As of: March 23, 2024, 6:02 p.m
By: Theresa Kuchler
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Many students from the western district of Weilheim-Schongau have to leave the house very early in order to catch the bus to Schongau in the morning.
(Symbolic image) © Margarete Leissa
The bus connection for students from the western district to Schongau has left something to be desired for decades.
Parents from Bernbeuren are now campaigning for something to change.
Bernbeuren/district – Amelie has to get out of bed at 6 a.m. in order to be on time.
The bus that takes the fifth-grader from Bernbeuren to the high school in Schongau leaves at 6:38 a.m.
With other students, some of whom have to leave the house even earlier to catch the 9821 bus, the girl is at school shortly after 7 a.m. - even though classes don't start until 7:45 a.m.
“The students have to wait for almost an hour,” says Amelie’s father, Klaus Schuhbeck, angrily.
For him and Anna Holzamer from Bernbeuren, whose daughter Elli is also in the 5th grade at the Schongau high school, something urgently needs to change in this situation.
They complained to our newspaper about the “outdated bus connections” that have existed for 40 years.
In general, they criticize the bus connection in the western district.
The parents calculate that some children have to leave the house an hour and a half before school starts in order to cover the 20 kilometers to Schongau.
For example, those who live in hamlets around Bernbeuren and rely on small feeder buses.
“Children who live on Auerberg have to get up at 5:45 a.m.,” says Schuhbeck.
School bus connection to Schongau: Bernbeuren residents are campaigning for a later departure time
The reason for the early departure time: the buses have to make another connecting trip in the morning.
The district office states that numerous buses immediately set off again after arriving in Schongau to transport other school children in the Schongau area.
“In the case mentioned, the bus is needed immediately after arrival in Schongau to transport students on line 9656 (i.e. in the direction of Weilheim, editor’s note).”
Departure early in the morning: The bus that takes Elli and Amelie to school in Schongau leaves at 6:38 a.m.
© Private
Many children therefore come to class without rest, which “has a negative impact on their well-being and mental health,” complain Holzamer and Schuhbeck.
In addition, more and more parents from Bernbeuren and Burggen are bringing their children to school by car.
As Schuhbeck says, almost half of the children in town are brought to Schongau by “parent taxi”.
“No one can want that.”
The solution would of course be to use additional buses.
And there is even the capacity for this: the Bernbeuren bus company Sprenzel, which reinforces the Upper Bavaria regional transport (RVO) with its buses and runs line 9821, says it has enough staff and vehicles for another connection in the morning.
“It shouldn’t fail because of us,” explains Sarah Sprenzel to our newspaper.
The only requirement is that the departure times are adjusted accordingly.
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The problem has been known to RVO for decades - further connection would not be economical
Meanwhile, Ralf Kreutzer warns that the problem cannot be solved so easily.
The RVO branch manager, who is responsible for the Weilheim-Schongau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen areas, has been hearing complaints about early departure times for years.
“That always comes up when there are new parents or teachers,” he says with a sigh.
“And it’s understandable.”
However, it simply would not be economical to offer a second connection.
“You would need two extra buses and three drivers just to leave 20 minutes later,” calculates Kreutzer.
For the fact that the buses - each of which would cost a "not a small five-figure sum" per year - would be in the yard from 8 a.m. in the morning.
“That doesn’t make business sense.”
Added to this is the lack of drivers.
“There is a lack of bus drivers,” says Kreutzer.
He is skeptical that the bus company in Bernbeuren claims to have sufficient capacity.
“This is more of a short-term idea,” he says.
The driver shortage is an issue that “will explode in the next few years.”
Parents from Bernbeuren want to start a signature campaign
Schuhbeck and Holzamer don't want to settle that easily.
Their hope is that something will happen with bus connections as soon as the district is officially a MVV member in 2025.
In April, the parents started a signature campaign and were also able to get Bernbeuren Mayor Karl Schleich on their side about the issue.
“He promised us full support for our cause.” The surrounding communities should also be brought on board.
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Specifically, the parents are demanding that the school bus in Bernbeuren not leave until 7.15 a.m. in the future, and that the buses on the Schongau-Bernbeuren-Lechbruck-Steingaden line should run every hour on weekdays.
The range of bus connections should also be expanded on weekends: Schuhbeck and Holzamer are hoping for a two-hour service, which already exists in communities in the eastern district.
The local newspapers in the Weilheim-Schongau district are represented on Instagram under “merkur_wm_sog”.