Omniplus: Digital services for greater safety and efficiency

• Over-the-air system updates without workshop visit
• Optimized charging processes thanks to Omniplus On Remote Control Functions
• Digital Services Package: On the road with digital services right from the start
• Omniplus On Battery Monitoring: For longer battery service life
• Omniplus On Uptime pro: Improved vehicle availability for bus fleets
• Improved consumption overview on Omniplus On monitor
• Data packages for data use in existing fleet management systems
• TiGR data interface according to international ITxPT standard available with Omniplus

Bus customers of the Mercedes‑Benz and Setra brands benefit from the comprehensive services of Omniplus, the service brand of Daimler Buses. This also applies in particular to operators of electric buses such as the eCitaro, eCitaro G, eCitaro K, and eCitaro fuel cell, as well as the eIntouro in the future. After all, Omniplus not only has the largest bus‑specific service network in Europe. The network of specialized eBus service centers with employees qualified for high‑voltage work and the corresponding technical equipment already comprises over 120 eBus service centers in Europe and is constantly growing.

In addition, digital services are becoming increasingly important, as they offer the opportunity to make bus operations even more efficient, economical, and safe. With its Omniplus On portal, Daimler Buses already offers a wide range of digital services: From online remote diagnosis Uptime and Uptime pro to location services, consumption and driving analyses, and Remote Control Functions for electric buses. Virtual data interfaces, so-called data packages, for customers with their own fleet management and control system, also in standardized manner as with the ITxPT TiGR standard, as well as interfaces between Omniplus online spare parts ordering and customer-specific merchandise management systems complement the digital offering of Omniplus.

But that’s not all: Omniplus is constantly expanding its range of digital services and is currently adding further services to its range.

Over-the-air system updates without workshop visit

Daimler Buses is the first bus manufacturer in Europe to present a bus on which so‑called over‑the‑air updates can be carried out. Software updates can be transferred to the vehicle via the mobile network using the standard Bus Data Center communication module and installed without a workshop visit. A prerequisite for over‑the‑air updates is a new electronics architecture that is available for the first time in the new eIntouro. The update capability is not limited to necessary security updates. General software updates and changed settings can also be installed in this way without great expense. This ensures that the vehicle receives important security and software updates promptly. And even the activation of optional retrofit functions is possible with over-the-air updates. Updates are controlled via the digital Omniplus On portal. If an update is available, the fleet manager receives a message and can then release individual vehicles for the update. The desired time for installation can also be selected in the portal. The installation only takes place when the vehicle is stationary and the required system requirements have been met. Over‑the‑air updates reduce the installation effort for the software and improve vehicle availability, as a workshop visit is no longer required.

Optimized charging processes thanks to Omniplus On Remote Control Functions

Omniplus On offers operators of electric bus fleets the option of operational vehicle preparation with the digital, bidirectional Remote Control Functions service. This allows electric buses to be charged and preconditioned precisely to the minute without great expense. This also includes selecting the type of preconditioning such as heating, cooling or ventilation. The digital service for electric bus fleets works independently of the charging infrastructure and helps to increase the range of the vehicle and the service life of the batteries. It is also possible to limit the system to a specified maximum charge level in order to conserve the battery, as well as to set the scheduled departure time of each individual bus in order to have the full battery charge available for operation. In the eCitaro fuel cell, the operating modes can also be set via Remote Control Functions. Remote Control Functions is an optional component of the Omniplus On digital service. This digital service can also be used via an interface (API) with the customer’s own fleet and charging management systems. This offers transport companies the advantage that no communication via the charging station is required with OCPP.

Digital Services Package: On the road with digital services right from the start

In order to convince as many customers as possible of the benefits of digital services and to make digital services even more easily accessible to customers, Daimler Buses is temporarily offering a Digital Services Package as a free option for all newly delivered buses. Buyers of new diesel vehicles of the Mercedes‑Benz and Setra brands receive free access to the digital services included in the package for three years. For newly delivered battery‑electric eCitaro, eCitaro fuel cell, and eIntouro, customers can use the digital services free of charge for six years. After the end of the period, customers will have the option of continuing to use the services at a reduced package price.

Omniplus On Battery Monitoring: Now with new emergency call function

A new digital service from Omniplus is the Omniplus On Battery Monitoring system. The service provides a quick overview of the condition of the high‑voltage batteries in the Mercedes-Benz electric bus fleet and proactively helps to extend the battery service life and avoid battery damage. The evaluation and measurement of Battery Monitoring is based, among other things, on battery‑relevant key figures such as battery type, mileage, age, battery cell temperature, state of health, and many more.

