Bus transport in Berlin

Bus transport is the oldest public transport service in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, having been introduced in 1846. Since 1929, services have been operated by the Berlin Transport Company (German: Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe, BVG), although during the Cold War-era division of the city they operated in West Berlin only. In East Berlin the public transport agency split off from the BVG and rebranded as BVB, operating the busses in the soviet sector of Berlin.

Bus transport in Berlin
MAN Lion's City DD double decker bus
MAN Lion's City DD double decker bus
Overview
LocaleBerlin, Germany
Transit typePublic bus transport
Number of lines152 (+49 night lines)
Number of stations6.589
Websitehttps://www.bvg.de/en
Operation
Began operation1846
Operator(s)Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe
Number of vehicles1,550
Technical
System length1,798 km (1,117 mi)
Terminus of various bus lines in the Berlin suburb of Marzahn
A bus in Berlin Tegel Airport
A double-decker bus of line 100 nearby Alexanderplatz
Interior view of a VDL Citea bus in Berlin
A new Alexander Dennis double decker in Berlin-Mariendorf
A vintage ABOAG bus used for tourist services

Currently, the BVG's fleet consists of 1,550 vehicles, which cover 300,000 kilometres per day.

As many transit operators around the world, the BVG has set a goal to have their entire fleet running without emissions until the year 2030. For this reason the number of battery electric busses in Berlin is steadily rising.[1]

History

30 October 1846 saw the first bus services from the Concessionierte Berliner Omnibus-Compagnie. In 1868, a new company was created, the ABOAG (Allgemeine Berliner Omnibus Aktien Gesellschaft) which on 1 January 1929 merged with other Berlin public transport companies to create the BVG.

After the opening of the Berlin Wall, the transport companies were no longer able to cope with the traffic, and so once again, solo buses by other transport companies and 100 hired coaches were used. The 3-digit numbering system was unified and implemented on 2 June 1991, just before the reunification of BVG in 1 January 1992.

Routes

Normal buses

Normal bus routes ()[2] make up most of the network and consist of around 120 lines, numbered from 100 to 399. The most famous line is the 100, which serves the tourist route from Alexanderplatz to the Zoological Garden passing many of Berlin's sights. The suburban buses, operating outside Berlin and not managed by BVG, are included in the tariff area of Berlin public transport.

Each bus line has a 3-digit number. The second digit indicates the borough in which the line runs:

MetroBus

As for the MetroTram lines, there are 19 MetroBus ()[3] lines, each running at least every 10 minutes with a 24-hour service. Unlike the other bus lines, they were shown on many tramway maps and on some railway maps of the city, in their early existence.

The MetroBus routes are:[4]

  • M11: U Dahlem-Dorf ↔ S Schöneweide
  • M19: S Grunewald ↔ U Mehringdamm
  • M21: Rosenthal Nord ↔ U Jungfernheide
  • M27: S+U Pankow ↔ S+U Jungfernheide
  • M29: Grunewald, Roseneck ↔ U Hermannplatz
  • M32: S+U Rathaus Spandau ↔ Dallgow-Döberitz, Havelpark or Staaken, Heidebergplan
  • M36: Wilhelmstadt, Am Omnibushof ↔ U Haselhorst
  • M37: Spandau, Waldkrankenhaus ↔ Staaken, Hahneberg
  • M41: (Baumschulenweg) Sonnenallee/Baumschulenstraße ↔ S+U Hauptbahnhof
  • M43: Stralau. Tunnelstraße ↔ U Berliner Straße
  • M44: Buckow-Süd, Stuthirtenweg ↔ S+U Hermannstraße
  • M45: Spandau, Johannesstift ↔ S+U Zoologischer Garten
  • M46: S+U Zoologischer Garten ↔ U Britz-Süd
  • M48: Zehlendorf, Bussealle ↔ U Mohrenstraße
  • M49: (Staaken) Heerstraße/Nennhauser Damm ↔ S+U Zoologischer Garten
  • M76: U Walter-Schreiber-Platz ↔ S Lichtenrade
  • M77: Marienfelde, Waldsassener Straße ↔ U Alt-Mariendorf
  • M82: Marienfelde, Waldsassener Straße ↔ S+U Rathaus Steglitz
  • M85: S Lichterfelde Süd ↔ S+U Hauptbahnhof

Express bus

The express buses ()[5] are 13 rapid lines, mainly used to reach the airports or linking the suburbs to the city centre, with far fewer stops. The most famous route is the former TXL bus line (Tegel Airport – Alexanderplatz), which ceased service after the closure of Tegel airport.

