Bus traffic in Bern
The bus service in Bern is in large part by the local transport company urban transit Bern ( SVB performed), which mostly under the marketing name since 2000 Bernmobil occurs. The bus service in the Swiss federal city of Bern , which began in 1924, complements the Bern tram , which opened in 1890, and the Bern trolleybus, which has existed since 1940 . Like the other means of transport in the region, the Bern bus routes are also integrated into the Bern-Solothurn fare network.
Lines
| line | route |
|---|---|
| 10 | Köniz Schliern - Bern train station - Ostermundigen Rüti |
| 16 | Köniz center - Gurten garden city |
| 17th | Köniz Weiermatt - Bern train station |
| 19th | Blinzern - Bern train station - Elfenau |
| 21st | Bern train station - Bremgarten |
| 26th | Breitenrain - Wylergut |
| 27 | Weyermannshaus - Niederwangen train station / Erle ( tangential line ) |
| 28 | Eigerplatz - Wankdorf train station (tangent line) |
| 29 | Niederwangen train station - Wabern Lindenweg |
| 30th | Bern train station - Marzilistrasse - Bern train station ( circular route ) |
| 160 | Konolfingen Dorf - Bern Airport (Tangento) |
| 331 | Belp Bahnhof - Belp Riedli (BusBelp) |
| 332 | Belp train station - Belp Eissel (BusBelp) |
| 333 | Belp Bahnhof - Belp Hühnerhubel (BusBelp) |
| 334 | Bern train station - Bern airport (AirportBus Bern) |
history
The first motorized bus line to operate from the city of Bern began operation on June 1, 1906. It ran from Bern to Detligen. On October 1st of the same year the second line after paper mill was opened in the municipality of Ittigen . The operator was the Swiss Post . As a result of the poor operating results, the line after paper mill was switched back to carriage operation in 1909. However, almost two decades passed before the country's first city bus route opened.
The increase in the number of postbus lines in the country did not go unnoticed in the Bern municipal council. After the private bus company Bern-Liebefeld- Köniz AG, founded in 1914, was dissolved again before its bus was put into operation, the city of Bern now undertook the more successful start with the establishment of the Stadt-Omnibus Bern (SOB) transport company in 1922. In December 1923, voters approved the procurement credit for seven buses and the construction of a garage. Just one year later, on November 16, 1924, the first city bus route in Switzerland, Bümpliz (Bachmätteli) - Bahnhof - Ostermundigen (Wegmühlegässli) was inaugurated. In contrast to the tram, the buses ran in one-man operation from the start. The Bern bus network was subsequently expanded quickly. Just eight months later, on June 21, 1925, the line to the Gurten Garden City was opened. Köniz, Bern's largest urban agglomeration, was connected to local public transport on September 5, 1926. The stock had meanwhile grown to twelve buses.
The bus network grew by another five lines in the first decade of its existence: In 1930 the Lorraine, the Wyler (Wyleregg) and the Jubiläumsstrasse (Dählhölzli zoo) were opened, two years later the Elfenau. In 1934 the Schosshalde ring line was opened. From 1933 onwards, all lines from the station were radial lines . The designation of the lines consisted of the first letter of the terminus. The exceptions were the T lines (the J was replaced shortly after the opening by the T for "Tierpark") and the Schosshalden ring line S. By 1934, the bus fleet had grown to 44 vehicles. The FB line to Felsenau and Bremgarten (1935) was to be the last new opening for a long time.
On May 27, 1939, the SOB presented a new type of vehicle: a "large-capacity car" with a rear engine. The aim was to gain experience with this car and gradually replace the remaining front hoods from the first series. But the world political events of that time did not allow this project. The outbreak of the Second World War also forced restrictions on bus operations in the city of Bern. Even when the General War Mobilization was ordered, there were staff shortages, and soon afterwards a lack of material also became noticeable. With increasing duration and intensity of the war, petrol, diesel and tires in particular became scarce. As early as December 6, 1939, changes in the management of the lines to Ostermundigen, the zoo and Elfenau were introduced. The former was rerouted over the Kornhausbrücke and through Laubeggstrasse to bypass the steep Aargauerstalden. It still runs like this today. The other two were temporarily merged. Three days later, the SOB put the second rear-engined bus into operation. Its drive was diesel-electric instead of diesel-hydraulic. The operating length of the bus network at the end of 1939 was 32.1 kilometers.
