Parents seek more capacity on overcrowded school bus

Parents in Samerberg, in the district of Rosenheim, are calling for an extra bus after children reported being unable to hold on safely on an overcrowded morning service, BR reports.

The public transport line 337 passes through Samerberg once early each morning, serving a Realschule, a secondary school, in Brannenburg and a Gymnasium, an academic secondary school, in Raubling. The journey takes more than half an hour. Parents of more than 30 children have formed an initiative, saying the bus route is narrow, winding and partly downhill, making overcrowding especially risky in winter conditions.

Twelve-year-old Antonia Lindner said many handrails were too high for her to reach, while other children crowded around the bars. Ten-year-old Johann Link said he had nearly fallen into his friend’s face during an emergency stop. Parents have shared photos showing children with large school bags packed into the aisle and standing near the driver.

The parents asked the Rosenheim district office for an additional bus. They said their priority was for more children to have seats and for those standing to be able to hold on properly.

The district office referred the request to RVO, the public bus operator running the line, saying it was responsible for planning capacity. RVO said it would be helpful to know how many student travel passes had been issued, but that information was handled through MVV and had not been passed on to the operator. The parents said they had already informed the district office where their children needed to board and get off.

RVO later counted passengers on the route over several days and reported numbers between 85 and 100. A spokeswoman for the railway company that owns RVO told BR that the line uses a 15-metre bus with 51 seats, 62 standing places and space for one wheelchair, and said it had enough capacity.

The parents dispute that assessment, saying the standing places and handrails are designed for adults and that children carrying school bags need more room. Martin Löwe of the Bavarian Parents’ Association said such problems often remain unresolved because there are too few buses and drivers. He said adding capacity for services used only at peak times would require investment.