Stuttgart/Bucharest – The Romanian bus operator Regia Autonoma de Transport Bucuresti (R.A.T.B) and the DaimlerChrysler subsidiary EvoBus GmbH signed a contract in mid-September 2007 for the delivery of a second batch of 500 urban buses for the city of Bucharest. At the end of 2006, the Romanian capital had already ordered 500 Mercedes-Benz Citaro city buses, of which the last units were delivered last summer.

The current major order once again consists of Mercedes-Benz Citaro solo vehicles from the Mannheim production plant. The first 50 buses are slated for delivery in December 2007, and the remaining 450 are to be delivered by the end of 2009. With these purchases, R.A.T.B. will eventually have a total of 1,000 Mercedes-Benz Citaro city buses rolling on the streets of Bucharest - a number that shows the city is playing a pioneering role in Europe.

“We are delighted that R.A.T.B. is further expanding its public transportation fleet by once again placing an order of this magnitude, and within just two years of the previous purchase,” said Harald Landmann, head of DaimlerChrysler Buses and CEO and President of EvoBus GmbH. “This shows how much confidence our customers have in Mercedes-Benz quality and continues our Citaro’s success story in the city bus segment,” added Landmann.

The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is the most successful family of low-floor regular-service buses in Europe. More than 18,400 Citaro buses have been sold since the beginning of series production in 1998. Thanks to its cost-efficiency and environment-friendly operation, the Citaro is setting new standards in its segment.

The Citaro complies with the latest safety standards thanks to features such as the Electronic Braking System (EBS) with disc brakes and the anti-lock braking system (ABS). In addition, it is equipped with the modern drive concept featuring economical Euro 4 engines based on BlueTec diesel technology.

“This large-scale order is a confirmation of the Citaro’s outstanding reputation: Now, already having taken the fleet parks of Western Europe by storm, the bus is conquering the capital cities of Eastern Europe. With this success, we are once again proving that our sales and product strategy in central and Eastern Europe is paying off,” said Holger Suffel, head of sales at EvoBus GmbH and Vice President Sales, Service & Parts DaimlerChrysler Buses.

With a fleet of more than 1,500 vehicles today, the Romanian metropolitan bus operator R.A.T.B. is the country’s most important transport operator. The EvoBus Romania S.R.L. subsidiary provides R.A.T.B. with a range of services including professional maintenance.

DaimlerChrysler Buses is the world’s largest manufacturer of buses. EvoBus GmbH is responsible for the unit's business operations in Europe.