Bus transport in Berlin | |
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![]() MAN Lion's City DD double decker bus | |
Overview | |
Locale | Berlin, Germany |
Transit type | Public bus transport |
Number of lines | 152 (+49 night lines) |
Number of stations | 6.589 |
Website | https://www.bvg.de/en |
Operation | |
Began operation | 1846 |
Operator(s) | Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe |
Number of vehicles | 1,550 |
Technical | |
System length | 1,798 km (1,117 mi) |
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.
Currently, the BVG's fleet consists of 1,550 vehicles, which cover 300,000 kilometres per day.
As many transit operators around the world, the BVG has set a goal to have their entire fleet running without emissions until the year 2030. For this reason the number of battery electric busses in Berlin is steadily rising. [1]
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 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 3-digit numbering system was unified and implemented on 2 June 1991, just before the reunification of BVG in 1 January 1992.
Normal bus routes ( ) [2] 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 3-digit number. The second digit indicates the borough in which the line runs:
As for the MetroTram lines, there are 19 MetroBus ( ) [3] 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: [4]
The express buses ( ) [5] 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: [4]
The night buses (N), [6] consisting of 40 lines and other 9 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: [4]
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. [7] It is located in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and linked to the stations of Kaiserdamm ( U-Bahn ) and Messe Nord/ICC [8] ( 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.
As of 2023, the BVG bus fleet consists of 1550 buses.
Quantity | Manufacturer | Type | Passengers | Length | Notes | Photo |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
108 | VDL | EN15 (Citea LLE-120) | 100 | 12 m | In operation since 2015. | ![]() |
46 | VDL | EN18 (Citea LLE-120) | 100 | 12 m | In operation since 2018. | ![]() |
48 | Mercedes-Benz | EN18 (Citaro C2) | 106 | 12 m | In operation since 2018. | ![]() |
23 | Mercedes-Benz | EN19 (Citaro C2) | 106 | 12 m | In operation since 2019. | ![]() |
57 | Mercedes-Benz | EN20 (Citaro C2) | 106 | 12 m | In operation since 2020. | ![]() |
40 | Mercedes-Benz | EN21 (Citaro C2) | 106 | 12 m | In operation since 2021. | ![]() |
1 | Solaris | EE18 (Urbino 12 electric) | 90 | 12 m | In operation since 2018. | ![]() |
15 | Solaris | EE19 (Urbino 12 electric) | 90 | 12 m | In operation since 2019. | |
15 | Mercedes-Benz | EE19 (eCitaro) | 88 | 12 m | In operation since 2019. | ![]() |
90 | Solaris | EE20 (Urbino 12 electric) | 90 | 12 m | In operation since 2020. | ![]() |
>90 | Ebusco | EE22 (Ebusco 2.2) | 90 | 12 m | In operation since 2022. Currently in delivery. | ![]() |
475 | Total |
Quantity | Manufacturer | Type | Passengers | Length | Notes | Photo |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
70 [9] | Scania | GN14 (Citywide LFA) | 150 | 18 m | In operation since 2014. | ![]() |
40 | Scania | GN15 (Citywide LFA) | 150 | 18 m | In operation since 2015. | ![]() |
179 | Scania | GN16 (Citywide LFA) | 150 | 18 m | In operation since 2016. | ![]() |
67 | Scania | GN18 (Citywide LFA) | 150 | 18 m | In operation since 2018. | ![]() |
100 | Mercedes-Benz | GN18 (Citaro C2G) | 163 | 18 m | In operation since 2018. | ![]() |
40 | Mercedes-Benz | GN19 (Citaro C2G) | 163 | 18 m | In operation since 2019. | ![]() |
165 | Mercedes-Benz | GN20 (Citaro C2G) | 163 | 18 m | In operation since 2020. | ![]() |
17 | Solaris | GE20 (Urbino 18 electric) | 150 | 18 m | In operation since 2020. | ![]() |
251 | Mercedes-Benz | GN21 (Citaro C2G) | 163 | 18 m | In operation since 2021. | ![]() |
929 | Total |
