Daimler is to showcase the longest-ever Mercedes-Benz bus at the UITP Congress, the world congress for transport operators, to be held in Milan from June 8-10. The event will see transport operators from all over the world, keen to keep abreast of developments.

According to Hartmut Schick, head of Daimler Buses, "Already today, more than half of the world's population lives in cities. Buses are the most effective way to give large numbers of people mobility, and therefore allow them to be part of their social surroundings".

Daimler says the new Mercedes-Benz CapaCity L is a further solution to the high density of traffic in cities. The longest complete Mercedes-Benz of all has a length of 21 metres and can carry up to 191 passengers. This XXL bus is therefore able to replace around 50 passenger cars on the roads, relieving urban traffic congestion. The new large-capacity bus is not only enormous in size, but also enormously cost-effective and environmentally friendly: when filled to capacity it consumes less than 0.5 litres of diesel fuel per 100 kilometres per passenger. This probably makes it the world's most economical diesel powered bus.

Passenger numbers using urban public transport are increasing worldwide. The UITP (Union internationale des Transports Public) estimates an increase of around 10 percent in the EU since 2000, a trend which is continuing to rise. On average, every city-dweller in the EU makes use of public transport 132 times per year.

The CapaCity L is the ideal bus for BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) systems. BRT systems use their own lanes and are much faster, less expensive and more flexibly usable than rail systems. Daimler says it has an in-house department supporting the introduction of BRT systems. Its experts are in action worldwide, and involved in transport systems in Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, Strasbourg and Istanbul, for example. At present their focus in on Japan, where they wish to resolve the transport problems accompanying the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.