Mercedes Benz

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany, Sep 03, 2008

* All-round, bus-specific service offers from Daimler for operators and drivers of Mercedes-Benz- und Setra buses and coaches
* Full-coverage service network throughout Europe – 41 EvoBus
* Service Centres and over 600 service partners are waiting to help
* 24-hour service hotline available at 00800 40 20 40 20
* Omniplus ServiceCard – the card for all your needs
* Omniplus driver and workshop training seminars
* Omniplus custom-tailored service contract offers – Service Select and Omniplus first-class packages
* Online parts shop and new parts logistics centre exclusively for buses
* Omniplus Tyre Service in case of emergency – around-the-clock tyre service for Omniplus Service Card holders
* Replacement bus in case of breakdown in Germany – Omniplus Bus Pool
* Quality, competent advice and reliable processes when purchasing a used bus
* Bus-specific financing and insurance policies


The EvoBus GmbH subsidiary responsible for the European bus and coach business of the Mercedes-Benz and Setra brands within the Daimler Group has created a brand-name service offer known as Omniplus specifically to cover the entire range of needs for bus customers. This is giving customers the freedom to focus even more closely on their core business – transporting passengers safely, comfortable and successfully. Omniplus covers all Mercedes-Benz and Setra bus and coach services in Europe. The services offered in the Omniplus packages are available throughout Europefor drivers and operators of buses and coaches of both brands. For continually updated online information, please visit www.omniplus.com .

Full-coverage Omniplus service network guarantees safety and comfort throughout Europe

Especially good to know: Drivers of Mercedes-Benz and Setra buses and coaches are never alone, even when on the road far from home. The Omniplus service is built around one of Europe’s densest service networks specifically for buses. This important cornerstone of the Omniplus service is divided into the Omniplus Busworld, Omniplus Bus Port and BusPoint (emergency service points) packages, categorised according to the scope of service offered, and is available to bus drivers throughout Europe. The Omniplus Service Network is designed exclusively for buses and coaches: Participating workshops are kept up to date with the latest information from bus manufacturers. As certified bus specialists, these workshops boast special bus tools as well as experts trained to work on buses and coaches from both brands.
A total of 41 EvoBus Service Centres and more than 600 service partners stand at the ready to ensure that Mercedes-Benz and Setra buses and coaches keep rolling. The Omniplus BusWorld package is especially extensive, covering everything from general service and maintenance through comprehensive availability of original spare parts, repairs and extended opening hours all the way to accident repairs, including paintwork.
The quality of the network is being continually improved, with special focus on Eastern Europe.
If a Mercedes-Benz or Setra bus or coach should ever have an emergency, the 24-hour Omniplus service available in the caller’s native language over the toll-free service hotline (00800 40 20 40 20) or the national phone numbers ensures fast, professional help by experts trained specifically to work with buses.

The EvoBus Service Centres and all authorised service partners across Europe offer country-specific, standard opening hours. Accordingly, maintenance and repair work, accident repairs, original parts supply as well as bodywork, paintwork and foil work can be scheduled on a case-by-case basis and performed when the bus is not needed on the road. The Mobility Concept is an additional service guaranteeing customers’ continued mobility through a loaned Smart or other vehicle, depending on availability, while the bus is being serviced at the station.

Omniplus ServiceDirectory in print or online

The Omniplus ServiceDirectory offers an overview of the more than 600 bus service stations throughout Europe and maps showing how to reach them. In addition to the print version, the information is available online. A simple click of the mouse activates a route planer in the online ServiceDirectory showing all bus service stations along a specific route with maps depicting how to reach them. The online version of the ServiceDirectory is available at www.omniplus.com in 13 languages.