Quantity | Manufacturer | Type | Passengers | Length | Notes | Photo |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 | MAN | DL07 (Lion's City DD) | 110 | 13.7 m | In operation since 2007. | ![]() |
10 | MAN | DL08 (Lion's City DD) | 110 | 13.7 m | In operation since 2008. | ![]() |
1 | MAN | DL09 (Lion's City DD) | 110 | 13.7 m | In operation since 2009. | |
1 | Scania | DN15 (Citywide LFDD) | 88 | 10.9 m | Discontinued in 2021. Only for driving tests. | |
2 | Alexander Dennis | DL20 (Enviro500 MMC) | 80 seated | 13.8m | In operation since 2021. | ![]() |
>198 | Alexander Dennis | DL20 (Enviro500 MMC) | 80 seated | 13.8 m | In operation since 2021. Currently in delivery. | |
145 | Total |
Berlin Schönefeld Airport was the secondary international airport of Berlin, the capital of Germany. It was located 18 km (11 mi) southeast of Berlin near the town of Schönefeld in the state of Brandenburg and bordered Berlin's southern boundary. It was the smaller of the two airports in Berlin, after Berlin Tegel Airport, and served as an operating base for easyJet and Ryanair. In 2017, the airport handled 12.9 million passengers by serving mainly European metropolitan and leisure destinations. In the same year, the travel portal eDreams ranked Berlin Schönefeld as the worst airport in the world after evaluating 65,000 airport reviews. Schönefeld Airport was the major civil airport of East Germany (GDR) and the only airport of the former East Berlin.
The Berlin U-Bahn is a rapid transit system in Berlin, the capital and largest city of Germany, and a major part of the city's public transport system. Together with the S-Bahn, a network of suburban train lines, and a tram network that operates mostly in the eastern parts of the city, it serves as the main means of transport in the capital.
The Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit railway system in and around Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It has been in operation under this name since December 1930, having been previously called the special tariff area Berliner Stadt-, Ring- und Vorortbahnen. It complements the Berlin U-Bahn and is the link to many outer-Berlin areas, such as Berlin Brandenburg Airport. As such, the Berlin S-Bahn blends elements of a commuter rail service and a rapid transit system.
U1 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn, which is 8.8 kilometres (5.5 mi) long and has 13 stations. Its traditional line designation was BII. It runs east–west and its eastern terminus is Warschauer Straße S-Bahn station where it connects to the Schlesische Bahn. From there it runs through Kreuzberg via Gleisdreieck and Wittenbergplatz on to the Kurfürstendamm.
U2 is a line of the Berlin U-Bahn. The U2 line starts at Pankow S-Bahn station, runs through the eastern city centre (Alexanderplatz) to Potsdamer Platz, the western city centre and finally to the Ruhleben terminal station.
U5 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. It runs from Hauptbahnhof in Mitte eastwards through Alexanderplatz, Friedrichshain, Lichtenberg and Friedrichsfelde, surfaces in Biesdorf-Süd to pass Kaulsdorf and Hellersdorf above ground and finally reaches city limits at Hönow.
U6 is a 19.9 km (12.4 mi) long rapid transit line on the Berlin U-Bahn with 29 stations. It runs in a north-south direction from the Berlin locality of Tegel in the north via Friedrichstraße to Mariendorf, a locality in the southern part of the city. It is one of the five large profile ("Großprofil") lines.
The U7 is a rail line on the Berlin U-Bahn. It runs completely underground for a length of 31.8 kilometres (19.8 mi) through 40 stations and connects Spandau, via Neukölln, to Gropiusstadt and Rudow. The U7 was originally the south-eastern branch of the Nord-Süd-Bahn (U6) that ran between the branching point at Belle-Alliance-Straße (Mehringdamm) and Grenzallee; however, in the 1960s, this stretch was separated from the rest of the line and extended at each end to form a new line.
U9 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. The line was opened on 28 August 1961 as Line G.
