Bus transport in Berlin

Last updated
Bus transport in Berlin
BUS-Logo-BVG.svg
BERLIN BUS MAN DOUBLE DECKER ROUTE X34 NEAR KURPROMANADE SPAUDAU GATOW BERLIN GERMANY JUNE 2013 (9043124014).jpg
MAN Lion's City DD double decker bus
Overview
LocaleBerlin, Germany
Transit type Public bus transport
Number of lines152 (+49 night lines)
Number of stations6.589
Website https://www.bvg.de/en
Operation
Began operation1846
Operator(s) Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe
Number of vehicles1,550
Technical
System length1,798 km (1,117 mi)
Terminus of various bus lines in the Berlin suburb of Marzahn S Marzahn Wendestelle.jpg
Terminus of various bus lines in the Berlin suburb of Marzahn
A bus in Berlin Tegel Airport Flughafen Tegel Vorfeldbus.jpg
A bus in Berlin Tegel Airport
A double-decker bus of line 100 near Alexanderplatz NEOMAN A39 2007-03-15.jpg
A double-decker bus of line 100 near Alexanderplatz
Interior view of a VDL Citea bus in Berlin Innenraum VDL - Linie 123.jpg
Interior view of a VDL Citea bus in Berlin
A new Alexander Dennis double decker in Berlin-Mariendorf ADL - Linie 181.jpg
A new Alexander Dennis double decker in Berlin-Mariendorf
A vintage ABOAG bus used for tourist services Berlin vintage bus.jpg
A vintage ABOAG bus used for tourist services

Bus transport is the oldest public transport service in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, having been introduced in 1846. Since 1929, services have been operated by the Berlin Transport Company (German: Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe , BVG), although during the Cold War-era division of the city they operated in West Berlin only. In East Berlin the public transport agency split off from the BVG and rebranded as BVB, operating the buses in the Soviet sector of Berlin.

Contents

Currently, the BVG's fleet consists of 1,550 vehicles, which cover 300,000 kilometres per day.

As have many transit operators around the world, the BVG has set a goal to have their entire fleet running without emissions until 2030. For this reason the number of battery electric busses in Berlin is steadily rising. [1]

History

30 October 1846 saw the first bus services from the Concessionierte Berliner Omnibus-Compagnie. In 1868, a new company was created, the ABOAG (Allgemeine Berliner Omnibus Aktien Gesellschaft) which on 1 January 1929 merged with other Berlin public transport companies to create the BVG.

After massive Allied bombing of the city, only 37 buses were operable at the end of World War II. [2]

After the opening of the Berlin Wall, the transport companies were no longer able to cope with the traffic, and so once again, solo buses by other transport companies and 100 hired coaches were used. The three-digit numbering system was unified and implemented on 2 June 1991, just before the reunification of BVG on 1 January 1992.

Routes

Normal buses

Normal bus routes ( BUS-Logo-BVG.svg ) [3] make up most of the network and consist of around 120 lines, numbered from 100 to 399. The most famous line is the 100, which serves the tourist route from Alexanderplatz to the Zoological Garden, passing many of Berlin's sights. The suburban buses, operating outside Berlin and not managed by BVG, are included in the tariff area of Berlin public transport.

Each bus line has a three-digit number. The second digit indicates the borough in which the line runs:

MetroBus

As for the MetroTram lines, there are 19 MetroBus ( MetroBus.svg ) [4] lines, each running at least every 10 minutes with a 24-hour service. Unlike the other bus lines, they were shown on many tramway maps and on some railway maps of the city, in their early existence.

The MetroBus routes are: [5]

Express bus

The express buses ( X-Bus VBB.svg ) [6] are 13 rapid lines, mainly used to reach the airports or linking the suburbs to the city centre, with far fewer stops. The most famous route is the former TXL bus line (Tegel Airport – Alexanderplatz), which ceased service after the closure of Tegel Airport.

The ExpressBus routes are: [5]

Night buses

The night buses (N) [7] consist of 40 lines and another nine lines to substitute (from N1 to N9) the U-Bahn (except at weekends). The N7X bus line is an express line, only serving stations with higher demand on its journey. The line can also only be taken in one direction towards the airport. The other lines serve suburban neighbourhoods not served by any public service running in daytime.

The aforementioned U-Bahn substitution night bus lines are: [5]

Other services

Central Coach Station in Berlin, view from above Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof Berlin Juni 2022.jpg
Central Coach Station in Berlin, view from above

Apart from the service buses managed by BVG and other local companies, in the city there are hundreds of private tourist coaches. The main coach bus station of Berlin is the Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof Berlin ("Central Omnibus Station"), also known as ZOB. [8] It is located in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and linked to the stations of Kaiserdamm ( U-Bahn ) and Messe Nord/ICC [9] ( S-Bahn ).

On 18 February 2011 MR Software released OMSI – The Bus Simulator (also known as OMSI – Der Omnibussimulator) for Windows. It is a bus simulator set in the late 1980s in West Berlin that features the MAN SD200 and MAN SD202 double-decker buses with a complex set of functions and made in various years. The player operates these buses along line 92 (now M37) that served the Staaken, Wilhelmstadt, Altstadt, and Falkenhagener Feld localities in the borough of Spandau. On 11 December 2013, MR Software released OMSI 2 – The Bus Simulator for Windows, the sequel to OMSI – The Bus Simulator. It features the MAN NL202 and the MAN NG272 in addition to the buses featured in OMSI (MAN SD200/SD202). The player can enjoy the bus lines 5 (now 130), 92 (now M37) and other add-ons which is community developed. It is sold on Aerosoft, Steam and Halycon.

