Mathias Carl, Managing Director of the Stadtwerke subsidiary MIT.BUS, yesterday presented four new low-floor buses, which will be used on all Giessen routes from next week.
With the purchase of these vehicles totalling EUR 1 million, 47 buses, or 85% of Giessen's bus fleet, will be equipped with low-floor technology, said Carl happily for his passengers. Due to the low vehicle floor, boarding and alighting is much easier - this is often a problem with conventional buses, especially for parents with pushchairs, wheelchair users or people with walking difficulties. Another improvement can be found at the centre door of the buses, where a ramp for wheelchair users is fitted. All they have to do is press a button to report to the driver and they can then board the bus very easily.
An absolute novelty is the built-in air conditioning system, which is designed to provide relief from the heat on hot summer days. "I'm really looking forward to hearing reactions to the air conditioning system," says Carl, "because there are always two camps on this. Some find it fresher, others are afraid of catching a cold. In urban transport, there is another special feature: due to the short distances and many stops, the use of air conditioning is judged very differently here."
Carl would be delighted if many passengers were to give MIT.BUS their opinion on this.
In connection with this purchase - according to Carl - there is now only one orange-coloured city bus running through Giessen, but it will end its service life next year, so that the local bus fleet will then only consist of white vehicles. Carl is happy to rent out the exterior of the buses to local businesses for advertising purposes. After all, the outdoor advertising on the vehicles reaches around 52% of the mobile population in Giessen, explains the Managing Director.