- First 3‑axle vehicle in the ComfortClass 500 in Germany
- First Setra ComfortClass 500 coach delivered to North Germany
- Block Busreisen from Husum proud of milestone vehicle S 517 HD
Even as a small child Alfred Block loved watching Setra buses. Today the bus operator from Lower Saxony who runs “Block Busreisen” is himself the owner of a very special vehicle. The S 517 HD is the first touring coach in the new ComfortClass 500 series which the Ulm-based brand from Daimler AG in Stuttgart has delivered to North Germany and also the very first ComfortClass 500 3-axle model in Germany.
During the official handover at the Customer Centre in Neu-Ulm, the Setra enthusiast was unable to hide how proud he is of the milestone vehicle: “Since purchasing an S 12 from the first model series 10 our cooperation with the brand has been characterised by unwavering faith in the bus engineering and by great solidarity with the responsible Setra sales team.”
It was no surprise then that Alfred Block, who collected the luxury coach together with his wide Cornelia and son Jan-Erik, immediately decided in favour of a new-generation vehicle last summer – without taking a test drive. He only sat at the wheel briefly during the official customer presentation: “In our company we are always striving for the latest innovations.” In the S 517 HD, which is currently the fifth Setra touring coach in the Husum fleet, 52 passengers can enjoy comfortable chair-like seats which have a minimum clearance of 83 centimetres to ensure plenty of legroom. All the seats are fitted with armrests, passenger tables and footrests. A visible plus point of the ComfortClass 500 is the fact that the interior headroom has been increased to 2100 mm. Even taller passengers who are sitting on the wall side can now stand up comfortably.
The state-of-the-art three-axle model, whose equipment includes a galley and a DVB‑T tuner for the audio and video system, is driven by an environmentally friendly Euro VI engine and features numerous safety systems. They include the innovative adaptive cruise control with the emergency braking assistance system ABA2, which is fitted with a new radar sensor and automatically brakes the coach, even when stationary obstacles are detected. For Alfred Block there was no pondering about the new Setra: “With the wide range of comfort and safety features, the best of the best of which Setra offers in this vehicle concept, it would be wrong to only look at the price.”
Block Busreisen offers individual programmes for clubs
At Block Busreisen the Setra touring coaches are in use from the North Cape to Naples and from Ireland to Moscow. The tour operator from Lower Saxony is also active in the regular service sector, and its offering ranges from day, school, city and study trips right through to holiday trips lasting several days. Individual programmes are put together for clubs and societies. Block Busreisen is the oldest company in the region to offer this all-round service, and is now in its third generation. Founded by Louis Block in 1930, the business has been continuously extended, first by son Alfred Block and since 1992 by his son Alfred Block. The representative of the fourth generation is already on board, in the guise of son Jan-Erik.
