The North German operator Block Busreisen recently took delivery of a three-axle S517 HD
GERMANY Lower Saxony coach operator Alfred Block, who runs Block Busreisen, has recently purchased a new Setra. The S 517 HD is the first touring coach in the new ComfortClass 500 series which the Ulm-based brand from Daimler AG in Stuttgart has delivered to North Germany. It is also the very first ComfortClass 500 tri-axle model in Germany.
During the handover at the Customer Centre in Neu-Ulm, Alfred Block, who has been a Setra enthusiast since he was a child, said: “Since purchasing an S12 from the first model series 10, our cooperation with the brand has been characterised by unwavering faith in the bus engineering and by great solidarity with the responsible Setra sales team.”
In the S517 HD, which is currently the fifth Setra touring coach in the Husum-based fleet, the manufacturer says that 52 passengers can enjoy comfortable chair-like seats which have a minimum clearance of 83 cm (32 inches) to ensure plenty of legroom. All the seats are fitted with armrests, passenger tables and footrests.
A visible plus point of the ComfortClass 500 is the fact that the interior headroom has been increased to 2100 mm (82 inches). Alfred Block added: “With the wide range of comfort and safety features, the best of the best of which Setra offers in this vehicle concept, it would be wrong to only look at the price.”
At Block Busreisen the Setra touring coaches are in use from the North Cape to Naples and from Ireland to Moscow. The tour operator from Lower Saxony is also active in the regular service sector, and its offering ranges from day, school, city and study trips right through to holiday trips lasting several days. Individual programmes are put together for clubs and societies.
Block Busreisen is the oldest company in the region to offer this all-round service and is now in its third generation. Founded by Louis Block in 1930, the business has been continuously extended, first by son Alfred Block and since 1992 by his son Alfred Block. The representative of the fourth generation is already on board, in the guise of son Jan-Erik.