With the Battery Monitoring service, the fleet operator not only receives detailed information on the condition of the high‑voltage batteries in each vehicle, but also concrete recommendations for handling the high‑voltage battery with care and extending its service life. For example, the system recognizes when a bus is stationary for a long time with fully charged batteries and recommends that the battery is not fully charged until shortly before the next planned start of the journey in order to conserve the battery. The digital battery monitoring system also detects other factors, such as the maximum discharge level or excessive temperatures, and recommends suitable measures. This prevents damage to the battery.

To further protect the battery and avoid serious consequences, Daimler Buses is introducing a new emergency call function in the digital service Omniplus On Battery Monitoring for Busworld Europe 2025. If the temperature and other parameters of the high‑voltage battery unexpectedly exceed certain limit values, the horn and hazard warning lights are switched on in the vehicle and a pop-up message appears in the driver’s display. At the same time, the warning is transmitted to the Omniplus On portal and a telephone number previously stored by the customer is called in order to inform them immediately about the malfunction. Serious damage can be avoided in this way. The new emergency call function of Battery Monitoring is recognized by many insurance companies as a fire prevention measure.

The Battery Monitoring service can be booked in the Omniplus On portal for each vehicle.

As a free service, Omniplus offers Warranty Status for all eCitaro and eCitaro fuel cell buses. This service provides detailed insights into the warranty status of the battery and helps to avoid possible warranty violations. In addition to details about the vehicle and the battery, the customer is shown which services are covered by the warranty, how long the warranty is valid, which warranty conditions must be fulfilled and which warranty violations have occurred so far.

Omniplus On Uptime pro: Improved vehicle availability for bus fleets

One of the services that makes a significant contribution to improving availability and reducing TCO is Omniplus On Uptime pro. This digital solution permanently monitors all relevant vehicle systems and is now part of the freely available Digital Services Package for both diesel and electric buses from Daimler Buses. Omniplus On Uptime pro provides both fleet management and the workshop with important diagnostic information in real time.

The service provides the workshop with detailed diagnostic data in addition to viewable data and analyses, which thus helps the workshop prepare for upcoming work, bundle repairs and maintenance, and optimize servicing times. In the web-based Omniplus On Portal, the workshop has access to a full remote diagnosis with all active and stored faults as well as freeze frame data, without having to physically connect to the vehicle’s diagnostic device as before. In addition, dispatchers have access to real-time information related to every message on the driver’s display and to critical status values in the respective vehicle – meaning there are no misunderstandings between drivers and dispatchers.

Improved consumption overview on Omniplus On monitor

The digital service Omniplus On monitor is used to monitor and optimize consumption values. It can do more than record and analyze the consumption of buses and touring coaches with combustion engines. Omniplus On monitor can also precisely evaluate the eCitaro’s energy consumption and display this in the Omniplus On portal. For all drive types, consumption can now be evaluated separately according to traction and auxiliary consumers, like the heating or air conditioning system. This allows for a better comparison of individual vehicles and, if required, the introduction of suitable measures to reduce energy consumption, e.g. targeted driver training.

Data packages for data use in existing fleet management systems

The demand of transport companies for additional vehicle data is increasing rapidly, especially in the e‑mobility field. Omniplus On provides operators with different data packages as required. The range extends from 90 to over 350 data points. In addition, the health status can be recorded by a full remote diagnosis. Transport companies with an existing telematics and fleet management system can thus integrate the vehicle data relevant to them into their systems via an interface – easily and without retrofitting additional hardware.

The data points have been thoroughly checked. They meet the highest quality standards as well as certification according to the latest cyber security standards to be further processed in the operator’s system landscape and used for analysis purposes, including by the telematics providers commissioned by the transport companies. More than 15 major European telematics, ITS, and charging management providers are already involved in this pioneering technology for data transfer and processing.

TiGR data interface according to international ITxPT standard available with Omniplus

Daimler Buses is offering its customers a data interface for remote bus monitoring that has been certified according to the internationally universal ITxPT standard: The virtual data interface Telediagnostic for intelligent Garage in Real time (TiGR). Thanks to the harmonized interface with a universal transmission protocol, transport operators can simplify vehicle analyses and obtain a homogeneous database for their entire fleet.

Data Package ITxPT TiGR from Omniplus On is available for all Mercedes‑Benz and Setra buses. With this new, virtual data interface, transport companies are now able to communicate optimally with all ITxPT-compliant devices in the back office. Another advantage: Important data points such as consumption or the number of door openings are already calculated and sent. This facilitates data processing and increases added value.