• Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern (VBL AG) deploys a new S 531 DT on the route to Altdorf.
• The Setra TopClass double-decker coach with a glass roof operates on behalf of Auto AG Uri.
• Two special-use spaces are available for wheelchair users.

Leinfelden-Echterdingen/Wülflingen/Lucerne. On behalf of Auto AG Uri, Verkehrsbetriebe Luzern AG (VBL AG) is operating a new S 531 DT on the express bus route from Lucerne to Altdorf. Known as the Tellbus, the Setra double-decker coach connects the two cantonal capitals every day at regular intervals with only one intermediate stop.

Thanks to the direct connection through the Seelisbergtunnel on highway A2, a one-way trip on the route, which is used primarily by commuters, takes just 45 minutes. This makes the gold-and-silver-painted three-axle vehicle faster than rail travel.

New MirrorCam camera system on board

The S 531 DT offers seating for 79 passengers. The Voyage seats with Ambassador upholstery are equipped with comfort headrests, and two club tables are located on the lower deck. The double-decker coach from the Setra TopClass is equipped with the latest safety and driver assistance systems from Daimler Buses. These include MirrorCam. The camera system replaces conventional exterior mirrors and provides the driver with an expanded field of vision via displays mounted inside the vehicle.

In addition, the coach, which is equipped for scheduled service operation, features the Attention Assist system and ABA 6. The latest emergency braking assistant from Daimler Buses uses a combination of short-range and long-range radar sensors as well as a camera and can now perform an automated full-stop braking maneuver at speeds of up to 60 km/h in response to pedestrians in front of the vehicle, oncoming road users, or traffic participants traveling in the same lane.

Two spaces for passengers with reduced mobility

The double-decker coach provides two special-use spaces for passengers with reduced mobility. In addition, the S 531 DT is equipped with several monitors, ensuring that current destination information can be viewed from every seat. Power comes from a 12.8-liter Mercedes-Benz OM 471 engine rated at 375 kW (510 hp), coupled to the fully automated 8-speed GO 250-8 MPS (Powershift) transmission.

For Stefanie Wiederkehr, head of service planning and corporate development at VBL AG, the new S 531 DT meets all requirements for operation on the route, which is more than 40 kilometers long. “With the reliability that customers have come to expect from Setra products, we are delighted to offer Tellbus passengers a high level of comfort with this new coach as well.”