Customer loyalty: Setra S Bus Stays in the Family

Coach operator Midia Tours of Munich takes delivery of flagship Setra S 517 HDH with TopSky panoramic glass roof

The story of Midia Tours began 53 years ago with a Setra S 10 from model series 10

NEU-ULM -- July 21, 2015: Coach operator Midia Tours of Munich has taken delivery of its 24th coach at the Setra Customer Centre in Neu-Ulm. The exclusive Setra TopClass S 517 HDH has joined what is a long tradition of Setra coaches at Midia Tours. Senior partner and company founder Athanasios Liontos (82), who travelled specifically to the handover ceremony for the coach, began his business operations 53 years ago in Greece with a Setra S 10. And when he saw the blue-and-white S 10, named "Der liebe Augustin" ["Dear Augustin"], in the delivery hall of the Customer Centre, he was overwhelmed with memories. "It was with just such an S 10 that I started out back then. It is still part of my operations, in Levadia near Athens, and has clocked up hundreds of thousands of kilometres. I look after this vehicle and cherish it as a reminder of when I started the company, and sometimes I still take it out for a short excursion".

In the meantime, his son Kostas Liontos has taken over the running of Midia Tours in Munich. The coach operator provides long-distance and circular tours throughout Europe. To date the company has been operating 18 touring coaches in Munich, comprising such models as the GT-HD, HDH and DT. Six coaches are deployed in Greece. In the foreseeable future, registration of the 25th Setra, a vehicle from the ComfortClass 500, is set to mark the replacement of currently the oldest vehicle in the fleet, a S 315 GT-HD with wheelchair lift. This new coach is also to be fitted out to be fully accessible.

The current delivered model, an S 517 HDH with TopSky panoramic glass roof, is one of three TopClass 500 vehicles which the company has brought into service in 2015. According to the father-and-son team of Athanasios Liontos and Kostas, the unwavering customer loyalty spanning 53 years is down to the very good contacts with the Neu-Ulm-based bus manufacturer, the customer service provided by Setra, and the quality and value which, according to the pair, "are unique at Setra".