The WIKING model of the Mercedes-Benz O 305 is reminiscent of a change in strategy towards more safety in road traffic - public transportation was supposed to become more eye-catching. In the late seventies, the familiar bus beige slowly but surely gave way to more individual colour schemes that public transportation authorities in many places had chosen for their fleet in a bid to make it stand out and draw more attention. Numerous operators switched to a wide, all-around central belt with a bright colour, while painting the base and the roof part white. With the O 305, Mercedes-Benz managed to introduce a new type of city bus and to quickly make it ubiquitous in Germany’s streetscapes. Before production ended in 1985, a total of 16,000 O 305 buses rolled off the lines. Nearly all major local transit companies successfully operated with the O 305 for many years.

Body white, black-grey chassis with slate grey interior. Headlamps and Mercedes-Benz star painted silver. Bumper, imprinted black. Fire red flank design. Silver Mercedes-Benz star on the rear and tail lights imprinted red.