Enter eMobility with BusStore.
A used Mercedes-Benz eCitaro for Stadtwerke Eberbach.
Stadtwerke Eberbach is taking an unusual path in converting its bus fleet from diesel to electric vehicles. You decided on a used vehicle from BusStore - more precisely, a Mercedes-Benz eCitaro - at the entrance to electric mobility. The experts from Daimler Buses not only procured the eBus, but also provided support with the necessary infrastructure. An all-round carefree package that municipal utilities particularly appreciate.
Transformation of the bus fleet as a challenge.
The transport companies of Stadtwerke Eberbach operate city bus and school bus services in the Neckartal valley, which comprise nine lines in the city area and are handled by six buses from their own fleet. On weekdays, the city buses operate every half hour, plus booster trips in school traffic. A fairly strong transport offer that the municipal utilities are successful as a comparatively small transport company. The big challenge: driving forward the switch from diesel to electric bus in parallel with day-to-day operations. And this is as economical as possible.
As a smaller transport company, it was important for us to take a step-by-step approach to converting the bus fleet to emission-free drive systems.
Michael Sigmund, Head of Municipal Relations at Stadtwerke Eberbach
Gain experience with electromobility.
To overcome this challenge, Eberbach decided to take a step-by-step approach to switching to electric mobility. Part of this strategy is to gain initial experience with an eBus in order to use the knowledge gained to drive forward the further transition. “We wanted to start small and learn with the first vehicle,” says Dirk Renn, head of the transport companies in Eberbach. In their search for a suitable vehicle, the Eberbach municipal utilities quickly came across BusStore and decided to buy a used Mercedes-Benz eCitaro.
A Mercedes-Benz eCitaro from BusStore.
The choice fell on an eCitaro, built in 2018. The twelve-metre-long eBus is equipped with NMC1 batteries and was used as a demonstration and trade fair vehicle in its previous life. An eBus that offers the perfect entrance to eMobility both technologically and economically. In the last third of 2025, the eCitaro went into operation in Eberbach and had to drive in wintry conditions in the first few months of operation. A tough test for the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro and the municipal utilities, which the Eberbacher and the bus passed with flying colours. Today, the eBus is successfully operating on the various lines in Eberbach. The used bus masters the steep climbs in the Neckar Valley without any problems - and with the first-generation NMC1 batteries. But the switch to the new drive technology is not yet complete with just a used eBus.
Support beyond vehicle purchase.
The entrance to electric mobility means much more than the purchase of an electric bus. A new charging infrastructure needs to be set up, drivers and employees at the depot need to be trained, workshops and maintenance needs to be converted to electric mode - and all of this needs to be financed solidly. BusStore will assist you with these steps by providing expert advice or providing the appropriate contacts. Here it pays off for BusStore, as part of Daimler Buses, to have access to the support of Daimler Buses Solutions (DBS) or OMNIplus.
Regardless of the topic, we at BusStore have always felt very good.
Dirk Renn, Head of Transport Operations in Eberbach
Driver training, charging infrastructure and financing.
The conversions to make the demonstration vehicle fit for use on the Eberbacher city bus lines and the training of the drivers for use with the eCitaro were carried out directly by Daimler Buses. This is an important point, as Dirk Renn emphasises, because on the one hand, the know-how is conveyed to the drivers and, on the other hand, the afraid of the eBus is taken away. Eberbach also benefits from the expertise of the eBus experts when choosing the charging infrastructure. At the start, a mobile charger is used at the depot, which is completely sufficient for the first eCitaro. However, at the latest from the third electric bus, the company intends to convert or rebuild to install a fixed charging infrastructure for a growing electric bus fleet. The eBus is financed via a leasing model that was chosen in exchange with BusStore. Compared to direct purchase or financing, the concept scores points with flexibility, planning certainty and low initial costs thanks to fixed instalments.
The second eCitaro also comes from BusStore.
Since the start, the municipal utilities have been in close contact with BusStore. If any questions or minor problems arise - as is usual when switching to a new technology - fast support is always guaranteed. Following their good experiences with the first eCitaro, Stadtwerke Eberbach is taking the next step in the transition to electric mobility - of course together with BusStore. The second electric bus will also come from the used bus experts, this time from France. It is a Mercedes-Benz eCitaro built in 2022, equipped with NMC2 batteries.
I would take a used electric bus anytime. This is particularly recommended for small transport companies.
Dirk Renn, Head of Transport Operations in Eberbach