Express bus
A rapid transit , express , express bus or direct bus is an accelerated city or regional bus (Regiobus) in public transport . The acceleration is achieved not so much by operational or structural measures (such as bus lanes , ticket machines , free entry at all vehicle doors , special traffic light switching), but rather by operating the stops at greater distances from each station, and also by using direct routes and expressways or motorways .
Different concepts
- City express buses are fast regional bus connections with few stops which two or more towns in the clock together. There are often high quality requirements, so in addition to standardized city buses or regional buses, coaches are also used. Some of the lines run over motorways or expressways, as indicated by the name Sprinterbus . The express buses of the Westfälische Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH (WVG) have improved sound insulation, high-quality seating, music and newspaper service as quality features. In Westphalia, some lines run every half hour on weekdays and every hour on weekends.
- Direct buses connect cities, districts or economic centers directly with each other and only stop at the most important stops. For example, it can be accelerated journeys on regional bus routes. A shuttle bus to the airport or exhibition center could be a direct bus. The clock operation can be limited to rush hour . Such lines often do not have any special quality or comfort features.
- CityExpress lines in the Ruhr area , for example, connect the suburbs of the big cities with the city centers. In smaller towns, they could be used as shuttle buses to connect shopping and residential centers.
- Inner-city express buses usually go directly to the center and only serve selected stops from e.g. City bus routes run in parallel (example: express buses in Berlin ).
- In Hamburg (until 2019) express buses were a surcharge-free variant of the express bus. They usually only connected residential areas or economic centers during rush hour, often only in the direction of load , on a direct route with express train stops without serving all the stops in between. In December 2019, these connections were assigned to the newly introduced express bus routes.
The designations and concepts are not comparable; there are no fixed or protected terms. Express and direct buses are common abroad.
Delimitation of the systems
In inner-city operation, the concepts of metro buses and express buses are similar in some points: supplementary task to the express train network, straight lines, direct service to the center or a transfer point. However, express buses only stop at selected stops and use expressways or city highways . They can run parallel to normal city buses, which then also serve the intermediate stops. Metrobuses offer a basic service with frequent intervals and long operating times, including continuous day and night operation. Express buses are often just a supplement to peak traffic.
City-connecting express buses adopt quality criteria from long-distance bus routes if they use expressways or motorways over longer distances: use of coaches, comfort offers (e.g. radio with headphones, newspapers). On the other hand, long-distance lines sometimes use the names of regional express buses such as direct bus , express bus or CityExpress .
On shorter routes, only selected or only the most important stops are served compared to regional buses (e.g. town centers). Since regional buses, which serve the stops on request / when required, the time savings on overland routes are only of greater importance in peak traffic or when expressways are used.
Call lines or collective call taxis drive to stops as required and by the shortest possible route - detours can arise if several stops have to be approached that cannot be reached directly. As with the express bus, only selected stops are served and expressways are used if possible. Dial-a-bus buses only run when required, but according to a timetable, only serve the requested stops and are therefore a kind of express bus.
history
General
In the 1950s and 1960s, express bus routes that were subject to a supplement were set up in many places. The Stadtwerke Frankfurt developed, for example, in 1951 a small network. The last line (to Offenbach ) was set there in 1974.
In the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) surcharge-free city express bus (SB) and CityExpress (CE) lines were introduced from 1987/1988. This should make it easier to distinguish between inner-city bus lines (with three-digit line numbers) and regional bus lines that were then operated without a uniform frequency. The concept was adopted by other transport companies - there are similar offers today, for example, in parts of Baden-Württemberg and Schleswig-Holstein . In the meantime, some CE lines in the VRR have been renamed to SB lines (e.g. Oberhausen) or reintegrated into the "normal" three-digit line numbering scheme (e.g. Essen).
Express buses have a special history in Hamburg; there are now only four express bus routes that have the same tariff as 1st class .
Express bus and express bus routes in Hamburg
In Hamburg in the 1950s, the tram was the preferred mode of transport alongside the underground . Urban bus routes were kept away from the inner city area due to the density of the railway lines of the same transport company (HHA). Their city buses almost exclusively served as a feeder to the underground and trams. However, since the streetcar was increasingly viewed as a traffic obstacle and it was slowly becoming “out of fashion”, a change was being made politically. An expansion of the bus network finally began with a few special lines at uniform rates and on October 30, 1955 with the first express bus line (36: Blankenese - Hbf / ZOB) of Hamburger Hochbahn AG (HHA). At the end of 1958 there was already a real express bus network with six diameter lines and two half-ring lines , which was further expanded over the next few years.
