- Stern & Hafferl Verkehrsgesellschaft takes delivery of 21 UL business buses
- Long-established family business wins Europe-wide invitation to tender
- Efficient specification of the UL business variants clinches order
The Austrian company Stern & Hafferl Verkehrsgesellschaft m.b.H., based in Gmunden near Linz, is expanding its fleet with 21 new Setra MultiClass 400 rural-service buses. 14 model S 415 UL business rural-service buses and seven model S 417 UL business buses will be deployed on regular service routes in the Steyr/Kremstal region. The family business, one of the largest private transport companies in the province, had previously won the tender put out across Europe by the Upper Austrian public authorities. The S 415 UL business vehicles all have 45 seats and 36 standing places; the S 417 UL business buses provide seats for 59, and standing places for 15 passengers.
Long-established family business wins Europe-wide invitationto tender
For Managing Director Günter Neumann the tender that has just been won represents another milestone in the 130-year history of the business as well as in the long-standing collaboration with Setra: “The brand is an integral part of the fleet for Stern & Hafferl Verkehr (transport) and Stern & Hafferl Touristik (tourism), both as regular-service buses and as touring coaches. As a family business, we appreciate the good relationship we have with, and the excellent service we get from the very knowledgeable staff at EvoBus. We view the new Setra UL business regular-service model as a very attractive development in the area of public transport tenders, both from a pricing and from a quality point of view.”
Thomas Rohde, Managing Director of EvoBus Austria GmbH, is delighted that Stern & Hafferl, with a total of 21 new Setra UL business buses in service, is one of the first enterprises in Austria to have taken this model: “We are proud that the Setra brand is making an important contribution to the long-term success of Stern & Hafferl with the economical Setra MultiClass UL business vehicles. This large order is, for me, clear proof of the effectiveness of the revised vehicle concept, which offers flexible solutions for all the relevant criteria and requirements in public contracts.”
Stern & Hafferl has one of the largest bus fleets in Upper Austria
Family business Stern & Hafferl, based in Gmunden on Lake Traun, offers a combination of tram, train, bus, coach, ship and freight transport, and thus covers every area of public transport and freight forwarding. The main business activity in the area of buses is operating regular service routes. The company put its first bus into service back in 1928. Stern & Hafferl Verkehr has one of the largest bus fleets in Upper Austria. The fleet comprises 110 vehicles in various categories.
UL business vehicle concept – fewer fittings, more profit
With its economical “business” variant, Setra has extended its range of rural regular-service buses with three models of differing lengths. In conjunction with robust vehicle technology and a fuel-efficient drive system, the Euro VI vehicles are perfectly configured for extremely economic deployment on long-distance routes, for school bus services and also for occasional transfer journeys.
The S 415 UL business, S 416 UL business and S 417 UL business two-axle vehicles incorporate all of the strengths of the established Setra MultiClass range, and score highly in terms of robust individual components which guarantee a long service life and high level of availability. In addition, they feature a host of modern safety standards such as Brake Assist (BA), guarantee roll-over resistance in accordance with ECE-R66 and meet all European statutory requirements.
