IAA Commercial Vehicle Show: A success story

Buses and coaches bring people together. They play an important part in the tourist trade. They are the backbone of local passenger transport. They are not tied either to rails or to fixed operating times, so that an optimal service can be provided at all times. They are flexible, economical, can be used anywhere and, thanks to a full range of types from minibus to articulated bus, represent a tailor-made solution for every passenger transport task.

Buses and coaches are high-tech vehicles. In their safety equipment, their fuel consumption, their low emissions or their use of alternative driveline technologies, modern buses and coaches feature the very latest motor-vehicle technologies. Not surprisingly, they are among the safest and most economical of all means of transport – and also offer their occupants a very high standard of comfort. At the 61st International Motor Show Commercial Vehicles (the ‘IAA Nutzfahrzeuge’) to be held in Hanover in September 2006, the very latest products from this sector of industry will be on display.

What are the principal trends? What will the bus or coach of the future be like? The following statements may serve to illustrate the potential represented by these vehicles and what role they will play in the future.

Statement 1: Buses and coaches are indispensable.

Local public transport would be inconceivable without the bus. On the outskirts of large cities, in towns of medium size and in rural areas in particular, it is an indispensable mode of transport. More than half of all local public transport passengers in Germany take the bus. The total length of the German bus-route network is twenty times longer than the equator; the vehicles operating on it cover almost 3.2 billion kilometres annually. More than 40,000 buses are in use on scheduled services every day, a figure that should be compared with fewer than 9,000 urban trains and trams. In rural areas in particular, the bus demonstrates the full extent of its flexibility compared with railborne local passenger transport services. But even in major cities, bus services have an important function to perform as urban rail and underground feeders.

The coach, in turn, is the tourist trade’s indispensable partner. Recent analyses of travel patterns indicate that the proportion of coach travel has again risen, despite competition from low-price airlines. Particularly valuable features of the coach are its ability to provide flexible door-to-door transport with no worries about baggage handling, and to satisfy the most demanding requirements in terms of journey comfort and safety. Whether coaches are used for holiday trips, study tours or city visits, they now reach the most impressive standards of comfort and passenger service.

Statement 2: Efficiency and low emissions are gaining in importance all the time.

In ecological terms too, buses and coaches set the standards. Their fuel consumption and CO2 emissions have been drastically lowered, and the latest engine, exhaust-system and filter technology has reduced particulate emissions to a minimum – by 97% compared with 1990. Even if the Euro 3 limits are taken as a starting point, particulate emissions have been lowered by more than 80% and those of oxides of nitrogen by 70%. When the forthcoming Euro 5 limits come into force, the reductions will be even more impressive.

Today, more than 30% of the buses operating scheduled services in Germany are already equipped with particulate filters. In this way, modern buses make a valuable contribution toward improved air quality in our town centres. Their fuel efficiency is unrivalled: a standard bus with a full complement of passengers today consumes only 0.5 litres of diesel oil per passenger per 100 kilometres. And further developments are on the way: in many towns, natural-gas vehicles are in operation, and all over the world, fuel-cell buses are undergoing practical trials.

The bus also scores extremely well in terms of noise emissions: two dozen modern buses are no louder than a single bus was in 1970.

Statement 3: Safety is a decisive competitive argument.

Buses and coaches are the safest form of transport – and are likely to remain so. Figures published by the Federal German Statistics Office clearly show that the risk of being involved in an accident while travelling by bus is distinctly lower than in any vehicle, be it passenger car, aircraft or train. The basis for this is a comprehensive package of bus and coach safety features. They include ultra-modern, mature vehicle safety technologies, thorough driver training and intensive official testing of the vehicles, their operating companies and their drivers. Bus operators are fully aware of their responsibilities. Modern coach bodies have more rigid passenger areas and thus greater strength in the event of the vehicle overturning. Many electronic safety devices are now standard, for example anti-lock braking (ABS), wheelslip control (ASR) and, to an increasing extent, road dynamic systems (FDR) and electronic vehicle stabilisation (ESP). Since 2004, all the German bus and coach manufacturers that are members of the VDA have fitted these two latter systems to all their new models – evidence again that Germany’s motor-vehicle manufacturers have maintained their leading role in the safety area. Other innovative driver assistance and warning systems such as lane-change assistance, cruise control with automatic distance control and night vision devices have now become available or will be in operation shortly.

