BVG cuts 44 bus routes due to lack of staff
Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe is thinning out the bus timetables for 44 routes due to staff shortages. As the company announced on Tuesday, line 100, which is in high demand from tourists, will only run every 15 minutes on weekdays instead of every 10 minutes. Lines 200 and 300 will run every 20 minutes. The express bus line X69 will also run every 20 minutes from the timetable change on December 10. Line 310 from Charlottenburg S-Bahn station to Uhlandstraße will be completely discontinued, and line X21 will stop running after 9.00 pm. According to BVG, however, all 6500 bus stops will continue to be served "at regular intervals".
BVG had already announced in mid-November that the timetables would be thinned out. However, it was still unclear which routes would be affected and to what extent. BVG is currently short of around 350 bus drivers. The transport company is already offering 2.5 percent fewer bus kilometers than originally planned. The original plan for the coming year was to operate around 100 million bus kilometers. As a result of the cutbacks, it is now expected to be around 94 million kilometers, i.e. six percent less in total.
The most important changes
- Line 100 will now run every 15 minutes on weekdays. At weekends, the line, which is important for tourism, will run every 10 minutes.
- Line 200 will run every 20 minutes in both directions between Zoologischer Garten and Stadtmitte from mid-December. The 300 bus will run every 20 minutes on all days and along the entire route.
- The M19 bus between Grunewald and Mehringdamm will run every 20 minutes before 7 a.m. and after 9.30 p.m. in future.
- The situation is similar on the M29 line: On weekdays, a 20-minute interval is planned before 7 a.m. and after 11 p.m. On weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the line will run every 10 minutes.
- The BVG also refers to improvements: The M37 line will run more frequently on Sundays in future, and line 162 will be reinforced in the morning hours, according to the company. In future, the U6 line will run at the same frequency as the non-holiday period during all vacations except the summer vacations.
Despite the staff shortages, BVG encourages passengers to use public transportation alternatives like the U6 line, which will maintain its frequency during vacations, excluding summer. Conversely, the traffic on some bus routes, such as line 310, will see significant changes, leading to increased reliance on alternative modes of transport like public buses.
Source: www.dpa.com
