OMNIplus ON: digital services for more efficient, safer and more transparent operations

• Over-the-air updates without a workshop visit
• OMNIplus ON Remote Control Functions: operational preparation of electric buses
• Digital Services Package: digital services from day one
• OMNIplus ON Battery Monitoring: battery protection and service life
• OMNIplus ON Uptime pro: improved fleet availability
• OMNIplus ON monitor: insights into fleet consumption and performance
• OMNIplus ON monitor location services plus: zone-based speed control
• Data Packages for customers’ own fleet management systems
• TiGR interface in accordance with the international ITxPT standard
• Digitalisation at the service of the operator

Digitalisation has become a key factor in improving efficiency, availability and safety in bus and coach operations. Through OMNIplus ON, Daimler Buses offers an ecosystem of digital services that gives operators access to relevant information about their vehicles, helps anticipate maintenance requirements, optimise consumption and manage their fleets with greater precision.

The OMNIplus ON portal brings together services such as remote diagnostics, vehicle monitoring, consumption and driving analyses, location services, remote control for electric buses and Data Packages for customers’ own fleet management systems. These services are available for Mercedes-Benz and Setra vehicles and are particularly relevant for electric buses, where battery management, charging planning and operational availability have a direct impact on day-to-day efficiency.

Over-the-air updates without a workshop visit

Daimler Buses is the first bus manufacturer in Europe to present a bus capable of receiving over-the-air software updates. The function makes its debut in the new Mercedes-Benz eIntouro, thanks to a new electronics architecture.

Updates are transmitted to the vehicle via the mobile network using the Bus Data Center communication module and can be installed without a workshop visit. They are not limited to security updates, but also include general software updates and configuration changes.

The process is managed through the OMNIplus ON portal. When an update is available, the fleet manager receives a notification, can authorise it for specific vehicles and select the installation time. The update is only carried out when the vehicle is stationary and the necessary technical requirements are met. Over-the-air updates therefore reduce the effort required to install software and help improve vehicle availability by avoiding trips to the workshop.

OMNIplus ON Remote Control Functions: operational preparation of electric buses

OMNIplus ON offers electric fleet operators the bidirectional Remote Control Functions service, which enables precise scheduling of charging and preconditioning for electric buses, including heating, cooling and ventilation. This allows the vehicle to begin service at the desired interior temperature and with the battery prepared, without using that energy at the start of the route.

The system also operates independently of the charging infrastructure, helps increase range and battery service life, allows a maximum state of charge to be set to protect the batteries and enables the planned departure time of each vehicle to be defined. It can also be integrated via API with the customer’s own fleet and charging management system.

Digital Services Package: digital services from day one

To make digitalisation more accessible, Daimler Buses is temporarily offering the Digital Services Package free of charge for newly delivered buses. New Mercedes-Benz and Setra diesel vehicles include three years of free access to these services, while the eCitaro, eCitaro fuel cell and eIntouro include six years. Once this period has ended, customers can continue using the services at a reduced price.

This enables operators to incorporate digital services from the very beginning of the vehicle’s operational life, without entry barriers and with a more comprehensive view of the condition and performance of their fleet.

OMNIplus ON Battery Monitoring: battery protection and service life

OMNIplus ON Battery Monitoring provides a quick overview of the condition of the high-voltage batteries in the Mercedes-Benz electric bus fleet and proactively helps extend their service life and prevent damage.

The assessment is based on various battery-relevant parameters, including battery type, mileage, age, cell temperature, state of health and other technical indicators. Operators not only receive detailed information on the condition of the batteries in each vehicle, but also specific recommendations to help extend their service life.

OMNIplus ON Battery Monitoring also includes a new emergency warning function. If the temperature and other parameters of the high-voltage battery unexpectedly exceed certain limit values, the vehicle horn and hazard warning lights are activated and a message appears on the driver’s display. At the same time, the warning is transmitted to the OMNIplus ON portal and a telephone number previously registered by the customer is called to provide immediate notification of the incident.

OMNIplus ON Uptime pro: improved fleet availability

OMNIplus ON Uptime pro improves vehicle availability and helps reduce total cost of ownership by continuously monitoring relevant vehicle systems and providing fleet management and workshops with real-time diagnostic information.

The service gives workshops access to complete remote diagnostics, including active and stored faults and context data, without the need to physically connect the vehicle to diagnostic equipment. This helps workshops prepare for upcoming work, combine repair and maintenance tasks and optimise service times.

In addition, operations managers can view messages from the driver’s display and critical status values for each vehicle in real time, enabling faster and more precise decision-making.

OMNIplus ON monitor: insights into fleet consumption and performance

OMNIplus ON monitor enables operators to monitor and optimise the consumption of buses and coaches with both combustion engines and electric drivetrains, while also displaying energy consumption in the OMNIplus ON portal.

It also allows the energy used for traction and for auxiliary consumers, such as heating or air conditioning, to be analysed separately. This enables more accurate comparisons between vehicles and supports the implementation of measures to reduce consumption.

OMNIplus ON monitor location services plus: zone-based speed control

OMNIplus ON monitor location services plus incorporates a speed-based zone management function that uses position data to centrally control that Mercedes-Benz and Setra buses do not exceed a predefined speed when entering specified areas.

The configuration is transmitted to the vehicles and, when a bus enters the zone, the system alerts the driver and automatically activates the speed limiter, gently reducing the vehicle’s speed until the defined limit is reached. The function remains operational even if the mobile connection is temporarily interrupted, as the information is stored in the vehicle itself. If the traffic situation requires it, the driver can temporarily override the speed restriction using the accelerator kickdown function. Once the vehicle leaves the zone, unrestricted acceleration becomes available again.

In this way, the system helps increase road safety, reduce the driver’s workload and avoid incidents, complaints or penalties caused by speeding, particularly in sensitive areas such as city centres, school zones or sections with specific speed restrictions.

Data Packages for customers’ own fleet management systems

OMNIplus ON offers a range of Data Packages that allow vehicle information to be integrated into customers’ own telematics or fleet management systems, an increasingly important requirement, particularly in e-mobility.

The packages include between 90 and more than 350 data points and enable relevant information to be transferred to the operator’s platforms without additional hardware. The data has been reviewed, meets high quality standards and is certified in accordance with the latest cybersecurity requirements. More than 15 major European providers of telematics, ITS and charging management solutions already use this technology for data transfer and processing.

TiGR interface in accordance with the international ITxPT standard

OMNIplus ON provides a data interface for remote bus monitoring certified in accordance with the international ITxPT standard: TiGR (Telediagnostic for intelligent Garage in Real time). Thanks to this harmonised interface and a universal transmission protocol, operators can simplify vehicle analysis and use a consistent database across the entire fleet.

The ITxPT TiGR Data Package is available for Mercedes-Benz and Setra buses and enables vehicles to communicate with ITxPT-compatible devices in the operator’s back-office systems. Relevant data such as consumption or the number of door openings is already calculated and transmitted, making it easier to process and more useful for day-to-day operations.

Digitalisation at the service of the operator

With OMNIplus ON, Daimler Buses extends its service concept beyond the workshop with digital solutions that help anticipate incidents, optimise consumption, protect batteries, improve availability and integrate data into the operator’s own systems.

Combined with the OMNIplus service network and traditional aftersales services, OMNIplus ON reinforces Daimler Buses’ role as a comprehensive partner for more efficient and transparent fleet management.