SHARE
COPY LINK

TRANSPORT NEWS

Where are German public transport strikes taking place Thursday and Friday?

As part of a week-long strike action, several cities and states in Germany are seeing transport come to a standstill in the coming days.

Where are German public transport strikes taking place Thursday and Friday?
A sign in Berlin on Thursday says that no bus, tram or U-Bahns will run due to the strike. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Jörg Carstensen

A total of 90,000 local public transport workers across Germany are taking part in a strike action which started on Monday and is set to stretch through Saturday.

The main day of the walkout will be Friday, March 1st, when the group Fridays For Future is also organising numerous parallel demonstrations against the climate crisis.

A majority of the actions are taking place on Thursday and Friday, seeing cancellations of many U-Bahn lines, trams, trains and ferries. In most cases, the S-Bahn and regional Bahn are still running.

Workers are pushing for higher salaries and improved conditions as soaring inflation erodes real wages. In its negotiations with transport bosses, Verdi is seeking a reduction in working hours, increased holiday entitlement and other benefits.

Here’s an overview of the states – and transport lines – affected on both days.

READ ALSO: More local public transport strikes called across Germany

Berlin and Brandenburg

Almost all local transport services in the capital are to be brought to a standstill. BVG buses, trams and U-Bahn trains will remain in the depots, with the only exceptions to be individual lines operated by private providers. The strike is set to last until Friday at 2 pm.

At the same time, the S-Bahn and regional trains that are not affected by the strike will increase their frequency.

READ ALSO: ‘No family life’: A Berlin bus driver explains why public transport workers are striking

Local transport is also on strike in parts of Brandenburg. Employees of the Uckermärkische Verkehrsgesellschaft have already been taking part in the action since Wednesday. 

On Thursday, employees of Ostprignitz-Ruppiner Nahverkehrsgesellschaft were called on to down their tools as well. Massive cancellations are to be expected on all lines.

Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate

In seven cities in Baden-Württemberg, commuters, working people and schoolchildren will have a hard time travelling by bus and train over the next two days. 

The cities most affected by the Verdi strike are Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, Freiburg, Baden-Baden, Esslingen and Konstanz.

The ferries between Konstanz and Meersburg are set to be cancelled on both days. However, there will be Ersatzverkehr (a special replacement service): Pedestrians and cyclists can switch to a passenger ship.

Meersburg strike

A sign on Thursday morning in Meersburg, Baden-Württemberg, says there will be no ferries running due to a strike. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Felix Kästle

In Rhineland-Palatinate, almost all parts of the state are likely to be affected by the strike action, as private and municipal transport companies are striking at the same time. Urban bus transport – for example in Mainz – and all interurban transport in the Palatinate, Hunsrück, Westerwald and Southern Palatinate will all be affected by the action.

North Rhine-Westphalia

In Germany’s most populous state, drivers from around 30 municipal transport companies are taking part in the two-day strike. Only a small number of buses are expected to operate in the strike regions, which are run by private subcontractors. 

The trade union Verdi NRW has called for the work stoppages.

Verdi representatives told DPA that the willingness to strike was once again high. Almost all major local public transport companies in North Rhine-Westphalia, such as KVB (Cologne), Rheinbahn (Düsseldorf), DSW21 (Dortmund), Stadtwerke Münster and moBiel (Bielefeld) are on strike.

It has not yet been announced whether the  two-day action will end on Friday evening or on Saturday night.

Lower Saxony

Many buses and trains have also been at a standstill in Lower Saxony since 3 am. Passengers can expect considerable disruption.

The strike had already begun in Göttingen on Wednesday. Today, Verdi is extending the warning strike in local transport to Hanover, Braunschweig, Osnabrück, Wolfsburg and Goslar. Üstra in Hanover and Braunschweiger Verkehrsgesellschaft are leaving all light rail vehicles and buses in the depots, while Metrobus Osnabrück and Stadtbus Goslar are suspending bus operations.