The ExpressBus routes are:[4]

  • X7: Flughafen BER – Terminal 1-2 ↔ U Rudow
  • X10: S+U Zoologischer Garten ↔ Teltow, Rammrath-Brücke
  • X11: U Krumme Lanke ↔ S Schöneweide
  • X21: Märkisches Viertel, Quickborner Straße ↔ U Jakob-Kaiser-Platz
  • X33: Märkisches Viertel, Wilhelmsruher Damm ↔ S+U Rathaus Spandau
  • X34: Kladow, Kaserne Hottengrund or Kladow, Gutsstraße ↔ S+U Zoologischer Garten
  • X37: Falkensee Station ↔ U Ruhleben
  • X49: Staaken, Hahneberg or Im Spektefeld ↔ U Wilmersdorfer Straße/S Charlottenburg
  • X54: S+U Pankow ↔ U Hellersdorf
  • X69: Marzahn, Köthener Straße ↔ Köpenick, Müggelschlößchenweg
  • X71: U Alt-Mariendorf ↔ Flughafen BER – Terminal 1-2
  • X76: U Walter-Schreiber-Platz ↔ Lichtenrade, Nahariyastraße
  • X83: (Dahlem) Königin-Luise-Straße/Clayallee ↔ Lichtenrade, Nahariyastraße

Night buses

The night buses (N),[6] consisting of 40 lines and other 9 lines to substitute (from N1 to N9) the U-Bahn (except at weekends). The N7X bus line is an express line, only serving stations with higher demand on its journey, the line can also only be taken in one direction towards the airport. The other lines serve suburban neighbourhoods not served by any public service running in daytime.

The aforementioned U-Bahn substitution night bus lines are:[4]

  • N1: Warschauer Straße ↔ Zoologischer Garten
  • N2: Pankow ↔ Ruhleben
  • N3: Wittenbergplatz ↔ Mexikoplatz
  • N5: Hauptbahnhof ↔ Hönow
  • N6: Alt-Tegel ↔ Alt-Mariendorf
  • N7: Rathaus Spandau ↔ Flughafen BER
  • N7X: Zoologischer Garten → Flughafen BER
  • N8: Märkisches-Viertel ↔ Hermannstraße
  • N9: Osloer Straße ↔ Rathaus Steglitz

Other services
Central Coach Station in Berlin view from above

Apart from the service buses managed by BVG and other local companies, in the city there are hundreds of private tourist coaches. The main coach bus station of Berlin is the Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof Berlin ("Central Omnibus Station"), also known as ZOB.[7] It is located in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and linked to the stations of Kaiserdamm (U-Bahn) and Messe Nord/ICC[8] (S-Bahn).

On 18 February 2011 MR Software released OMSI – The Bus Simulator (also known as OMSI – Der Omnibussimulator) for Windows. It is a bus simulator set in the late 1980s in West Berlin that features the MAN SD200 and MAN SD202 double-decker buses with a complex set of functions and made in various years. The player operates these buses along line 92 (now M37) that served the Staaken, Wilhelmstadt, Altstadt, and Falkenhagener Feld localities in the borough of Spandau. On 11 December 2013, MR Software released OMSI 2 – The Bus Simulator for Windows, the sequel to OMSI – The Bus Simulator. It features the MAN NL202 and the MAN NG272 in addition to the buses featured in OMSI (MAN SD200/SD202). The player can enjoy the bus lines 5 (now 130), 92 (now M37) and other add-ons which is community developed. It is sold on Aerosoft, Steam and Halycon.

Fleet

As of 2023, the BVG bus fleet consists of 1550 buses.