At first, the buses did not go through the main shopping street Mönckebergstrasse . The routes partly corresponded to line routes that were already served by buses and coaches before the war (at that time, continuous bus routes ran from the city center to some outskirts). From the end of the 1950s, the tram lines were gradually discontinued and replaced by a broken system with rapid transit trains (U- and S-Bahn) on the development axes and fine distribution by city bus lines. As an alternative, express buses should offer non- stop connections to the center (and beyond) with more comfort than normal city buses (comfortable seats for each passenger) and shorter travel times due to fewer stops . The network was therefore expanded rapidly.
In September 1968 the conversion of two minibus lines in Blankenese (previously B6 and B8) and one in Volksdorf added suburban lines as "Schnellbus" (at the express bus tariff). In connection with the introduction of the HVV tariff, a regional line was finally taken over into the HVV express bus network (previously VHH line 1, now 21 Hbf / ZOB - Bergedorf - Geesthacht - Lauenburg , today line 31). Since the 1970s, many express bus routes (route sections) have been given up or replaced by individual city bus route sections.
From 2001 onwards, the HVV introduced a new, high-quality bus network made up of “ Metrobus routes”, in which the most popular city bus routes were incorporated. The names of the special bus routes in Hamburg: Lines 1–19 (radial) and 20–29 (tangential) are Metrobus routes, Lines 31–39 are express bus routes, Lines 48 and 49 are minibus routes at express bus rates. There is a special short-haul tariff and additional tickets for single , day and time tickets for express bus use. The additional tickets are also valid in 1st class on regional trains in the HVV area. In 2018, the two district bus routes (48 and 49) operated as “Schnellbus” in the Blankeneser stairs district were integrated into the city bus tariff as routes 488 and 588. In 2020, including the regional express bus line, there will only be four lines 31, 34, 36 and 37.
Since December 2019 there have also been surcharge-free express bus routes that consist of:
- a connection between the large housing estate Osdorfer Born and Hamburg city center as line X3, which runs in the long middle section on the same route as the Metrobus line 3, but only serves the most important stops
- direct tangential connections between the district centers of Bergedorf Bf. and Harburg (line X30) or Wandsbek (line X32) via motorways and expressways
- the previous express bus line 35, which is run by Hamburg-Messe with a changed route as X35 between Neustadt and Rahlstedt Ost via Steinstrasse, Berliner Tor, Hamm Nord and Jenfeld with very large stops
- the connection from Sandbek via Neugraben and Neuwiedenthal to Finkenwerder to the Airbus plant on its working days with four journeys each in load direction (early in the morning, back in the afternoon) as Line X40
- the previous express bus route E86, which continues to operate on working days of the Airbus plant as route X86 between Hamburg-Altona station and the Teufelsbrück ferry terminal without stopping, every 4 minutes in the morning in both directions, in the afternoon until 6:30 p.m. at 7½ a.m. Every minute, as well as two further journeys every 30 minutes, only from Teufelsbrück to Altona
The previous express bus route E69 between Ahrensburg and Siek now runs as route 869 Monday to Friday three mornings and four afternoons every hour in both directions on the expressway.
Up to the present day, special vehicles with greater comfort have mostly been procured for the express bus routes. In the 1960s they initially had skylight windows (roof edge glazing), curtains, plush seats and air suspension. Since 1968 the then newly developed VÖV standard public service buses were used, which initially came as 9.6 m wagons from the manufacturers Büssing and Magirus-Deutz ( see also Magirus-Deutz standard bus ), they have one larger seat divider , also the seats against the direction of travel and the space for strollers were omitted. From 2005, the HHA also used special Citaro buses with a single-leaf front door (only entry with ticket control). To make it easier to differentiate between them, the express buses have been given a special paint job since around 1960 (1960s to 1980s pink / white, 1990s and 2000s white with red stripes, the new cars are white with red / yellow reflective stripes or red and gray stripes).
Express buses in current transport systems
Regional express buses are increasingly being used in regions that are poorly served by rail traffic. They mostly replace regional buses and are intended to enable higher quality and faster connections to the existing rail network or regional centers (rail supplement function). In the transport communities Münsterland ( VGM ) and Ruhr-Lippe ( VRL ), for example, express buses have been running feeder traffic to Münster and Osnabrück or between the regional centers of Soest and Unna and in Hochsauerland since 1990 .
In Osnabrück , regional buses are fully integrated into the inner-city bus network ("Osnabrück model"). To speed up the regional lines, express buses ("X" in front of the line number) are used during peak traffic times, which stop in the urban area only to get out of the city, and out of town only to get on.
However, a much larger scale is to be applied in the federal capital:
In the tourist sector, express buses can target excursion destinations and sights and thus fill existing gaps, especially in weekend traffic on the regional networks.
