The EvoBus GmbH received the 2008 DB Supplier of the Year award in Berlin yesterday from Deutsche Bahn AG. The bus manufacturer impressed the jury with high product quality, outstanding service orientation and it focus on the areas of sustainability and environmental protection in the Road Vehicles category. The award was presented at InnoTrans, the international rail transport trade fair in Berlin.

"We are absolutely delighted to be recognised by such a distinguished client as Deutsche Bahn AG for our work", said Holger Suffel, Head of Sales for EvoBus, at the awards ceremony. "As the market leader in the German and European bus industry, at EvoBus we do everything we can to impress our customers with the best vehicles and the best service in the market. Our highly professional organisation and our perfect customer management help us in these efforts. The DB supplier award is proof that we have achieved this goal", added Suffel.

Since Deutsche Bahn established the two divisions of Bahnbus and Bahnholding in 1982, vehicles from both the EvoBus brands of Mercedes-Benz and Setra have been in use. By the end of the year EvoBus will have delivered a total of around 3500 Mercedes-Benz and 2250 Setra vehicles to the Deutsche Bahn.

Along with recognising the longstanding business relations between the two companies, the jury also honoured EvoBus’s commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. For example, in November 2007 Mercedes-Benz city buses with BlueTec 5 diesel technology received the Blue Angel environmental seal. Vehicles only receive this distinction if they meet Euro 5 engine emission figures, have low noise emissions and do not employ ozone-depleting substances. EvoBus, which is integrated as a wholly owned subsidiary in the Daimler Group, is involved in the planar standard production BlueTec®, Euro IV, Euro 5 and EEV vehicles and is also very active in alternative drive systems. Since 2003 we have covered a distance of over 2 million kilometres worldwide with a total of 36 Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCell vehicles with fuel cell drive - and zero emissions.

Deutsche Bahn CEO Hartmut Mehdorn presented the Deutsche Bahn AG Supplier of the Year award.