Express bus service

An express bus, express bus or express bus is an accelerated urban or regional bus ( Regiobus ) in local public transport. The acceleration is not so much through operational or structural measures ( such as bus lanes, ticket vending machines, free entry to all vehicle doors, special traffic lights ) is achieved, but by a limited stops operation, that is, larger station spacing, also through the use of direct paths and highways.

• 4.1 line designations

Different concepts

• City express buses are regional buses fast with few stops that connect two or more cities in time with each other. There are often high quality requirements, therefore coaches are used in addition to standard VÖV buses. The lines are partially via motorways or highways, it also indicates the name Sprinterbus. The express buses Westphalian traffic mbH ( WVG ) have improved as quality characteristics Soundproofing, quality seating, music and newspaper service. In Westphalia, some routes operate on weekdays and every hour on weekends reinforced every half hour.
• Direct buses connect cities, districts or business centers directly to each other while holding only the most important stops. It may for example be accelerated trips to regional bus routes. A shuttle bus to the airport or exhibition center could be a direct bus. The clock operation can be limited to peak periods. Special quality or comfort features do not have such lines often.
• City Express lines connect for example in the Ruhr city suburbs in time with the town centers. In smaller towns they could connect as shuttles shopping and residential centers.
• Inner-city express buses go most direct route to the center and use only selected stops from parallel -run city buses (Example: Express buses in Berlin).
• Express buses in Hamburg are a supplement-free variant of the express bus. Connect neighborhoods or business centers in peak traffic with high-speed rail stops.

The terms and concepts are not defined comparable; there are no fixed or protected terms. Abroad, express and direct buses widespread.

Definition of systems

Complementary tasks for high-speed rail network, straight line guides, direct operation of the center or a Umsteigepunktes: In urban operation, the concepts of Metro buses and express buses in some respects similar. However, it soon Buses stop only at selected stops and use highways or freeways. They can be performed in parallel with normal city buses, which then also use the intermediate stops. Metro buses offer a basic package with dense clock and long operating times to the continuous day and night operation. Express buses are often supplement offers in peak traffic.

Unifying city express buses take quality criteria of long-distance bus when they use over longer distances expressways or highways: use of coaches, offers comfort (eg radio via headphones, newspapers). On the other hand, to take over remote lines the names of the regional express buses as direct bus, express bus or City Express.

Only selected or only the most important stops are served (eg town centers ) On shorter routes towards regional buses. Since regional buses service the stops on request if required, during cross-country routes, the time saving is only peak traffic of greater importance or when highways are used.

Call lines or call taxis drive stops as needed, and the shortest path to - with detours arise when multiple stops are to be started, which can not be achieved on a straight path. Only selected stops so it will be like the express bus operated and if possible use highways. Call buses can be a kind of express bus. The exact departure and journey times for passengers, however, can not be planned.

History

In the 1950s and 1960s to a supplementary charge express coach services have been set up in many places. The transport authority in Frankfurt developed, for example, in 1951 a small network. The last line (after Offenbach) was set in 1974.

In the transport association Rhein -Ruhr were from 1987/88 supplement-free city express buses ( SB) and City Express (CE ) lines introduced. For an easier distinction to inner-city bus lines ( with high three-digit route numbers ) and slower, then driving without uniform clock regional buses should be achieved. The concept took over other transport companies - like there are today, for example in parts of Baden -Württemberg and Schleswig -Holstein. Meanwhile, some CE lines were renamed integrated into SB lines (eg Oberhausen ) or return to the " normal" three-digit line numbering scheme (eg food) in the VRR.

In Hamburg Express buses have a special story; even today there are still six express bus lines that are collectively equivalent to the first class.

Express buses in Hamburg

In Hamburg, the tram was in the 1950s next to the underground station, the preferred mode of transport. Urban buses were kept away from the downtown area. City buses were almost exclusively a feeder function to the underground and trams. Since you, however, increasingly regarded the tram impediment to traffic and this slow " out of fashion " came, made ​​his politically connected to an AC. An expansion of the bus network finally started with some special lines at uniform tariffs and on 30 October 1955 the first express bus ( 36: Blankenese → main station / ZOB) Hamburg elevated railway AG. In the summer of 1958 there was already a quick bus network with four diameter lines and a large half-ring, which was expanded in the next years:

• 31: Ochs Customs - Airport - Eppendorf - Harvestehude - Town Hall Market - main station / ZOB - Hamm - Billstedt - Kirchsteinbek
• 32: Castle Wedel - Lokstedt - High Air - Rathaus market - main station / ZOB - Hamm - Wandsbek - Rahlstedt
• 36: cracks - Elbchausee - Altona - Reeperbahn - Stephansplatz - Town Hall Market - Ballindamm - Uhlenhorst - Jarrestadt
• 37: Osdorf - Altona - Reeperbahn - Town Hall Market - Ballindamm - Barmbek - Bramfeld
• 91: Teufelsbrück - Osdorf - Stellingen - Lokstedt - Eppendorf - Airport - Ohlsdorf - Wandsbek - Billstedt (the line wrong, first as a special line to a special rate as early as July 1955 between Stellingen and Luftwerft, 1968, the line was changed to 39).