Express buses also serve cross-border transport abroad. The first Franco-German express bus connection has existed between Saarbrücken and Forbach since 1974 . The so-called Eifel-Ardennen-Express had existed since 1987 , which connected Trier with Aachen via the Autobahn 60 / Europastraße 42 across Belgian territory at a total of six stops . This line was later operated as the Eifel Express and discontinued in August 2011.
Abroad, express buses as long-distance buses as well as intercity buses are more important than in Germany - especially in countries with less well-developed railway networks .
Line names
There are different names for express buses that are placed in front of the line number:
- SB : City express bus (mostly in North Rhine-Westphalia , a few in Lower Saxony )
- CE : City-Express (in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony )
- S : express bus, sprinter bus
- X : Express bus (Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Osnabrück, Stuttgart, Rhein Main area )
- D : Direct bus, formerly also "Durchläufer" (passing car, not stopping at all stops) (Münsterland, Sauerland, eastern Ruhr area)
- E : Eilbus (in Hamburg until 2019 as surcharge-free express buses to the express train stop)
The line number usually consists of the letter (s) and a one or two-digit number. Occasionally there are also express bus lines that do not have a product name and instead use a conventional line name. In West Berlin and Budapest, on the other hand, express bus routes used to be marked with a red line number, in the Westphalian town of Hamm with a crossed line signal with a red slash - although there was no regular line 9.
Express buses in Austria
In Austria , the terms express bus , express bus or express route are common.
After St. Pölten was named the provincial capital of Lower Austria in 1986, the Wieselbus system was introduced there in 1993 . Eleven lines bring commuters from all over the state to the state capital.
Some accelerated regional buses to and from the state capital are also offered in Styria . ÖBB-Postbus GmbH operates the following lines in Styria:
- X20 Graz - Weiz
- X30 Graz - Hartberg
- X31 Graz - Hartberg
- X40 Graz - Fürstenfeld
- X41 Graz - Fürstenfeld
- X50 Graz - St. Stefan im Rosental
- X81 Graz - Trofaiach
- 440 Graz - St. Marein near Graz
Lines X30 and X31 are operated jointly with the Gruber transport company. On the X41 line, one course per working day is also run by the company mentioned, as well as Jandrisevits Reisen and Pfeifer Reisen .
Half of the lines listed are accelerated by driving on a motorway. The lines X31 and X41 use the A2 Südautobahn , the X81 the A9 Pyhrnautobahn . Lines X20 to Weiz and X50 to St. Stefan cannot use the motorway or expressway to get to their destination. Here some stations are omitted to shorten the travel time.
The cities of Fürstenfeld and Hartberg each have two express lines. These cities are both located on the southern motorway, but can also be reached by federal highway. The two additional lines X30 and X40 run on the normal regional bus line (via the Ries and Gleisdorf). After Gleisdorf they split up and continue to the respective destination town. Here, too, some stations are simply left out. Preferably between Graz and Gleisdorf, as some lines are bundled here, so that there is a tight interval and a stop of the express buses is not required here. Fürstenfeld and Hartberg can be reached via the autobahn or via the main road with express buses.
Between Klagenfurt , Wolfsberg and Graz, in addition to the Intercitybus on line 5370 of ÖBB-Postbus GmbH , one or two regional express bus trips are offered daily. The expansion of express buses is currently planned in Carinthia .
In Tyrol , following the discontinuation of direct long-distance traffic between Lienz and Innsbruck, the express bus routes 950X to Kitzbühel via the Felbertauern tunnel and 960X to Innsbruck via the Brenner Pass were installed. The 160X line also runs from Innsbruck to Reutte .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hamburg Local Transport Archives: City and transport plans from 1928 and 1939
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from August 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Since December 2013: The ExpressBus X30 ( Memento from April 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Verband Region Stuttgart: Verband der Region Stuttgart: Expressbus. In: www.region-stuttgart.org. Retrieved December 3, 2016 .
- ↑ The first Berlin express bus routes on www.berliner-verkehrsseiten.de
- ↑ eltis.org
- ↑ 100 years of Stadtwerke Hamm / Westf. 1858-1958. Hamm 1958, p. 73
- ↑ https://www.kaerntner-linien.at/attachments/article/40/5370_Klagenfurt_Wolfsberg_Graz.pdf
- ↑ https://www.kleinezeitung.at/kaernten/5749246/Bedarfsermittlung-fuer-Oeffis_Kaerntner-OeVP-kuendigt
- ↑ https://www.vvt.at/page.cfm?vpath=ueber-uns/unsere-leistungen-2/regiobus
