Six Mercedes-Benz Vito Tourer REF Vehicles for Bavaria

Bavaria has introduced six Mercedes-Benz Vito Tourer vehicles as Rettungseinsatzfahrzeug (REF), presented by Mercedes-Benz and the Bavarian Interior Ministry.

Six new Mercedes-Benz Vito Tourer vehicles are being added to Bavaria’s emergency response system as part of the state’s Rettungseinsatzfahrzeug (REF) concept — a model designed for calls that require quick medical assessment on site but show no immediate signs of life-threatening danger.

The handover took place on 22 January 2026 at the Mercedes-Benz branch in Munich, attended by Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann. The six vehicles will be deployed in selected regions and operated by several aid organisations, including the Bavarian Red Cross, Malteser Hilfsdienst and Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe.

The REF approach targets a growing category of lower-acuity incidents where waiting for a regular doctor is not an option, yet dispatching a full ambulance crew or an emergency physician may be disproportionate. In practice, dispatch is based on structured call-taking: if the integrated control centre’s assessment indicates that hospital transport is unlikely, an REF is sent.

Each REF is staffed by a single Notfallsanitäter who can assess the patient, provide care on scene and request additional resources if the situation turns out to be more serious than expected. The Bavarian model also предусматривает cooperation with KVB so that suitable cases can be directed into the outpatient care pathway.

Local roll-outs illustrate how the project is moving from pilot logic to day-to-day practice. In the Rosenheim area, an expanded trial was announced to begin on 1 November 2025, with the vehicle based in Rosenheim and primarily serving Rosenheim, Kolbermoor and Bad Aibling. In Würzburg, the first REF was formally introduced in December 2025, with initial operations planned from 2 January 2026 as part of a trial set-up intended to test its impact under real conditions.

The six newly delivered REF vehicles are based on the Mercedes-Benz Vito Tourer with a 140 kW (190 hp) engine, all-wheel drive and the 9G-Tronic automatic transmission, aiming to ensure reliable use in poor weather and on difficult terrain. The specification mentioned for these vehicles includes MULTIBEAM LED headlights, a digital interior mirror and modern driver-assistance systems such as active braking support with an intersection function and active lane-keeping support.

Conversion into emergency response vehicles was carried out by Ambulanz Mobile. According to the described set-up, the vehicles are equipped in a way comparable to a Bavarian doctor response vehicle (NEF) and provide ample storage for medical equipment, including oxygen and patient monitoring devices.

If the expanded trial confirms the expected relief effect, the REF concept could become a lasting element of dispatch strategy in areas where demand is rising and hospital transport is not always required. The central question, however, remains whether dispatch and on-scene decision-making can consistently place REF in precisely those cases where it replaces heavier resources rather than adding an unnecessary extra step.