Since the end of 2014, Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) has been deploying more inspection staff for Line 1 buses. From June, SWG will be increasing the number of staff deployed and thus also expanding ticket inspections. The company announced this at a press conference on 26 May.
Over the past few months, various media have frequently reported that passengers on bus line 1 between Rödgen and Giessen city centre no longer feel safe. The reason for this: several known cases of harassment and assaults.
"Three incidents have been reported to us in the past year - not a particularly unusual accumulation," explained SWG company spokesperson Ina Weller at a press conference on Tuesday 26 May. However, she pointed out: "Nevertheless, we already took the feelings of passengers very seriously at the end of last year and increased our inspection and security staff accordingly." Due to the capacity bottlenecks and higher passenger volumes, Stadtwerke Gießen has also been operating an additional express bus on route 1 on behalf of the city since February. "The average number of passengers per journey is around 15," explained Anne Müller-Kreutz, Head of SWG Local Transport Services. "Due to the additional coaches, the regular buses are no longer as busy as they were at the beginning of the year." The city of Giessen recently announced that it would be extending this service until July.
More frequent ticket inspections, more information on bus use
SWG also announced at the press conference that it would be increasing its inspection and security service from June. This is partly due to the fact that the number of known incidents has increased since the beginning of the year. Anne Müller-Kreutz explained what this means in concrete terms: "On Line 1 between the city centre and Rödgen, we will be carrying out even more checks and maintaining a presence. However, we cannot guarantee that there will be a service or inspection employee on board every bus. On weekdays, the number of journeys on Line 1 in both directions adds up to 140."
At the same time, SWG will work together with the Hessian Initial Reception Centre for Refugees (HEAE) to improve the information on bus use and tickets. "Experience shows that not everyone is sufficiently familiar with the local transport system in Giessen. We have been working closely with the HEAE for a long time to provide refugees with initial information about local transport services. We hope that an expanded information campaign will bring about a positive change in passenger behaviour," emphasised Mathias Carl, Managing Director of SWG subsidiary MIT.BUS.
"Refugees can already get tickets directly at the centre. But they make very little use of it," explained Anne Müller-Kreutz.
Stadtwerke Gießen would like to point out that there may be delays in service due to the increased ticket checks from June and ask for your understanding.
Passengers can find out about the current timetable as usual by calling the SWG service number 0641 708-1400, on the Internet at www.stadtwerke-giessen.de/verkehr or directly at the mobility centre in the SWG customer centre on Gießen's Marktplatz. Opening hours: Mondays to Fridays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
26.05.2015