Thrasher adds Setra S 417s for Mercedes Benz contract
The purchase from MCI follows the operators' 2013 win on a four-year contract to provide transportation services to the Daimler division’s Brand Immersion Experience, a program that will bring some 26,000 Mercedes employees to the plant in Vance, Ala., and other Birmingham-area locations by 2017.
The Birmingham, Ala.-based tour and charter operator Thrasher Brothers Trailways recently purchased four new Setra S 417 luxury coaches from MCI to serve one of the oldest global names in Alabama’s manufacturing explosion: Mercedes Benz.
The purchase follows Thrasher Brothers’ 2013 win on a four-year contract to provide transportation services to the Daimler division’s Brand Immersion Experience, a program that will bring some 26,000 Mercedes employees to the plant in Vance, Ala., and other Birmingham-area locations by 2017.
The coaches offer the signature luxury for which Setra is known, offering features such as power outlets at every seat, along with wood-grain flooring and other high-end aesthetic touches.
Setra joined the Daimler family of brands in 1995. MCI acquired Setra’s North American distribution rights in July 2012 and supports Setra coaches with an extensive parts and service network, featuring house-managed tech support and trained Setra technicians who work to help operators achieve maximum coach uptime.
In addition, the Pottsville, Penn.-based R&J Transportation added a brand-new MCI J4500, featuring state-of-the-art REI entertainment system, Wi-Fi, a wheelchair lift and a low-emission Detroit Diesel engine.
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