One card for all needs: The Omniplus Service Card

Available exclusively to Mercedes-Benz and Setra bus and coach customers, the free Omniplus Service Card is your passport to the Omniplus Service Network. It identifies the holder as a welcome customer at all bus service points in the Omniplus Service Network as well as at over 24,000 UTA acceptance points in 37 countries. The Omniplus ServiceCard offers cashless re-fuelling, credit card-style settlement of toll costs and much more. In case of emergency, holders of the ServiceCard benefit from 24-hour service specifically for buses and accelerated handling via a guaranteed payment facility. All services utilised with the Omniplus ServiceCard in Europe are settled centrally. This ensures a complete overview and control of all transactions.

The Omniplus ServiceCard is vehicle specific and secured with a PIN (personal identification number) code. This PIN code reduces the chances of misuse, thus increasing security in the event the card should become lost. The ServiceCard is valid for other exclusive services such as the Tyre Service and the Bus Pool.

Customer-specific service contract offers – Omniplus Service Select

The Omniplus service contract models established in 1998 for maintenance and repair of Mercedes-Benz and Setra buses and coaches are being augmented with new offers that permit flexible coverage of operating costs for buses, thus facilitating short downtime, minimisation of customers’ administrative efforts and the installation of original parts in certified Omniplus quality. The Service Select package, available in eleven European countries, offers bus operators a range of modular services custom tailored to their needs. Any combination of service contract modules desired can be selected.
Omniplus Service Select is composed of different modules chosen by the customer. These can include:

* The Maintenance package as the basic module covering inspection costs; it can be combined with any of the following modules as desired
* The Wear and Tear Repair module covering common repairs necessary for wear and tear
* The Major Assemblies module encompassing repairs on the entire powertrain with all components (engine, transmission and drive axle)
* The Climate module for maintenance of the entire climate control system
* The Vehicle Management module that covers handling of administrative tasks for the operator’s fleet – Omniplus assumes responsibility for recording and checking of invoices, coordination of schedulable maintenance and statutory inspection appointments as well as provisioning of a complete cost history

The Full-Service package including all of the individual modules mentioned above
Everything revolves around the basic Maintenance package, which ensures regular inspections pursuant to the manufacturer’s guidelines. This basis can be augmented by the individual Wear and Tear Repair, Major Assemblies, Climate and Vehicle Management modules. The Full-Service package is ideal for customers interested in all of these services.
On request, the Tyre module can be ordered as an additional service independent of the other modules. It covers replacement of tyres in cases of regular wear, including mounting, valve exchange, wheel balancing and the associated labour and material costs. The perfect all-round service for safeguarding long-term, plannable costs is thus available together with the additional Tyre module.

Omniplus first-class travel packages – Optimum maintenance right from the start
The Omniplus first-class packages provide customers with maximum availability and operational readiness of the top models from the Mercedes-Benz and Setra touring coach range at an attractive fixed price. The fixed-price packages combine either maintenance service with the expansion of the limited warranty for the powertrain (First-Class Package Silver) or maintenance service with the expansion of the limited warranty for the entire vehicle (First-Class Package Gold).
When purchasing a new touring couch, the customer can then select a term of 36 or 48 months or opt for maximum mileage of 400,000 km. Once a year or every 90,000 km, as desired, the customer benefits from comprehensive service provided by competent partners and the installation of high-quality original parts in certified Omniplus quality – with schedulable maintenance appointments and calculable costs.

Omniplus Tyre Service – There when you need it most

A flat tyre is one of the unpleasant experiences that can await on a long trip in a touring coach. This is where the Tyre Service from Omniplus comes in: Simply call the free hotline and professional assistance by Continental 24-hour service will soon be on the way.
Thanks to close, pan-European cooperation with the tyre manufacturer Continental AG, the Omniplus Tyre Service provides fast, competent help on location in the event of a flat. The Omniplus Tyre Service offers rapid delivery and mounting of bus tyres at a fixed price exclusively to those bus companies and drivers who hold an Omniplus Service Card. The Tyre Service can be reached 24 hours a day over a toll-free service available from all telephone networks in almost all European countries under the number 00800 40 20 40 20.