In 1940 most bus routes were shortened to such an extent that they only served as feeder lines to the tram. The line into the Lorraine was discontinued. 14 buses were converted to run on wood gas using the Imbert system, and 20 cars were decommissioned. In September 1940, the army command for troop transports briefly requisitioned 40 buses from the SOB. In order to relieve the vehicles that were still in service, the SOB acquired eight rear-engined buses in 1940/41.
After the SOB had already worked closely with the Bern urban tram (SSB) during the Second World War (which was also responsible for the trolleybus), they merged on September 1, 1947 to form the Bern urban transport company. At the same time they introduced a collective bargaining community. This responded to a petition from the population that had been dealt with in the local council four years earlier.
The bus fleet was enlarged by another 32 rear-engined buses from 1947 to 1950. The beginning boom brought an increase in motorized private transport at the end of the 1940s. At the same time, the number of transports steadily decreased. On May 9, 1948, the trolleybus route to Bümpliz was switched back to a bus.
The Bümplizer line has been running through Effingerstrasse since 1952 and no longer through Laupen- and Effingerstrasse. This renewal took place with a view to the construction of a high-rise bed building for the Inselspital.
Despite the 15 last rear-engined buses that went into operation in 1956, the SVB had to refrain from decommissioning the front-hood buses. The rolling stock shortage that had persisted since the end of the war. This meant that vehicles had to be rented for the winter season. During this time, the SVB often tested vehicles. Even vehicles from Germany were not uncommon, including for example, an Aachen Bussing - Anderthalbdecker . Only an FBW bus from the Lucerne public transport company with an underfloor engine was convincing and led to the procurement of a total of 60 vehicles, which were put into operation in two series between 1958 and 1965.
As a direct result of the new construction of the Schanzenbrücke, the tram route Länggasse - Hauptbahnhof was switched to a bus. In 1961 the bus line from Bahnhof - Länggasse was switched to trolleybuses.
In 1964, the citizens of Bern voted for a general ban on smoking in buses and trams. Thus, regulations such as the one that said that smoking was only allowed in the standing room could be overridden. Due to the rapidly growing large agglomeration communities like Ostermundigen, the SVB faced the decision to either condense the timetable or to procure larger vehicles. Encouraged by the first experiences with its own articulated trolley buses and the experiences that the Zurich Public Transport had made with their first articulated buses, the SVB left a at FBW Articulated - prototypes make. From the beginning of 1965 the car could be used in regular service. This was not only the first articulated bus in Bern, but the first articulated bus manufactured by FBW. In 1967/1968 the 19 series vehicles were put into operation.
On October 11, 1965, tram line 1 was switched to bus. In 1968, the Ostermundiger line was extended by half a kilometer to the Oberfeld high plateau from the previous terminal, which had been in use since 1924. Just four years later, it was extended again to the provisional terminal below the new Rüti district.
On 21/22 March 1971, the electorate rejected the loan application for the procurement of 20 more articulated buses. At the same time it approved the procurement credit for 16 double articulated trolleys. A year later, voters approved the electrification of three more bus routes.
In the summer of 1974, the SVB ended the mixed letter and number labeling of their routes and, 27 years after the unification, introduced uniform line numbers for the bus routes:
- Line B became line 13
- Line Be became line 14
- Line O became line 15
- Line G became line 16
- Line K became line 17
- Line T became line 18
- Line E became line 19
- Line W became line 20
- Line FB became line 21
In the years 1974 to 1977 the lines 11, 13, 14 and 20 were successively converted to trolleybuses. The rear buses gradually disappeared from the cityscape. Their last domain was Line 21 until 1980. At the same time, 13 articulated buses and one two-axle vehicle were put into operation. As a special feature, these were not painted in the usual SVB green, but orange with a white bar below the window edge. As part of the Association of Swiss transport company (VST) they participated in a ten-year-long color test on part of the frequency of accidents related to the painting.
