30 high-deck coaches go on tour in Northern Italy

Italian bus companies Autostradale and Stie have taken delivery of a total of 30 Mercedes-Benz Tourismo M/2 touring coaches, Daimler Buses reported. Twenty-five of the vehicles went to Autostradale and five to Stie.

The Tourismo M/2 comes standard with a 10.7 L Mercedes-Benz OM 470 six-cylinder inline engine rated 265 kW. (Photo: Daimler Buses)

The new high-deck touring coaches will be used in Gran Tourismo long-distance services, with the intent to improve connections between major cities, such as Milan, and the airports of northern Italy, and help to revive tourism in the region.

The Tourismo M/2 comes standard with a 10.7 L Mercedes-Benz OM 470 six-cylinder inline engine rated 265 kW and 1,700 Nm torque. Each of the approximately 13-meter-long coaches has 16 rows with seating for 59 passengers. The bus companies have added a wheelchair lift to enable use by passengers with reduced mobility to use the buses.

The 30 Tourismo coaches will be used to serve connecting lines and feeder routes to the airports of northern Italy, helping to emet the high demands and quality awareness of national and international travel customers.

“Our Gran Tourismo buses give customers – international customers in particular – their first impression of public transport in Italy when they arrive at the airport. We feel responsible for this and are proud that these high-quality coaches will boost the good reputation of our country at home and abroad,” said Pierluigi Zoncada, president of Autostradale.

Both bus companies have also signed a six-year Omniplus full-service contract with the aftersales organization of Daimler Buses Italia to keep the new coaches in their long-distance bus fleets in optimal condition at all times.