The procedure is fast and easy. When the 24-hour hotline service

receives a call regarding a bus with a flat tyre, the call centre employee first notes the data from the Omniplus Service Card as well as additional information on bus type, tyre size and location of the flat. This information is then transferred to the 24-hour emergency control centre at Continental headquarters, which immediately organises the emergency tyre service in the respective country and dispatches assistance to the vehicle’s current location. Once on site, the emergency tyre service technician compares the data provided with the information on the driver’s Omniplus Service Card. The site of the breakdown is then professionally secured and the new tyre properly mounted. Afterwards, the driver is ready to continue on his or her way. The emergency tyre service even handles disposal of the old tyre.

Omniplus Bus Pool – The replacement bus service in Germany

Bus drivers and bus companies don’t even like to think about the eventuality of a bus filled with passengers breaking down during a bus trip and being unable to complete the journey, necessitating quick organisation of a replacement bus. Now you can be sure of rapidly bringing your passengers to their holiday destination or back home, even in the event of a rare breakdown, thanks to the exclusive Omniplus Bus Pool service, available to all holders of an Omniplus Service Card in Germany. The key benefit is the guarantee of mobility at transparent and fair standard prices with minimum administration effort. The bus companies participating in the Omniplus Bus Pool must have a fleet of Mercedes-Benz and/or Setra buses and coaches and are contractually bound to the terms of the replacement bus service as stipulated by Omniplus and UTA.

If quick repair of a problem is not possible within the scope of the 24-hour service from Omniplus, the bus company decides if a replacement vehicle is required or not. If so, the driver requests a replacement bus from the Omniplus 24-hour hotline at 00800 40 20 40 20, providing his or her Omniplus Service Card number, destination and the number of passengers onboard the stranded vehicle. The hotline then immediately orders a bus with driver from the bus company in the Omniplus Bus Pool with the vehicle that best matches the respective requirement profile and is available at that time. The driver of the replacement bus has the framework rental agreement between the bus company and EvoBus GmbH signed on site, and the passengers can then continue on their journey.
Only those companies that have signed contracts with the replacement bus service Omniplus Bus Pool are commissioned to provide vehicles. The costs for the replace­­ment bus are calculated according to standardised, fixed daily rates and kilometre prices and settled conveniently and directly via the Omniplus Service Card.

Original parts in certified Omniplus quality

Online networking of the individual service support points and electronic parts documentation usually permit express delivery of parts within 24 hours throughout all of Europe, thus facilitating reliable and fast supply of parts and accessories in Omniplus quality for buses of both brands. Orders are placed online at the click of a mouse through the EvoBus Service Centres and service partners. Approximately 100,000 parts are continually available at the new Parts Logistics Centre Neu-Ulm, in most cases up to 15 years after production has ceased. The new Parts Logistics Centre forms the basis for safeguarding logistical performance now and in the future. It is ensuring that the supply of spare parts becomes even more customer oriented and efficient. Original parts from Omniplus satisfy the highest safety, reliability, quality and cost-efficiency standards, and are developed and tailored especially for Mercedes-Benz and Setra buses and coaches.

Orders can be placed 24 hours a day, seven days a week

When spare parts are needed, they are needed fast. Long downtimes in the workshop are costly and irritating. Buying spare parts is quick and easy with the new Omniplus Online Parts Shop, which also indicates which special offers and discounts are currently available.

A total of 500 customers are already online, conveniently placing their orders for spare parts through the online shop each day. Throughout Europe, more than 2,000 customers are expected to take advantage of the direct link to the respective EvoBus Service Centre parts warehouse.
Using the Omniplus Service Portal, customers log into the online shop and are then connected directly with the service centre systems. They can thus determine if and where the spare part they are searching for is available, find the current price and check on shipping status until delivery. In total, the shop has a selection of more 100,000 parts.