From the winter timetable 1978/1979, lines 15 and 17, as well as 18 and 19 were merged in the evening. Line 21 was extended on October 27, 1980.
Line 22 began operating on October 26, 1982. It was the very first bus line in Bern that did not end at the train station. It connected the Ostermundiger southern district of Tiefenmösli with line 15 (Zollgasse stop). Even then, the first voices were loud that this line had to be extended to the Burgernziel so that it could be operated efficiently. To operate this line was a standard bus type Mercedes-Benz O 305 purchased.
One year later, on October 31, 1983, the Könizer Quartier Blinzern was connected to the bus network with branch line 23 to Spiegel (line 16). However, the buses continued to run to the train station.
In 1984 the SVB opened a new bus line for the third year in a row: The Gumme industrial quarter was connected to the Bethlehem stop on trolleybus line 14 with line 24.
The last high-floor articulated buses went into operation in 1985. This was the first time that Volvo cars were procured. Since in the course of the experiment with orange and other colored vehicles it had been shown that the color had no influence on the accident frequency, these vehicles were returned in the usual SVB green. In addition, they were the first to receive the new decorative stripes. By the end of the 1990s, most of the existing vehicle fleet was provided with these stripes on the occasion of revisions.
Bern's first tangential line, line 25, was introduced in 1987. Blocked by objections, it initially only operated on the section Eigerplatz - Ostring - Schönburg. It was only four years later that it could be extended to the Breitfeld district. In order to remedy the shortage of vehicles, the SVB bought three 17-year-old post buses in the autumn of 1987 in view of the winter timetable. In 1988 the first Volvo two-axle vehicles with an underfloor engine were delivered. These were the last new high-floor vehicles for the SVB.
In the summer of 1988 the Kirchenfeldbrücke was closed to traffic as a result of renovations. The tram network was divided into two parts, the two specially set up bus routes 31 and 32 provided the connection.
In 1989 night buses were introduced. These initially ran twice in the nights from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday in five star-shaped lines from the main station. After 25 years, Köniz was given a trial run of a local bus on the Niederwangen SBB - Köniz - Kleinwabern route. The Niederwangen-based transport company Peyer is responsible for the operation. In 1990 the first twelve four-door two-axle buses in semi-low-floor design were put into operation. Five buses of the same type followed in the next two years. With the line 26 (Breitenrain - Wylergut) the first district bus line was opened. The operator in the first year was Bären Taxi AG.
The first seven MAN low-floor articulated buses were delivered in late autumn, but due to a legal dispute they could not be put into operation until June 1992. At the end of 1991 the operating length was almost 77 kilometers.
In 1992, the trial use was made of six Neoplan - Metro liners . The six articulated buses acquired in 1974 were scrapped.
Line 15 was extended in 1994 after 22 years from the provisional terminus to the newly created terminus Rüti on the edge of the district of the same name. In the west of the city, Tangentiallinie 27 (Niederwangen - Weyermannshaus) started a trial operation limited to four years. The car company Kurt Dysli AG was chosen as the lessee. For the first time, the city of Bern leased a bus route.
Two epochs came to an end in 1995. After 37 years, the underground buses of the first two series ended on March 31st. In spring, a double articulated bus made a guest appearance in Bern for a week . Kurt Dysli AG took over the operation of line 26 from Bären Taxi AG. In the north of the city, the SVB reorganized the management of bus lines 22 and 25: the new line 28 (Eigerplatz - Burgernziel - Sonnenhof - Zollgasse - Wyler) and the extension the RBS line A (Allmendingen - Egghölzli - Burgernziel - Ostring - Schosshalde - Breitenrain - Kappelisacker) replaced the previous lines.