S3 is a line on the Berlin S-Bahn. It operates from Erkner to Spandau. For most of its existence since becoming a numbered route in 1984, the S3's line colour is blue.
The Berlin tramway is the main tram system in Berlin, Germany. It is one of the oldest tram networks in the world having its origins in 1865 and is operated by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), which was founded in 1929. It is notable for being the third-largest tram system in the world, after Melbourne and St. Petersburg. Berlin's tram system is made up of 22 lines that operate across a standard gauge network, with almost 800 stops and measuring almost 190 kilometres (120 mi) in route length and 430 kilometres (270 mi) in line length. Nine of the lines, called Metrotram, operate 24 hours a day and are identified with the letter "M" before their number; the other thirteen lines are regular city tram lines and are identified by just a line number.
The Berlin Stadtbahn is the historic east-west elevated railway of Berlin. It runs from Friedrichshain in the east to Charlottenburg in the west, connecting several of the most major sights of the German capital. The line is protected cultural heritage since 1995. It is often defined more simply as the slightly longer route between Ostkreuz and Westkreuz, although this is not technically correct.
Berlin-Spandau station is a Deutsche Bahn station in the Berlin district of Spandau on the south-western edge of the old town of Spandau. The railway junction station is one of the 80 stations classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 2 station. It has the longest train shed in Germany.
Berlin has developed a highly complex transportation infrastructure providing very diverse modes of urban mobility. 979 bridges cross 197 kilometers of innercity waterways, 5,334 kilometres (3,314 mi) of roads run through Berlin, of which 73 kilometres (45 mi) are motorways. Long-distance rail lines connect Berlin with all of the major cities of Germany and with many cities in neighboring European countries. Regional rail lines provide access to the surrounding regions of Brandenburg and to the Baltic Sea.
Ferry transport forms part of the transport network of Berlin due to the city's extensive network of rivers, lakes, and canals. 6 routes operate within the city boundaries and one serves the city of Potsdam, which are part of the common public transport tariff run by the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB).
The unbuilt U10 line, of the Berlin U-Bahn, was part of a planned "200-km-plan" extension of the Berlin U-Bahn from 1953–55. It would have been a large-profile (Großprofil) metro line running from Falkenberg, in the northeastern part of the city, to Alexanderplatz, and down to Steglitz before terminating at Drakestraße in Lichterfelde. The designated letter name of the line was "F" until 1 July 1972, when it was changed to "Line 10". Because a number of tunnels and stations were constructed to accommodate the proposed line with elements visible at transfer stations and elsewhere, the line is popularly known as the "Phantomlinie".
The Berlin S-Bahn began on 8 August 1924 with the first section from Stettiner Vorortbahnhof to Bernau using steam locomotives. On 13 August 1961 it was broken up when the Berlin Wall was built, resulting in two sections: the eastern part and the western part. The western part experienced a massive strike which resulted in closure of several stations, after declining use. Attempts were made to reopen at various times but in the end, only three lines were finally opened after the strike. Since 9 November 1989, when the Berlin Wall was opened, the Berlin S-Bahn began to expand rapidly with their budgetary costs.
The Berlin U-Bahn originated in 1880 with Werner Siemens' idea to build an urban railway in Berlin. During the nine years after the German Empire was founded, the city's population grew by over one-third and traffic problems increased. In 1896, Siemens & Halske began to construct the first stretch of overhead railway. On 1 April 1897, the company began construction of an electric underground railway. The Berliner Verkehrs Aktiengesellschaft (BVG) was formed in 1928, and took over further construction and operation of the network. In 1938, the company was renamed Berlin Transport Company; the original acronym, however, remained. Since 1994, the BVG has been a public company.
Rotes Rathaus is a subway station in Berlin's Mitte district. It is part of the extension of the U5 from Alexanderplatz to Brandenburger Tor, construction of which began with a groundbreaking ceremony in 2010. The station and the line opened simultaneously on 4 December 2020.
The tracks of the Berlin subway are lines operated in the line traffic, operating distances, which serve only internal purposes, turn-off and turning plants and plants in the operating farms.