Omniplus driver training seminars pursuant to EU continuing education guidelines
The practically oriented Omniplus training courses have always been in great demand. No matter if is a seminar focusing on safety, the environment, emergencies, communication, load securing, technology or workshop training – all components are important to bus drivers. What’s more, they will become ever more important in the future. The training and continuing education of bus and lorry drivers is being continually improved, with drivers acquiring far more qualifications than just a driving licence. These developments enhance safety and cost-efficiency as well as boosting the standing of the profession itself. The European Union regulations apply to both new drivers who acquire the relevant licences as well as existing drivers who already hold them. In the future, bus drivers must complete five lessons of at least seven hours each within a five-year period in order to meet continuing education requirements.

The Omniplus training offers have been tailored to continuing education needs. The five basic modules safety training, eco-training, communication training, emergency training and load securing, health promotion and road traffic law satisfy all requirements stipulated in the BKrFQG (Professional Drivers’ Qualification Law). Participants can acquire the proof of qualification necessary to maintain their driver’s licences here. Omniplus is thus helping customers and drivers to meet the EU requirements with its one-stop service.

Omniplus safety training seminars: Greater safety in touring coaches and school buses

Safety courses for drivers of Mercedes-Benz and Setra buses and coaches and their trainers have been an integral component of Omniplus driver training since 1993. They are conducted in close cooperation with experienced driving trainers for buses. The range of programmes extends from a one-day intensive course on site at the customer’s place of business (Basic Safety Training, max. 12 participants) or at the Hockenheimring Driving Safety Centre (Basic Plus Safety Training) all the way to a three-day driver training course at the Hockenheimring (Premium Safety Training) with Omniplus training vehicles or, on request, the customer’s own vehicles. The Omniplus safety training seminars consist of both theoretical and practical components guided by the motto “Recognising problems, reducing risks, driving safely”.

The courses focus on acquainting drivers with the vehicle’s characteristics in critical situations through practical exercises. Drivers practice braking and evasion manoeuvres on slippery road surfaces, vehicle handling without lateral stability, driving in a circle at various speeds and on different road surfaces, tight turning manoeuvres as well as braking and steering manoeuvres in curves and during fast lane changes. Increasing safety in the handling of touring coaches also means providing more in-depth information on functions and secure operation of bus safety equipment such as the brake system, ABS, ASR, BA and ESP. The Premium Safety Training includes fitness exercises for drivers’ backs and shoulders as well as tips on proper nutrition from an experienced sports educator. Both factors will help bus drivers recover in the breaks between the statutory driving times and improve their overall health.

Omniplus eco-training seminars: Increased profitability

Rising fuel prices as well as increasing competition and cost pressure in the bus trade are reason enough for Omniplus to offer customers individually tailored offers for increased profitability with their touring coaches and transit buses from Mercedes-Benz and Setra. One offer specifically designed for this purpose is Omniplus eco-training. As part of a one-day course, participants are taught the theory and practice of an alternative driving style that permits up to 10% reduction in fuel consumption. Objectives are the reduction of stress on the environment through less emissions and less noise, greater comfort for the passengers, increased safety in road traffic through efficient relief of drivers and reduction of their stress levels, increased cost-efficiency via targeted reduction of variable costs such as fuel, repairs, maintenance, lubricants and tyres paired with a simultaneous enhancement of driving characteristics and passenger transport performance as a result of reduced downtime. In keeping with the various types of bus fleets and usages, the training offer is tailored to individual requirements, needs and usage profiles of bus operators. It is held on a date arranged with the customer using the customer’s own vehicles and site.

Omniplus communication training seminars

Special seminars are also offered to facilitate professional behaviour towards passengers. Drivers learn how to speak with and respond to a variety of passenger and customer types through classwork and role-plays.

