10 years of PlusBus - into the mobile future by bus

The Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund (MDV), Nahverkehrsservice Sachsen-Anhalt GmbH (NASA GmbH) and the Verkehrsverbund  Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) today invited representatives from politics and the public transport industry to Potsdam to discuss the future of the successful PlusBus brand on the occasion of its tenth anniversary. Since the launch of PlusBus at the end of 2013, the 26 routes in the MDV area have grown to 160 routes throughout Germany. What began as a synchronized feeder line for the S-Bahn network in central Germany has now become a successful nationwide model for opening up and connecting rural areas with medium-sized and regional centers through local public transportation.

Rainer Genilke, Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Planning of the State of Brandenburg: "The PlusBus brand has been on the road to success in Brandenburg for ten years. This brings us a lot closer to our goal from the coalition agreement. We want to further increase the share of eco-mobility in the modal split and strengthen public transport. After all, public transport is the backbone of the environmental network. The PlusBus in particular, with its defined quality criteria, has created a high-quality transport service in recent years. It also provides reliable public connections outside and in addition to the railways and brings its passengers safely from A to B. Our PlusBuses are also a further contribution to a well-connected, climate-friendly mobility offer throughout Brandenburg.

MDV Managing Director Steffen Lehmann points out: "The PlusBus has been clearly demonstrating for ten years that people want to be more sustainably mobile outside the regional centers. This requires appropriate and cleverly networked mobility services. The PlusBus runs reliably every hour and is guaranteed to take passengers to the train, the S-Bahn or the nearest bus station. The massive increase in passenger numbers in the MDV area on PlusBus routes is impressive proof of this. Especially since the introduction of the Deutschlandticket, we have been calling even more vehemently for the federal and state governments to create the necessary financial basis for maintaining and expanding public transportation in urban centers and rural areas. This is the only way to make the transition to sustainable transport and climate protection a success.

"In Saxony-Anhalt, NASA GmbH has supported the introduction of the PlusBus from the very beginning. Many of the first routes in the Central German S-Bahn network originated from our state bus network, which laid the foundation for it. From the very beginning, we set high quality standards for the regional bus network, thereby reliably opening up rural areas. The further development of the PlusBus was therefore a logical consequence for us," explains Peter Panitz, Managing Director of Nahverkehrsservice Sachsen-Anhalt GmbH.

Ute Bonde: Managing Director of the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB): "The PlusBus is a successful product, as shown by the expansion to ten transport associations since 2013 and the 43 routes here in Brandenburg. It is the ideal way to open up rural areas, combine rail and bus services, and make an important contribution to modal shift. Passengers appreciate this: Passenger numbers regularly increase with new routes, and in some cases even exceed our expectations."

To operate under the PlusBus brand, a bus route must meet high quality standards. The most important criterion is frequency. Every hour on weekdays, including holidays, and at least six trips on Saturdays and four on Sundays - these are the requirements that ensure a uniform standard that is unique in Germany. In this way, the bus provides an adequate service for local rail passenger transport; bus and rail are optimally networked. For rural areas in particular, the PlusBus is an important component in the transition to public transportation. All PlusBuses throughout Germany use the same symbol, which guarantees passengers a high standard of timetables. In 2022, the non-profit transport alliance Allianz pro Schiene e.V. awarded the PlusBus the 1st German Transport Transition Prize 2022.