Fleet

As of 2023, the BVG bus fleet consists of 1550 buses.

Single-decker

QuantityManufacturerTypePassengersLengthNotesPhoto
108 VDL EN15 (Citea LLE-120)10012 mIn operation since 2015. EN15 Citea LLE-120 2409.jpg
46 VDL EN18 (Citea LLE-120)10012 mIn operation since 2018. Citea - Linie 122.jpg
48 Mercedes-Benz EN18 (Citaro C2)10612 mIn operation since 2018. Citaro C2 - Linie M29.jpg
23 Mercedes-Benz EN19 (Citaro C2)10612 mIn operation since 2019. Ciraro C2 - Linie 358.png
57 Mercedes-Benz EN20 (Citaro C2)10612 mIn operation since 2020. Citaro C2 - Linie 131.png
40 Mercedes-Benz EN21 (Citaro C2)10612 mIn operation since 2021. Citaro C2 - Linie 269.png
1 Solaris EE18 (Urbino 12 electric)9012 mIn operation since 2018.

Battery electric bus.

Urbino - Linie X69.jpg
15 Solaris EE19 (Urbino 12 electric)9012 mIn operation since 2019.

Battery electric bus.

15 Mercedes-Benz EE19 (eCitaro)8812 mIn operation since 2019.

Battery electric bus.

Mercedes Benz eCitaro bvg Berlin .jpg
90 Solaris EE20 (Urbino 12 electric)9012 mIn operation since 2020.

Battery electric bus.

Urbino - Linie 194.png
>90 Ebusco EE22 (Ebusco 2.2)9012 mIn operation since 2022.

Battery electric bus.

Currently in delivery.

Ebusco - Linie 300.png
475Total

Bendy bus or articulated bus

QuantityManufacturerTypePassengersLengthNotesPhoto
70 [10] Scania GN14 (Citywide LFA)15018 mIn operation since 2014. Citywide LF - Linie M32.jpg
40 Scania GN15 (Citywide LFA)15018 mIn operation since 2015. Citywide LF - Linie 137.jpg
179 Scania GN16 (Citywide LFA)15018 mIn operation since 2016. Citywide LF - Linie M46.jpg
67 Scania GN18 (Citywide LFA)15018 mIn operation since 2018. Citywide LF - Linie X71.png
100 Mercedes-Benz GN18 (Citaro C2G)16318 mIn operation since 2018. Citaro C2G - Linie 195.jpg
40 Mercedes-Benz GN19 (Citaro C2G)16318 mIn operation since 2019. Citaro C2G - Linie 169.jpg
165 Mercedes-Benz GN20 (Citaro C2G)16318 mIn operation since 2020. Citaro C2G - Linie M11.jpg
17 Solaris GE20 (Urbino 18 electric)15018 mIn operation since 2020.

Battery electric bus.

Charlottenburg Betriebshaltestelle Hertzallee Ladestation.jpg
251 Mercedes-Benz GN21 (Citaro C2G)16318 mIn operation since 2021. Citaro C2G - Linie 150.jpg
929Total

Double-decker bus

QuantityManufacturerTypePassengersLengthNotesPhoto
7 MAN DL07 (Lion's City DD)11013.7 mIn operation since 2007. 12-03-01-50mm-berlin-26.jpg
10 MAN DL08 (Lion's City DD)11013.7 mIn operation since 2008. BVG-Doppeldeckerbus 3333 (2009).jpg
1 MAN DL09 (Lion's City DD)11013.7 mIn operation since 2009. Berlin-Lichterfelde Ostpreussendamm.JPG
1 Scania DN15 (Citywide LFDD)8810.9 mDiscontinued in 2021.

Only for driving tests.

Scania bvg 3094.JPG
2 Alexander Dennis DL20 (Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC)80 seated13.8mIn operation since 2021. BVG Alexander Dennis Enviro 500.jpg
>198 Alexander Dennis DL20 (Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC)80 seated13.8 mIn operation since 2021.

Currently in delivery.

145Total

References

  1. "Electromobility | BVG Company" . Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  2. Ziemke, Earl F. (1975). The US Army in the Occupation of Germany, 1944-1946. Washington DC: Center of Military History, United States Army. p. 302. LCCN   75-619027. Archived from the original on 2007-12-13.
  3. "Bus (normal lines) page on BVG website" (in German). Archived from the original on 2012-07-20.
  4. "MetroBus page on BVG website" (in German). Archived from the original on 2012-05-29.
  5. 1 2 3 "Linienübersicht | BVG" [Line overview | BVG]. bvg.de. Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe. 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  6. "ExpressBus page on BVG website" (in German). Archived from the original on 2012-07-21.
  7. "Night buses page on BVG website" (in German). Archived from the original on 2012-07-20.
  8. Berlin ZOB location on Google Maps
  9. Named Witzleben until 2002
  10. "BVG übernimmt 70 Scania Gelenkbusse" [BVG takes delivery on 70 Scania articulated buses]. Scania (in German). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2015.

Literature