Omniplus seminars for emergency training and load securing, health promotion and road traffic law

In emergency training seminars, bus drivers learn to respond correctly and systemati­cally to emergencies, breakdowns, accidents and fires. In the second part of the training seminar, participants learn how to properly secure loads in buses. The goal of the health promotion and road traffic law seminars is to acquaint drivers with regulations and make sure they can apply them to their work (e.g. operating the digital tachograph). In the second part of the seminar, bus drivers learn to accurately assess safety risks in their work and to implement suitable measures for enhancing their individual performance.

Omniplus technical training seminars: Improving bus drivers’ technical knowledge

The Omniplus driver training experts offer even more courses and continuing education events for interested bus drivers at their bases in the Mannheim and Ulm plants: For example, special Omniplus technical training seminars help drivers become better acquainted with the complex interrelationship between technical details in their own bus and to make use of this knowledge in their day-to-day work. They provide important tips for economical driving as well as the proper operation, maintenance and care of the bus. One important point here, for example, is achieving a better understanding of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. In addition, the instructors help bus drivers to recognise and correct some possible malfunctions and to provide efficient roadside assistance in case of an emergency.
Participation in one of the custom-tailored Omniplus driver training seminars can be booked by fax at +49 621 740 24 69 or over the Internet at www.training.omniplus.com .

Omniplus workshop training seminars: The best guarantee for competent
workshop staff

In addition to the seminars for bus drivers, special courses for continuing education of workshop staff are held at the Omniplus training centres in seven European countries. The practically oriented and closely interrelated course programmes, in which key competencies are learnt in small groups or at individual workstations, ensure that participants are always up to date with the latest knowledge in bus maintenance and repair. In addition to introductory lessons on the technology of the individual bus series, the main topics – divided by bus series and brands (Mercedes-Benz/Setra) – include in-depth coverage of electronics (air-conditioning system, FPS, audio/video systems, navigation systems), major components (engine/transmission), chassis and brakes. The curriculum also includes special courses on current topics of interest such as natural gas drive, automatic transmission and performing of statutory safety inspections. Some of the courses are supported by preparatory learning CDs that must be worked through before the course starts in order to ensure that all participants have the same knowledge basis (computer-based training). The Omniplus workshop training can be booked by fax at +49 731 181 28 59 or via the Internet at www.training.omniplus.com .

Support in purchasing of used buses

Omniplus offers competent assistance in the sale and purchase of used buses in 25 networked used car centres throughout Europe. After all, the purchase of a used bus is still a matter of personal trust. Omniplus guarantees bus customers quality, competent advice and reliable handling of transactions in the used vehicle business. Customers benefit from the best selection, quality, competence, service and advice available on the market. The European Omniplus used vehicle centres offer a wide variety of used buses of all conventional brands and for any purpose. The range extends from minibuses to city buses all the way to three-axle luxury touring coaches.

Before going on sale, all of the vehicles offered are subjected to comprehensive quality inspections and put to the test by bus specialists at the used vehicle centres. The purchase of a used bus naturally includes extensive warranty service. Additional services for the used bus customers encompass clarification of registration modalities in nearly all countries around the world as well as competent advice regarding paintwork, lettering and application of film. Conversion work can also be undertaken in keeping with customer wishes.

In addition, a database with a large selection of used buses of different brands is available for customers on the Internet. Updated daily, the offer is available around to clock in 22 different languages at www.omniplus.com . Global, fast and reliable, the integrated search function on the homepage enables customers to find just the vehicle they are looking for among the large selection of used buses. On request, a competent contact is then immediately available at the click of a mouse. Alternatively, customers can indicate their requirement profile, and the used vehicle experts will then take charge of the search. The “Special Offer” section on the Internet showcases unusual used vehicles available at special rates. In addition, the customer can have a financing offer for the “new used vehicle” calculated immediately online.

Custom-tailored financing offers specifically for buses

The Omniplus service offers is rounded off by attractive financing and leasing offers as well as bus-specific insurance solutions in cooperation with banks and insurance companies and is being continually expanded to include new, innovative features. The country-specific offers extend from classic financing and leasing through insurance policies all the way to comprehensive fleet management.

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