The delivery of the first MAN low-floor articulated buses with ramps for the disabled began for the winter timetable. This enabled the first vehicles of the articulated bus series from 1967/68 to be scrapped.
In the summer, the SVB put nine new low-floor buses from Belgium into operation. Because of the rail replacement traffic in the course of the renovation of the Kornhausbrücke, vehicles from Baden-Wettingen and Lucerne also helped out. The first eight low-floor articulated trolleybuses replaced the nine units in the first series from 1961.
In view of an upcoming tariff association, the Köniz local bus was given line number 29. The evening round line 30 (Central Station - Old Town - Matte - Marzili - Central Station) has been running since autumn. This fulfilled a long-cherished wish of the residents of the Matte district, as their district was no longer served by public transport until then in the evening after 8 p.m. (closing time of the Münster platform - Matte passenger lift ). The operator of this line is Kurt Dysli AG.
In April 1998 the two bus routes 15 and 17 were merged to form the full-day diameter route 10 (Ostermundigen - Bahnhof - Schliern). In the same year, the local council nominated the board of directors of the future SVB for the first time. In the spring of 1999, the SVB put its first midibuses for line 28 into operation.
vehicles
Former solo cars
| Owner originally | Numbers | Construction year | Years of use | Manufacturer | Type | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOB | 1-12 | 1924-1926 | 1924-1946 | Saurer / Ramseier, Streun & Co. | 4A | |
| SOB | 6 ", 7", 13, 14, 16, 17, 19-24, 31-34, 36, 39-41 | 1929-1934 | 1929-1968 | Saurer / Ramseier, Streun & Co. | BLD | |
| SOB | 15th | 1930 | 1930-1943 | FBW / Ramseier, Streun & Co. | 6-R | Three-axle, Henschel engine |
| SOB | 18, 27-35, 37, 42-44 | 1930-1934 | 1943-1964 | FBW / Ramseier, Streun & Co. | ZN | 44: Gangloff's body |
| SOB | 25, 26, 38 | 1929-1934 | 1929-1968 | Berna / Ramseier, Streun & Co. | G6N | |
| SOB | 45 | 1939 | 1939-69 | More sour | 4HP | Prototype, front handlebar with rear engine |
| SOB | 46 | 1939 | 1939-67 | More sour | 4HP | Prototype, front-wheel drive with rear engine, diesel-electric |
| SOB | 47-54 | 1940-1941 | 1940-1973 | Saurer / Ramseier, Streun & Co / Gangloff / Saurer | 4HP | |
| SVB | 55-78 | 1947-1948 | 1947-1975 | Saurer / Ramseier & Jenzer / Gangloff | 4HP | |
| SVB | 79-86 | 1949-1950 | 1949-1975 | Saurer / FFA | 4HP | |
| SVB | 87-101 | 1956-1957 | 1956-1980 | Saurer / Ramseier & Jenzer / Gangloff | 5HP | |
| SVB | 106'-108 ' | 1972-1973 | 1987-1988 | DB / Ramseier & Jenzer / Hess | O 317 K | Used vehicles ex PTT, winter timetable 1987/88 |
| SVB | 111'-135 | 1958-1960 | 1958-1995 | FBW / Ramseier & Jenzer / Gangloff | B 71 U | Underfloor motor |
| SVB | 101 "-117" | 1991/1992 | 1991-2009 | Volvo B10R semi-low floor, four-door | ||
| SVB | 136-170 | 1963-1965 | 1963-1995 | FBW / Ramseier & Jenzer / Gangloff | B 71 U | |
| SVB | 171 | 1974 | 1974-1996 | DB / Ramseier & Jenzer | O 305 | |
| Ostermundigen municipality | 172 | 1982 | 1982-1996 | DB | O 305 | "Minouche", the car belonged to the Ostermundigen community until 1984 |
