Rural Bavaria cuts bus services as municipalities face budget pressure

Municipalities across Bavaria are cutting public transport services as they try to reduce spending, with routes being discontinued or running less frequently, BR reported. The changes often affect only a small number of passengers but can have serious consequences for those who depend on the buses.

In Dunsdorf, a village that is part of Kipfenberg in the Eichstätt district, the bus stop has been largely deserted since July 31. Buses now run only on school days and only a few times a day. Previously, local routes served Dunsdorf, Biberg and Krut.

Carmen Gros, who works 15 kilometres away in Ingolstadt, used to take the bus. She has now cancelled her Deutschlandticket and drives instead. “Politically, that is not really what is wanted, and when we think about the climate, it is not the right way either,” she said.

Anne Marie Hunyadi has no driving licence and works as a cleaner in Ingolstadt. She used to rely on the bus and is now desperate. The Flexibus, a demand-responsive bus that comes when booked, is often fully booked if she makes a reservation one day in advance, she said.

Reaching Schelldorf requires a three-kilometre journey along a narrow, hilly road. For 80-year-old Therese Finnie, walking the route is not an option, particularly in summer heat or possible winter snow. “I cannot manage that,” she said.

Lines cut across Bavaria

The Eichstätt district office said low passenger demand and rising public transport costs were putting municipalities under financial pressure. Ending the service to Krut, Dunsdorf and Biberg is expected to save the district of Eichstätt and the city of Ingolstadt 373,000 euros a year.

Other regions have also reduced services. In the Freising district, routes have been merged and cut. In the Oberallgäu district, commuters campaigned to preserve a bus route in Oy-Mittelberg. As an emergency measure, route 63 between Kempten and Nesselwang will continue in reduced form with five services a day for one year.

The Oberallgäu district office said passenger numbers and their development would be monitored and assessed during the coming year. A decision on the route’s future will then be made on that basis.

More funding needed

Robert Frank of the Greater Ingolstadt Transport Association, which is responsible for the regional public transport service, said the expansion or reduction of services depended on municipalities’ financial situation. If economic conditions improved and municipalities had more money, there would be scope to restore routes, he said.

Public transport is a voluntary municipal service, according to Frank. He said federal and state funding had not been increased for years, while labour, energy and fuel costs had risen sharply.

Decisions to discontinue a route depend on several factors, including passenger numbers, operating costs, alternative options and school transport requirements. Frank said work was under way to improve the demand-responsive bus system.

Researchers at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt have been conducting studies on demand-responsive buses with the Greater Ingolstadt Transport Association for several years. Mobility researcher Pirmin Fontaine described the Flexibus as a middle way between a scheduled bus and a taxi.