Austria From autumn 2013, passengers boarding a bus in Vienna stand a good chance of reaching their destination in one of the city’s most modern and comfortable buses. Wiener Linien is refurbishing its fleet with 217 Euro 6 Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses – all of them fitted with the new DIWA.6 automatic transmission. The Voith transmission has been tailored for the modern Euro 6 driveline and ensures economical operation – even in the difficult stop-start traffic of the Austrian capital.
Every day, thousands of Viennese use the city’s public transport facilities. With about 600 vehicles on 132 routes, Wiener Linien keeps the city on the move. As part of a fleet modernisation, 217 Mercedes- Benz Citaro buses are now entering operation. In a first step, half of the fleet will be replaced by 2016.
The procurement of about 140 articulated and nearly 70 single deck buses was preceded by intensive scientific investigations, in order to find the most economical and resource-sparing drive concept for the capital. After a Europe-wide tender, Wiener Linien decided in favour of a new vehicle supplier and a new drive concept. This change does, however, not affect the choice of transmission used for the majority of Vienna’s buses: since 2,000 all vehicles of Wiener Linien drive with Voith transmissions.
Compared with its predecessor model, the latest transmission generation from Voith saves another 5% of fuel. This is made possible by the need-based reduction of the operating pressure and an intelligent start-up management. The newly designed housing reduces vibrations and consequently cuts down on noise emissions. This makes the DIWA.6 the optimum transmission for even the strictest emission requirements.
In addition, Wiener Linien also use the modern telemetric system DIWA SmartNet. The system’s continuous transmission monitoring facility allows a permanent overview of the condition of the transmission via mobile radio. As a result, downtimes are reduced, possibilities for preventive maintenance are created and the availability of the buses is increased.
The customer’s decision was also primarily based on the successful and equally proven Voith service concept. Voith has been supporting the operator on site for many decades and offers customer-oriented solutions tailored to Wiener Linien’s specific requirements.
Voith and Wiener Linien have enjoyed a long-standing relationship since 1954. The market share of Voith in the Austrian citybus sector is about 90%. DIWA transmissions have become a popular choice for interurban buses in mainland Europe. Indeed, a key customer is ÖBB Postbus, which has been specifying the gearbox for its high-floor interurban vehicles since 2002.
