OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Istanbul/Mannheim, Turkey/Germany, Dec 18, 2008
* Istanbul is expanding its bus transport system to 250 Mercedes-Benz CapaCity buses produced in Mannheim
* Deliveries to commence in the first quarter of 2009
* Mercedes-Benz CapaCity offers efficient solutions for the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system in Istanbul
The Turkish transport operator Istanbul Elektrik Tramvay ve Tünel Isletmeleri (IETT) and the Daimler subsidiary EvoBus GmbH have concluded another contract for the supply of 100 Mercedes-Benz CapaCity buses for the city of Istanbul. IETT had already ordered the first 50 CapaCity buses in mid-2007, and a further 100 buses soon followed during the current year. The most recently ordered buses will expand the fleet to 250 Mercedes-Benz CapaCity buses operating in the BRT system next year. Another 500 Mercedes-Benz Citaro solo and articulated buses are also in operation in the region.
The large-capacity Mercedes-Benz CapaCity buses produced in Mannheim operate on specially constructed bus tracks running from the suburb of Avcilar to the inner city of Istanbul. The BRT concept bgegun in 2007 has proved so popular with passengers that the originally 17-kilometre long route has meanwhile been extended to 29 kilometres. The introduction of the Mercedes-Benz CapaCity buses has significantly shortened daily journey times for many passengers, while noticeably relieving traffic congestion in the inner city. A journey that once took 1.5 hours has been shortened to 40 minutes. Today the BRT system carries 530,000 passengers on a daily basis, which means 70,000 to 80,000 fewer individual journeys in the dense traffic of this major Turkish city. Accordingly plans are now being made to extend the BRT line across the Bosporus, to the Asian side of the city.
"The mobility requirements of a metropolis such as Istanbul are enormous. Only an optimal combination between the infrastructure and the vehicle fleet is able to ensure maximum transport capacity, and the BRT system in Istanbul demonstrates this very well", says Holger Suffel, Daimler Buses Vice President Sales, Service & Parts, adding: "We are therefore delighted that IETT has once again decided in our favour, and that 250 Mercedes-Benz CapaCity buses will be in operation on the roads of Istanbul in future."
As a non rail-based, large-capacity vehicle, the CapaCity combines the typical advantages of a bus, for example great flexibility and outstanding economy, with the attributes of a tram. As a highly cost-effective solution thanks to its transport capacity of 193 passengers and low infrastructure costs, it is ideally suitable as a part of innovative BRT systems.
About Daimler
Daimler AG in Stuttgart, with its corporate divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Daimler Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Vans and Daimler Buses, is a leading global supplier of premium passenger cars and the world's largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. Daimler Financial Services provides a comprehensive range of financial services which includes financing, leasing, insurance and fleet management. Daimler markets its products in almost all the countries of the world, and has production locations on five continents. The company's founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, wrote history with the invention of the automobile in 1886. As a pioneer in automobile engineering, Daimler sees it as a goal and an obligation to meet its responsibilities towards society and the environment, and to help shape the future for safe and sustainable mobility – with trailblazing technologies and high-quality products. In addition to Mercedes-Benz, the world's most valuable automobile brand, the brand portfolio presently includes smart, AMG, Maybach, Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star, Mitsubishi Fuso, Setra, Orion and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the Frankfurt, New York and Stuttgart stock exchanges (abbreviation DAI). In 2007 the group employed more than 270,000 people and sold 2.1 mill. vehicles. Turnover was 99.4 bill. € and the PBIT was 8.7 bill. €. As a company dedicated to peak performance, Daimler's objective is sustained growth and profitability at the level of the best in the industry.
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