The first buses were not running through the main shopping street ( Mönckebergstraße ). The routes correspond to partially line routes that have already operated before the war of buses (then inverted from the city through buses to the suburbs ). From the late 1950s, the tram lines were gradually withdrawn and replaced by a broken system with rapid transit ( subway and S -Bahn ) to the axes of development and fine distribution by city bus routes. Express buses should be considered as an alternative to continuous connections to the center ( and beyond) offer more comfort than normal city buses ( seat for each passenger ) and shorter travel times through fewer stops. The network was therefore expanded rapidly.

In September 1968 minibus lines came by converting two in Blankenese (previously B6 and B8 ) and a folk village in district lines as " express bus " to (for Schnellbustarif ). In connection with the introduction of the HVV Tariff finally, the takeover of a regional line in the HVV quick bus (previously VHH line 1, now 21 main station / ZOB - Bergedorf - Geesthacht - Lauenburg, now line 31). Since the 1970s, many express bus ( route sections ) were abandoned and replaced by individual city bus line segments. Today there including regional express bus only six lines. In addition, also the two minibus lines are operated as " express bus ". There is also no surcharge express bus lines that create direct connections to rapid transit stations. These feeder lines carry an "E" ( express bus ) before the double-digit range line number.

As of 2001, the HVV introduced a new, high quality bus network with "Metro buses " one in which aufgingen the most sought-after city bus lines.

Today's designations of the special bus lines in Hamburg: lines 1-15 (radial) and 20-27 ( tangential) are Metro bus lines, lines 31-39 express bus lines, lines 48 and 49 minibus lines for Schnellbustarif. There is a special short distance fare and additional tickets to single, day and season tickets for the express bus usage. The additional tickets are also valid in the first class of the regional trains in the HVV area.

For the express bus to the present day most special vehicles were procured with greater comfort. They had in the 1960s initially skylight window (roof edge glazing ), curtains, plush seats and air suspension. Since 1968 the then newly developed standard buses were used, which primarily originated in Hamburg by the manufacturer Magirus- Deutz (see also Magirus- Deutz- standard bus ), they have a larger seat dividers, also accounted for the seats opposite to the direction of travel and the place for strollers. From 2005, also special Citaro buses with single sliding front door were used (only entry with ticket inspection ) of the HHA. To better distinguish the express buses received since circa 1960 a special paint ( 1960s-1980s Pink / White, 1990s and 2000s, white with red stripe, the new cars are white with red / yellow reflective stripes ).

Express buses in current transport systems

In the rail poorly served regions increasingly regional express buses are used. They usually replace regional buses and are higher quality and faster connections to the existing rail network and to allow regional centers ( rail complementary function). In the traffic Communities Münster (VGM ) and Ruhr -Lippe ( VRL ), for example, since 1990, express buses in feeder traffic to Münster and Osnabrück, and between the regional centers Soest and Unna and in the Sauerland run.

In Osnabrück are regional buses in the inner-city bus network is fully integrated ( " Osnabrück Model "). To accelerate the regional lines the peak traffic times express buses ("X" before the line number ) are used that towards the city in the metropolitan area to set down only, out of town only hold for boarding.

Located in the tourist area of ​​express buses can target destinations and attractions approach and thus fill existing gaps, especially in the weekend traffic of regional networks.

Express buses also operate cross-border traffic abroad. The first German - French Express bus system has existed since 1974 between Saarbrücken and Forbach. Since the 1980s, there was the so-called Eifel-Ardennes Express, which registers on the A 60 / E 42 joined on Belgian territory for a total of six stops with Aachen. This line, however, was terminated in August 2011.

Abroad, express buses as long distance buses as well as intercity buses more important than in Germany - especially in countries with less well-developed rail networks.

Line designations

For express buses, there are several terms that are placed in front of the line number:

• SB: Städteschnellbus (mostly in NRW, few in Lower Saxony)
• CE: City -Express ( available in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony )
• S: express bus, Sprinterbus
• X: express bus (Berlin, Munich, Osnabrück)
• D: direct bus, once called " completers " (transitory, not entertaining at all stops car ) ( Münster, Sauerland, eastern Ruhr )
• E: Express bus ( free of extra charge in Hamburg express buses to express metro )

The line number usually consists of the letter and a one-or two -digit number. Occasionally there are also express bus lines that do not require specific product name and instead use a conventional line designation.