Single-decker
Quantity Manufacturer Type Passengers Length Notes Photo
108 VDL EN15 (Citea LLE-120) 100 12 m In operation since 2015.
46 VDL EN18 (Citea LLE-120) 100 12 m In operation since 2018.
48 Mercedes-Benz EN18 (Citaro C2) 106 12 m In operation since 2018. Citaro Bus on line M29
23 Mercedes-Benz EN19 (Citaro C2) 106 12 m In operation since 2019. Citaro C2 bus on line 358
57 Mercedes-Benz EN20 (Citaro C2) 106 12 m In operation since 2020. Citaro bus on line 131
40 Mercedes-Benz EN21 (Citaro C2) 106 12 m In operation since 2021. Citaro bus on line 269
1 Solaris EE18 (Urbino 12 electric) 90 12 m In operation since 2018.

Battery electric bus.

 Urbino electric on line X69
15 Solaris EE19 (Urbino 12 electric) 90 12 m In operation since 2019.

Battery electric bus.

15 Mercedes-Benz EE19 (eCitaro) 88 12 m In operation since 2019.

Battery electric bus.

 eCitaro on line 142
90 Solaris EE20 (Urbino 12 electric) 90 12 m In operation since 2020.

Battery electric bus.

 Urbino 12 electric on line 194
>90 Ebusco EE22 (Ebusco 2.2) 90 12 m In operation since 2022.

Battery electric bus.

Currently in delivery.

 Ebusco 2.2 on line 300
475 Total

Bendy bus or articulated bus
Quantity Manufacturer Type Passengers Length Notes Photo
70[9] Scania GN14 (Citywide LFA) 150 18 m In operation since 2014.
40 Scania GN15 (Citywide LFA) 150 18 m In operation since 2015.
179 Scania GN16 (Citywide LFA) 150 18 m In operation since 2016.
67 Scania GN18 (Citywide LFA) 150 18 m In operation since 2018.
100 Mercedes-Benz GN18 (Citaro C2G) 163 18 m In operation since 2018.
40 Mercedes-Benz GN19 (Citaro C2G) 163 18 m In operation since 2019.
165 Mercedes-Benz GN20 (Citaro C2G) 163 18 m In operation since 2020.
17 Solaris GE20 (Urbino 18 electric) 150 18 m In operation since 2020.

Battery electric bus.
251 Mercedes-Benz GN21 (Citaro C2G) 163 18 m In operation since 2021.
929 Total

Double-decker bus
Quantity Manufacturer Type Passengers Length Notes Photo
7 MAN DL07 (Lion's City DD) 110 13.7 m In operation since 2007.
10 MAN DL08 (Lion's City DD) 110 13.7 m In operation since 2008.
1 MAN DL09 (Lion's City DD) 110 13.7 m In operation since 2009.
1 Scania DN15 (Citywide LFDD) 88 10.9 m Discontinued in 2021.

Only for driving tests.
2 Alexander Dennis DL20 (Enviro500 MMC) 80 seated 13.8m In operation since 2021.
>198 Alexander Dennis DL20 (Enviro500 MMC) 80 seated 13.8 m In operation since 2021.

Currently in delivery.

145 Total

References
  1. "Electromobility | BVG Company". Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  2. "Bus (normal lines) page on BVG website" (in German). Archived from the original on 2012-07-20.
  3. "MetroBus page on BVG website" (in German). Archived from the original on 2012-05-29.
  4. "Linienübersicht | BVG" [Line overview | BVG]. bvg.de. Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe. 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  5. "ExpressBus page on BVG website" (in German). Archived from the original on 2012-07-21.
  6. "Night buses page on BVG website" (in German). Archived from the original on 2012-07-20.
  7. Berlin ZOB location on Google Maps
  8. Named Witzleben until 2002
  9. "BVG übernimmt 70 Scania Gelenkbusse" [BVG takes delivery on 70 Scania articulated buses]. Scania (in German). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2015.

Literature
  • Dieter Gammrath, Hein Jung: "Berliner Omnibusse". Alba, Düsseldorf 1988, ISBN 3-87094-334-3
  • Gammrath, Jung, Schmiedeke: "Berliner Omnibusse". Alba, Düsseldorf 1999, ISBN 3-87094-359-9
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