Only a few city or regional bus routes are currently in operation in the  state, but mainly through private companies.

Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein

Employees of Hamburger Hochbahn (HVV) and Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH) have also been taking part in the action since the early hours of the morning, leading to a widespread public transport shutdown in the Hanseatic city and parts of Schleswig-Holstein.

Hochbahn operates the underground railway and the majority of bus routes in Hamburg, while VHH mainly operates bus routes in the surrounding areas of Schleswig-Holstein.

 According to a statement from HVV and VHH, all buses and trains will remain in depots: “If passengers set off with the prospect of an emergency timetable and crowd into vehicles that are too full or on platforms, this would be associated with a high safety risk,” it says.

Last Monday, a five-day strike was also called by private bus companies (OVN) in Schleswig-Holstein.

READ ALSO: Why Germany is being hit by strikes almost every day

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

STRIKES

Which transport routes will be affected by bus strikes in Hesse?

Bus routes will be disrupted in many cities in Hesse, due to strikes on Wednesday and Thursday. Here's where and when passengers will be affected.

Which transport routes will be affected by bus strikes in Hesse?

Passengers in the state of Hesse should expect all-day disruptions of bus travel on Wednesday and Thursday as Verdi trade union has announced state-wide warning strikes.

The trade union has called for bus drivers of several companies to take part in the strikes, which come just days ahead of an agreed arbitration, which is to start at the beginning of June.

When and where will passengers be affected?

According to Verdi, the warning strikes on Wednesday are to begin with the early shift from 3.30 am and last until the end of the late shift on Thursday night.

Thursday is also Corpus Christi, a public holiday in parts of Germany, including Hesse.

During these times, bus routes in Vellmar, Baunatal and Hofgeismar (all Kassel), Büdingen (Wetterau), Homberg (Efze) and Melsungen (both Schwalm-Eder), Offenbach, Fulda, Oberursel (Hochtaunus), Hanau, Gelnhausen, Bad Homburg and Weiterstadt (Darmstadt-Dieburg) will be affected. 

In the town of Giessen, the intercity buses will run whereas regional lines won’t.

Buses in Frankfurt will also be disrupted. However, U-bahn and S-Bahn trains as well as trams will continue as normal. 

In the major cities of Kassel and Darmstadt and in large parts of Wiesbaden, on the other hand, bus transport is expected to run normally. Most of the bus drivers in these regions are covered by other collective agreements.

Why are bus drivers striking again in Hesse?

Recently, just before and after the Whitsun (Pentecost) weekend, bus drivers in Hesse had gone on strike, which led to almost complete cancellations of bus services in many cities.

Following that strike, the bus companies involved negotiated with Verdi trade union, but failed to reach an agreement. Instead, a period of arbitration was triggered and scheduled for Friday, May 31st. 

According to reporting by regional outlet Hessenschau, no new strikes will take place during the arbitration period, since neutral parties will be hearing arguments from both sides and deciding on a conciliation recommendation. 

“We want to emphasise our demands again before the arbitration,” Verdi negotiator Jochen Koppel said, explaining the motive for Wednesday’s strike. 

Voices representing the bus companies have been critical of the strike. Chief negotiator of the State Association of Hessian Bus Companies (LHO), Volker Tuchan, said on Monday: “We find it very regrettable that public transport passengers are being affected again.”

On behalf of the bus drivers, Verdi is demanding wage increases as well as paid breaks. 

Verdi is reportedly demanding a salary increase of 8.5 percent each, delivered in two stages, for about 6,000 employees. In addition, they want €3,000 in inflation compensation bonuses for each employee and compensation during break times. 

The employers’ association LHO had rejected the demands as unfinanceable. The recent counter offer was a wage increase of 9.3 percent, delivered in three stages.

READ ALSO: ‘No family life’ –  A Berlin bus driver explains why public transport workers are striking

SHOW COMMENTS