| RBS | 173 | 1991 | 1992-1993 | MAN | NL 202 | Rental car from Regionalverkehr Bern – Solothurn (RBS). RBS 5 |
| Hürzeler Dietikon | 174 | 1991 | 1992-1993 | MAN | NL 202 | Rental car |
| RVBW | 175/176 | 1990 | 1992-1994 | Volvo / Hess | B 10 R | Rental car |
Current solo car
| Owner originally | Numbers | Construction year | Manufacturer | Type | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernmobil | 121 "-133" | 2007 | Volvo | 7700 CNG | Gas engine |
| Bernmobil | 141 "-143" | 2009 | Volvo | 7700 CNG | Gas engine |
| Bernmobil | 501 | 2011 | Mercrdes | 516CDi | Line 25. Also in use as a company vehicle |
| Bernmobil | 502 | 2003 | Mercrdes | 416CDi | 2011 ex Rheintalbus 6 line 25. Also in use as a company vehicle |
Former midibuses
| Owner originally | Numbers | Construction year | Years of use | Manufacturer | Type | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neoplan | 451'-456 ' | 1991 | 1992-1994 | Neoplan | N 4009 | Trial car, only rented, Metrocarboliner |
| City bus Chur | 457-458 | 1999 | 2001-2002 | Neoplan | N 4409 | Rental car, Centroliner |
Current midibuses
| Owner originally | Numbers | Construction year | Manufacturer | Type | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernmobil | 151-154 | 2011 | MAN | A 47 | |
| Bernmobil | 401-404 | 2005 | MAN | NM 223 | |
| Bernmobil | 411-421 | 2011 | MAN | A 47 | |
| Bernmobil | 431-437 | 2017 | Mercedes | O530K | |
| SVB | 451 "-456" | 1997/1998 | MAN | NM 223.2 | |
| SVB | 459 | 1999 | MAN | NM 223.2 | Bought as a second hand in 2002 |
| Bernmobil | 470-475 | 2005 | MAN | NM 223F | 12.2011 ex Peyer 70 to 73, 75 and 76; 470 canceled after an accident with a police car 02/08/2018 [TRAM edition 05/2018] |
| Bernmobil | 476 | 2005 | MAN | NM 283F | 12.2011 ex Peyer 74 |
| Bernmobil | 477 | 2005 | MAN | NM 243F | 12.2011 ex Peyer 377 |
Former articulated wagons
| Owner originally | Numbers | Construction year | Years of use | Manufacturer | Type | comment | image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SVB | 251 ' | 1964 | 1964-2003 | FBW, Ramseier & Jenzer, Gangloff | BG 91G | "Grandmother", prototype of the articulated buses No. 252'-270 '. First FBW articulated bus. Was indispensable as a reserve vehicle at Bernmobil until 2003. Last use on the occasion of the Spiel und Hobby trade fair Suisse Toy 2003 | |
| SVB | 252'-270 ' | 1967-1968 | 1967-1998 | FBW, Gangloff | 91-GL | No. 254: First SVB articulated bus with 1 million km | |
| SVB | 271'-276 | 1974 | 1974-1992 | DB, cousin | O 317 (18m) | German partial standard body adapted to Swiss conditions | |
| SVB | 277-283 | 1977 | 1977-2003 | FBW, Ramseier & Jenzer | 91-GL | VST standard body | |
| Mercedes Benz Switzerland AG | 284'-285 ' | 1981 | 1981/82 | DB | O 305 G | Winter timetable 1981/82, first test vehicles with numbers | |
| SVB | 284 ", 285", 286-293 | 1984-1985 | 1984-2009 | Volvo, Ramseier & Jenzer | B 10 M-55 | ||
| TPG | 294 | 1986 | 1986/87 | DB | O 405 G | Winter timetable 1986/87, rental vehicle (TPG 251) | |
| SVB | 296 ' | 1969 | 1991/92 | Saurer / Tüscher | 5 GUK-A | Winter timetable 1991/92, ex VB Biel / Bienne 130 ex PAD Bern P 27705 ex PAH Kägi, Zurich | |
| SVB | 296 "-298 | 1974 | 1992-2003 | FBW, Hess | 91-GS | VST standard body, ex TPG 119, 116, 118; 296 "ex 299 | |
