They stand out at 18 metres long and with their bright yellow paintwork: in the towns of Liège (Luik/Lüttich), Mons and Nivelles in Wallonia, Belgium, the first of a total of 129 new Mercedes-Benz Citaro G hybrid articulated buses are in operation. The operator is the TEC Group transport company. This is one of the largest orders for articulated buses in recent years. The vehicles will be delivered by summer of this year. The delivery also includes a comprehensive service contract valid for eight years. The Citaro G hybrid for the TEC Group is comfortable, safe and environmentally friendly: the compact hybrid module reduces fuel consumption and therefore CO2 emissions of articulated buses by up to 8.5 percent.

The new Citaro G hybrid buses for the TEC Group are extensively equipped. Depending on the type of operation, they have three doors (suburban operation) or four doors (inner-city operation). Passengers with limited mobility can board with the help of an electrically powered cassette lift. Customers enjoy a friendly and fully air-conditioned interior. The flooring has a wooden appearance and the seats with comfortably high backrests are covered in composition leather-fibre material in a cheerful shade of red. USB ports supply passengers' personal devices with charging power.

Drivers sit behind an all-glass cab door. They are assisted by the active brake assistance system, Preventive Brake Assist and Sideguard Assist which gives support when turning, both with pedestrian detection.

The Belgian public transport corporation Transport en Commun, TEC Group for short, is responsible for local public transport in the Walloon Region of the kingdom of Belgium. The TEC Group employs a staff of about 5200, of whom approximately 3200 are drivers. There are almost 2400 buses in operation, plus a few trains. The TEC Group operates 767 routes and transports approximately 150 million passengers every year.