Brianza. This includes 488,000 kilometres of urban transport in Legnano. In total, Stie operates 46 regular services. One of these lines connects Milan Central Station with Malpensa Airport. Two other lines are Gran Tourismo connections running from and to the Ligurian and Romagnola Rivieras.