To trust is good, to check is better: unlike passenger cars, buses and coaches undergo an official safety inspection every year and are also, depending on the vehicle’s age, given a technical check-over every three months. The density and frequency of checks on buses and drivers in Germany are higher than anywhere else in Europe. Nonetheless, accidents can always happen, and manufacturers, trade associations and operators are therefore fully aware of their special responsibilities.

Bus and coach safety has a highly demanding technical component, but also a human one. Much depends on the drivers of these vehicles. Bus and coach manufacturers, trade associations and operators in Germany are therefore not content merely to comply with legal requirements, but try to ensure that as many drivers as possible receive additional training. This includes attending safety programmes and safety training sessions, driving courses and follow-up seminars. These measures have been an evident success. Well over 15,000 drivers of scheduled-service and school buses and coaches take part in training measures of this kind every year. Bus and coach manufacturers and operators will continue to do everything in their power to ensure that their vehicles remain the safest mode of transport available to the public.

Statement 4: Comfort attracts custom.

Buses and coaches only enjoyed such a success story because they provided an efficient, low-cost and comfortable means of transport. This is still the case: modern buses are equipped to a high standard of comfort, and in the latest coaches the level of equipment can often not be matched by either train or aircraft.

The modern low-floor buses used for local public transport make boarding and alighting easy. The new materials used for their interior decor create a pleasant ambience. Air conditioning keeps the occupants cool even in hot summer weather. New information systems and announcements have been added to the existing displays as part of a comprehensive passenger service package, including details of where to change for connecting services.

The coach has considerable potential in the travel industry. Modern vehicles satisfy the highest comfort standards. Coach tours can be undertaken in high-tech vehicles, with ample space and luxurious conditions to ensure that the passenger arrives relaxed and content. Comfort and convenience on the journey are enhanced by air conditioning, adjustable seat backs, foot-rests, folding tables, video screens and similar items. Kitchen and WC are part of the equipment of a modern long-distance coach.

An EU directive has recently come into force throughout Europe to ensure even higher seating comfort, for instance by calling for minimum legroom of at least 68 centimetres between each seat and the one in front.

Conclusion: Technology is the key

Modern buses and coaches, like passenger cars or trucks, are now high-tech motor vehicles capable of satisfying the most demanding standards. In order to maintain these standards, the industry is investing heavily in research and development. Some 85,000 people are employed in this sector in the German automotive industry, a very high figure compared with other branches of industry. With more than 3,000 patents granted annually, Germany also leads the world; these are developments that benefit the customer directly. Year after year, the German automotive industry spends over 16 billion Euros on maintaining its technological lead; this sum too is a record for any sector of German industry.

From September 21 to 28, 2006, manufacturers and suppliers will be displaying the latest innovations in comfort and convenience, safety and reduced emissions at the International Motor Show (IAA) Commercial Vehicles. These new features will reach the road on new vehicles before long. In addition to buses and coaches, the exhibits will include the latest trucks, delivery vans, pick-ups, special-purpose vehicles, trailers and bodywork, ambulances and fire-fighting vehicles, workshop equipment, the latest products from the parts and accessories industry and modern logistical methods. The ‘IAA Nutzfahrzeuge’, with some 1,200 exhibitors from 40 countries, is not only the world’s leading trade fair for transport and logistics, but also the year’s most important meeting-place for the trade and a window on to future mobility. For more information, please log-on to: www.iaa.de