Mercedes-Benz Bus and Coach unit received a major order for 125 shuttle buses for the Gautrain high-speed rail project in South Africa. The Gautrain rail route will connect Johannesburg via Sandton with Pretoria and the Johannesburg international airport (Oliver Tambo International Airport). The Gautrain network will combine rail-bound options and a bus shuttle service. Commuters in the Gauteng province should be the main customers for the buses, which will quickly transport them to the railway. Construction of the first segment should be completed in 2010. The Mercedes-Benz buses are expected to be delivered in mid-2010.

Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses, commented: “We are proud to be to support this major project with our buses and, in doing so, to enable reliable and economical mobility. More and more of the metropolises in the world are taking on new concepts in public transport to meet their growing mobility needs. With these kinds of solutions transport costs can be reduced overall and the environment can be further protected.”

Mercedes-Benz 0500U low-floor buses take on the shuttle bus service for the Gautrain high-speed rail. The vehicles offer room for 35 to 45 seats and around 17 standing passengers. The low-floor concept also allows wheelchair users, small children and seniors to easily enter and exit the vehicle. All buses are equipped with automatic transmission, ABS, all-round air suspension and full climate control.

“The entire project has created many job opportunities and qualification options in the region. And let’s not forget the overall investments in our plant in East London, where we installed the chassis for the buses", said Jan Aichinger, Head of Mercedes-Benz Bus and Coach unit in South Africa. The bus bodies are supplied by Busmark 2000/Caio from Randfontain near Johannesburg, South Africa.

The operator of the bus fleet is the South African transport operator Unitrans Passager (Pty) Limited. A total of 36 bus lines will be serving the nine stops along the 77-kilometre-long Gautrain high-speed rail route. It is anticipated that 125 Mercedes-Benz shuttle buses will cover 26,000 kilometres per day on the 430 kilometres of the complete rail network.