On December 1, 2018, the express bus route for employees of the Munich Airport Business Park (MABP), between the Hallbergmoos S-Bahn station and the Zeppelinstraße, Lilienthalstraße and Dornierstraße stops, will be making its rounds for the first time. Peter Herr has been driving for the Hagl bus company, which operates two other routes in Hallbergmoos, for 15 years. He has been driving the express bus since its introduction and therefore knows the advantages for employees. They are happy to take up the offer from the municipality of Hallbergmoos and are delighted with the comfortable shuttle bus.
At what times does the express bus run?
Peter Herr: In the morning from 6.55 a.m. until 9.35 a.m., we run at 20-minute intervals from the S-Bahn station to the MABP and back again. The departure times are coordinated with the S-Bahn. It also comes every 20 minutes. This means that employees coming from Munich or Freising can be collected and taken to the industrial area or back to the S-Bahn station in the afternoon. We don’t leave until the S-Bahn has arrived in the morning and all passengers have boarded. In the afternoon, the express bus runs from 3.17 pm to 6.57 pm.
When is the bus used the most?
Peter Herr: After 8 o’clock in the morning and then until 9 o’clock. After that it tends to be less.
How would you say the offer is being received?
Peter Herr: Good, I’ve been driving the express bus since the beginning and I have the feeling that the number of passengers is increasing.
Can you estimate how many passengers you transport every day?
Peter Herr: You could easily do the math. There are 15 people each time from 8 o’clock. That would be around 135 passengers in total for nine journeys in the morning. But I think that will increase in the future. We’ve only been running since December and many people may not even know that the bus exists.
Do you know how the employees who are now dependent on the bus used to get to work?
Peter Herr: Yes, there is a bus service that runs through the industrial area. But you have to walk a longer distance and the journey takes longer.
How much does a trip like this cost?
Peter Herr: I don’t have to pay anything for it. The costs for the MABP Express are borne by the municipality of Hallbergmoos.
Has anything unusual or funny ever happened to you on the route?
Peter Herr: It often happens that other passengers get on the bus who don’t actually want to go to the stops I go to. They then say to me: I thought this was the nicest bus and then I take it.
But not only Peter Herr, but also the employees on their way to Munich Airport Business Park seem to be fans of the express bus.
What added value does the express bus to the MABP offer you?
A passenger: Above all, I get to work faster. Now I arrive by S-Bahn, get on the shuttle straight away and I’m there. That’s great!
How else would you get to work?
A passenger: I would otherwise take the 698 or 691 bus. They also take me to my destination, but it takes longer because there are waiting times and the bus doesn’t wait for the S-Bahn.
How long does it take to get to work on the express bus?
A passenger: “ It takes five to eight minutes to get from the S-Bahn station to the last stop, which is my work.
Do your colleagues also travel here by bus?
A passenger: Yes, everyone who takes the S-Bahn uses the express bus. Then you meet on the bus in the morning and chat.
How do you experience the express bus? What is the atmosphere like?
A passenger: Great, the bus is totally reliable and punctual and you always get a seat. It’s simply perfect. The interaction is also definitely more personal than on a regular bus, you greet each other and say thank you and goodbye when you get off. That’s not usual on a regular bus.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
A passenger: “ I’m glad that there is the additional express bus, that it gets me to work quickly even after 9 a.m., when other lines no longer run. I think it’s good that the municipality of Hallbergmoos has organized something like this. With the express bus, I can travel two S-Bahn trains later and still get to work relaxed.
Images © Municipality of Hallbergmoos
