From 27 April, some pupils will be going back to school. To get them there, Stadtwerke Giessen is supplementing the current timetable with additional journeys as required.
To limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, school operations in Hesse have been at a standstill for almost six weeks. This will change on 27 April: from next Monday, some pupils will return to school. Stadtwerke Giessen (SWG) is responding to this partial resumption of school operations by adjusting its bus services accordingly. Although the current Saturday timetable, which is also valid from Monday to Friday, will largely remain in place, SWG will be deploying additional buses at times of day when schoolchildren in particular use buses.
"We are expanding and optimising our existing services in line with changing demand," summarises Anne Müller-Kreutz, Head of Local Transport Services at SWG. The main lines 1, 2 and 5 will run every 15 minutes from 06:30 instead of the current 08:00. Line 10 will depart from the railway station at 06:35.
SWG will also be operating a number of buses to school locations with the usual departure times. The following times and routes apply:
A booster bus runs on route 801 from the Wißmar Katholische Kirche stop (07:04) via the Wißmar Auf der Heide stop (07:11) and Launsbach to Gießen with the Ostschule destination stop.
Line 802 runs from the Krofdorf Seemühle stop (06:50) to the Am Wingert terminus. The journey continues from 07:00 to Gießen Oswaldsgarten. From here, the bus runs as line 801 via Marktplatz and Berliner Platz to Ostschule.
Line 1 starts at 06:54 in Lützellinden Langer Strich and travels via Berliner Platz to Ostschule.
Another booster bus on route 1 will be deployed from the Sophie-Scholl-Schule stop (07:19). It runs via Berliner Platz to Max-Reger-Straße and ensures that the Willy-Brandt-Schule can be reached.
After the 6th hour, an additional bus runs at 13:00 from Ostschule via Berliner Platz to Lützellinden.
On Saturdays, buses will continue to run according to the Saturday timetable. On Sundays and public holidays, the corresponding timetable applies.
As public life will continue to be severely restricted in the evenings due to the ban on events, the city bus routes, with the exception of route 1, will run at hourly intervals on all days from around 20:00.
Always keeping an eye on the situation
How many people will use Giessen's buses in future depends largely on the infection figures and the resulting guidelines from the health authorities and politicians. "We are therefore monitoring developments and constantly adapting our services to the new situation," promises Anne Müller-Kreutz. To do this, SWG uses its modern passenger counting system, which allows it to determine exactly how busy individual buses are. "As soon as we notice that more people are travelling by bus again, we make adjustments," she adds.
It goes without saying that it will be compulsory to wear face masks on buses - as on other forms of public transport - from 27 April. SWG also strongly advises people to observe social distancing rules wherever possible.
SWG's mobility advisors will be happy to answer any questions on the subject by telephone. They are available Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 16:00 on 0641 708 1400. The RMV mobility centre in the SWG customer centre on Marktplatz will remain closed until further notice.
The current timetable is available at www.rmv.de. Mobile phone users can use the RMV app for timetable information and ticket purchases.