Styrian Red Cross starts replacing its ambulances

The Styrian Red Cross has put its first new Volkswagen Transporter-based ambulance into service, starting a rollout of 21 vehicles to improve emergency medical services, ORF reported.

The new vehicles will gradually replace the Volkswagen T6, which has been a familiar sight on the region’s roads for almost a decade.

The new generation includes additional driver-assistance systems to improve road safety and redesigned seats that provide more cockpit space and better working conditions during long shifts. Lower fuel consumption is also expected to make operations more economical.

Helmut Schellnegger, the Styrian Red Cross’s regional director, said the organisation’s vehicles travel nearly 18 million kilometres a year, making improvements to daily operations significant. He said the new models were designed to combine safety, working conditions and cost-effectiveness.

Managing almost 400 vehicles used in emergency medical services involves more than purchasing and maintaining them, said Felix Kapper, head of fleet and central services. He said vehicles were becoming larger, heavier and more technically complex, while regulations continued to change.

Jonas Hohenecker, head of fleet management, said an ambulance serves as an emergency response vehicle, a workplace and a place where patients receive care.