Train cancellations and staff shortages at the RVO: The nine-euro ticket fizzles out in the district
Created: 07/23/2022, 08:00
By: Jörg von Rohland
And one more thing: This passenger buys a 9-euro ticket at the Schongau train station.
Now the trains just have to run reliably again.
© Hans-Helmut herold
The nine-euro ticket is a hit nationwide.
In the district, on the other hand, the euphoria has long since evaporated.
Train cancellations and a glaring lack of bus drivers cause more frustration than desire for local public transport in Pfaffenwinkel.
District – “In the beginning there was great euphoria, but now it’s going more negatively,” says Andreas Schmid, deputy managing director of the Pfaffenwinkel tourism association.
Schmid doesn't like the railway, "which is so important to us," "because it's so unreliable".
As is well known, nothing was going between Peißenberg and Schongau due to rail faults, "and it was just as difficult with the trains to Penzberg," complains the tourism expert.
When the trains do run, “they are overcrowded”.
Buses often almost empty on the way
Schmid sees a completely different picture when he travels by bus between Weilheim and Schongau.
Despite the nine-euro ticket, the RVO buses are often almost empty, and Schmid was the only passenger on the Peiting-Schongau route recently on a Saturday.
That didn't surprise him, because the buses run far too infrequently, complains Peitinger.
"There's still room for improvement," he says.
The RVO is missing 19 bus drivers
However, according to RVO regional manager Ralf Kreutzer, an expansion of the bus service is currently out of the question.
On the contrary: "I don't even know if we can still promote all the students in September," Kreutzer points out.
The reason: The industry is struggling with a blatant shortage of staff.
Kreutzer is missing 19 drivers: "I would hire them immediately and even pay for their driver's licenses."
Commuters who were stranded at the train station in Peißenberg also suffered from the shortage of staff.
They waited an eternity for the rail replacement service in the scorching heat (we reported).
The nine-euro ticket should give them more frustration than they want to use public transport.
After all, the offer recently brought a little more life to the red buses in the district.
While in June, for example, only five passengers were transported with the RVO on average on the Weilheim-Schongau route, there were already an average of 15 passengers on the bus in July, reports the RVO boss.
But he is not satisfied with that, because there would be room for 44. "There are still far too many people driving," regrets Kreutzer, who cannot explain it to himself.
The nine-euro ticket is "a uniformly cheap mega ticket," he advertised in June for the offer.
When they go, the trains are full
According to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), more than 21 million nine-euro tickets were sold throughout Germany in June.
A similarly high demand is emerging for July.
According to Deutsche Bahn (DB), it is difficult to break down the figures for the region, let alone the district.
The Bayerische Regiobahn (BRB) speaks of "very high sales figures".
According to BRB spokeswoman Annette Luckner, the company had sold 160,000 units by July 3.
Luckner cannot quantify the capacity utilization of the individual routes.
According to them, the trains are at least as full between Weilheim and Schongau as they were in the pre-Corona period.
During Corona there were slumps of up to 90 percent.
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Cyclists often have to wait for the next train
The passengers had gotten used to the large amount of space, but now they have to deal with sitting closer to public transport or standing a few stations, Luckner knows.
So that it doesn't get even tighter, she has a "big request": "Don't take a bike with you, but rather rent one on site," advises the spokeswoman to the day-trippers.
According to her, there is always frustration among cyclists on the platforms who have to be turned away because the trains are too full.
It is not uncommon for cyclists to have to wait for the next train or even the one after that.
And even then, “wheelchair users and prams have priority,” the BRB spokeswoman makes clear.
If it is not collapsible, the set of wheels costs extra
Luckner also emphasizes that you have to buy your own tickets for the bicycles.
The usual take-away fees apply, the nine-euro ticket is only valid for passengers.
Only owners of folding bikes with less than 20 inches and foldable e-scooters (scooters) are fine.
They count as luggage and can be taken with you free of charge.
The rules in the RVO buses are similar, and bicycles can also be taken on them for a fee.
And which excursion destinations do the experts recommend for the nine-euro ticket?
"At the weekend, a trip towards Oberammergau is great," says RVO regional manager Kreutzer.
Linderhof Palace is approached every hour.
For those who prefer to stay in the district, Kreutzer recommends a trip to Bernbeuren followed by a hike up the Auerberg.
Andreas Schmid also sees the royal palaces as well accessible by public transport.
"You come back in the evening."
You can find more current news from the region around Schongau
at Merkur.de/Schongau.
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