| SVB | 201-206 | 1991 | 1991-2010 | MAN | NG 242 | Prototypes. 206 scrapped after an engine fire in May 2007 | |
| SVB | 207 | 1991 | 1991-2010 | MAN | EG 242 | Prototype, high floor. | |
| SVB | 211-240 | 1994/1995 | 1994-2010 | MAN | NG 272 | Series, vehicle no. 215 was sold to the RBS and was in use there until 2013 |
|
| SVB | 241-249 | 1996/1997 | 1996-2012 | VanHool | AG300 / 318 | all vehicles were sold to BVB | BVB 739 to 747 ex SVB 242 244 246 249 241 243 245 247 248 
|
| SVB | 251 "-270" | 2002/2003 | 2002-2017 | Volvo-Hess | B 7LA |
Current articulated trolleys
| Owner originally | Numbers | Construction year | Manufacturer | Type | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernmobil | 201 II to 205 II | 2018 | Hess | Battery buses | |
| Bernmobil | 801-832 | 2006/2007 | Volvo | 7700 A CNG, gas engine | |
| Bernmobil | 841-862 | 2009 | Mercedes | 0530G CNG, gas engine | |
| Bernmobil | 871-891 | 2016 | Volvo | 7900AH, hybrid vehicle |
Former personal trailer
| Owner originally | Numbers | Construction year | Years of use | Manufacturer | Type | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOB | 101 | 1943 | 1943-1960 | Saurer / Gangloff | 4R | Renumbered to 201 in 1956 |
The buses 54 and 55 and the trolleybus 6 were equipped for operation with the passenger trailer.
Historic wagons
Solo car
| Original owner | number | Construction year | Manufacturer | Type | Present owner | Location | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOB | 5 | 1924 | More sour | Bernmobil | Bern, Eigerplatz | Oldest city bus in Switzerland. Reconstruction of the wooden body after an arson attack in 2003 | |
| SOB | 7th | 1929 | Saurer / Ramseier & Jenzer / Streun & Cie. | BLD | Tram Association Bern | Bern, Eigerplatz | |
| SOB | 50 | 1941 | Saurer / Gangloff | 4H | Tram Association Bern | Bern Burgernziel or Bern Wabern, depending on the rental or maintenance situation by the Bern Tramverein. | |
| SVB | 70 | 1948 | Saurer / Gangloff | 4H | Tram Association Bern | Bern Burgernziel or Bern Wabern, depending on the rental or maintenance situation by the Bern Tramverein. | |
| SVB | 86 | 1950 | Saurer / FFA | 4H | Tram Association Bern | Bern Burgernziel or Bern Wabern, depending on the rental or maintenance situation by the Bern Tramverein. | |
| SVB | 91 | 1956 | Saurer / Ramseier & Jenzer | 5HP | Tram Association Bern | Bern Burgernziel or Bern Wabern, depending on the rental or maintenance situation by the Bern Tramverein. | «Düseler» |
| SVB | 157 | 1965 | FBW / Gangloff | Tram Association Bern | Ruefiswil (LU) |
Articulated trolley
| Original owner | number | Construction year | Manufacturer | Type | Present owner | Location | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SVB | 251 ' | 1964 | FBW / Ramseier & Jenzer / Gangloff | BG 91G | Tram Association Bern | Ruefiswil (LU) | «Grandmother», prototype of car 252' – 270 ', first FBW articulated car. Was last used as scheduled at Bernmobil in 2003 |
| SVB | 270 ' | 1968 | FBW / Gangloff | 91-GL | Tram Association Bern | Ruefiswil (LU) | 1) |
| SVB | 283 ' | 1977 | FBW / Ramseier & Jenzer | 91-GL | Tram Association Bern | Ruefiswil (LU) | VST standard body |
