- Additional setbacks and disruptions in Hamburg's bus services.
Hamburg's Bus Lines Lose Punctuality in First Half of Year
The punctuality of Hamburg's bus services has taken a hit in the first half of the year. Out of the buses operated by Hamburger Hochbahn, 93% managed to stick to their schedules. However, this figure dropped to 94.1% in the first half of 2023, as reported by the Senate in response to a CDU parliamentary group's query.
The punctuality rate for Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH) in the first six months of the year was 86.4%, a decrease from 87.6% in the same period the previous year.
Passenger Numbers Surge by More than 10%
For Hamburger Hochbahn, a bus is considered late if it arrives more than five minutes behind schedule. The VHH, on the other hand, considers delays as minor as three minutes.
In the first half of 2024, the Hochbahn clocked a total of approximately 2.7 million trips. Out of these, 2.1% were either partially or wholly cancelled. VHH passengers had to wait for a bus on 6.6% of their 900,000 trips. The number of bus passengers saw a significant increase, rising from 6.5 to 7.2 million compared to the same period the previous year.
Criticism of Construction Site Management
Dennis Thering, the chairman of the CDU parliamentary group, voiced his displeasure over the decreasing punctuality rates for both Hochbahn and VHH. He pointed out the traffic congestion caused by unorganized and poorly coordinated construction sites.
Despite the increased passenger numbers, Hamburg's bus services continue to struggle with punctuality, as evidenced by the decrease in on-time arrivals. Ensuring punctuality remains a crucial aspect to maintain the satisfaction of bus commuters in Hamburg.
