Mercedes-Benz Conecto, Manual

Page: 36 / 268

Operation
Braking and stopping
Braking and stopping
When the bus is driven over long
downhill stretches, you should make
use of the braking effect of the en-
gine by shifting into a lower gear.
Use the integrated retarder in ac-
cordance with the manufacturer's
operating instructions to relieve the
service brake of load.
Note:
Except for emergencies, the service brake
does not usually need to be applied
sharply.
Danger.
Always apply the parking brake before
you disembark the bus. On uphill or
downhill gradients, you must also place
wheel chocks at the wheels and turn the
steering towards the kerb.
Switch off the engine using the igni-
tion switch.
Brakes with anti-locking protection
In the event of danger, the brake
pedal should be fully depressed. This
guarantees that all wheels are regu-
lated and the bus decelerates optim-
ally.
On a slippery road surface, you
should also declutch so that the
braking effect of the engine cannot
affect the ABS control intervention.
Note:
The retarder is automatically deactivated
for the duration of an ABS control inter-
vention.
Danger.
The anti-locking protection of ABS does
not relieve the driver of the responsibility
for adopting a driving style which takes
traffic and road conditions into account.
The directional stability and steerability
of the bus are improved under braking.
However, the anti-locking protection is
unable to avert the consequences of driv-
26
CONECTO (C628.3--)/08.2007 GB