Bus strike: The following RVO lines in the Miesbach district are affected

Created: 05/12/2022, 19:00

By: Sebastian Grauvogl

On strike: the RVO line from Irschenberg to Miesbach.

© Thomas Plettenberg

High diesel prices, lack of aid money: Bus companies are coming under increasing pressure.

Now the first of them are going on strike - also in the district of Miesbach.

District

– Regionalverkehr Oberbayern GmbH (RVO) has awarded more than a third of all bus routes to private companies.

"If they give up, we have a problem," says Andreas Päschel, head of the RVO Tegernsee branch.

Passengers get a foretaste of what could then threaten this morning.

From 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., four RVO lines in the Miesbach district fail completely.

The reason: a strike.

Four lines affected by the strike

Specifically, the following routes are affected: Leitzachtal ring line (9552), Irschenberg-Miesbach/Tegernsee-Miesbach (9558), Holzkirchen-Miesbach-Schliersee (9561) and Kleinhöhenkirchen-Weyarn-Miesbach (9563).

The State Association of Bavarian Bus Companies (LBO) called for the Bavarian-wide protest action to draw attention to the financial difficulties caused by the lack of aid, high diesel prices and the still unclear reimbursement for the 9-euro ticket.

Also read: BRB skeptical about 9-euro ticket

"Many private bus companies are already afraid of bankruptcy," reports Päschel.

Since they are important partners for local public transport (ÖPNV) in the district of Miesbach, the RVO is happy to take part in the strike.

And the RVO itself is also struggling to operate economically.

In March and April alone, the price explosion at gas stations meant that diesel cost 100,000 euros more.

A liter has become 70 cents more expensive, and the increase for public buses is the equivalent of 21 euros per 100 kilometers.

"Each bus drives an average of 250 kilometers a day," explains Päschel.

And up to 40 buses are on the road in the RVO network in the district.

"Everyone can calculate for themselves what that means at the end of the month."

Entrepreneurs call for a rescue package

To make matters worse, the bus companies did not receive any state aid for the loss of sales during the corona lockdowns.

And that despite the fact that driving operations were maintained despite almost empty buses.

However, Päschel fears that these will probably be overcrowded after the introduction of the 9-euro ticket.

But here, too, there is still no certainty as to how the costs will ultimately be settled.

Also interesting: RVO senior citizen card soon also in Irschenberg

"But we can't afford to bear the costs again," Päschel makes clear.

"Further setbacks are simply not possible anymore."

His appeal is similar to that of the LBO: Politicians must set up a rescue package as soon as possible.

Even if the RVO branch manager sees the Free State as having a financial obligation here, he would also like more support from the district as the responsible authority.

"Otherwise more buses will soon be standing still." Not because the companies are on strike, but because they are broke.

so called