Heilbronn: City bus line 67 remains and receives new counting systems!

Heilbronn: City bus line 67 remains and receives new counting systems!

Something is happening in Heilbronn in local public transport: the city is planning to equip more than half of its city buses with automatic passenger counting systems. This project aims to generate reliable utilization figures for bus routes, which are of great importance for the planning and organization of local public transport. According to stimme.de, Heilbronn receives almost 1.7 million euros annually from the state, and this data is crucial for the financial allocations that the city needs to operate its public transport efficiently.

The implementation of the system initially requires costs of 85,000 euros, which are covered by the municipal subsidiary Stadtwerke. This is supplemented by the creation of a new position in the Heilbronn Transport Association (HNV), which is responsible for the preparation and delivery of the data of all companies working in the region. Furthermore, the Stuttgart (VVS) transport association will provide the edited data to the country, which further simplifies the planning and control.

The continuation of bus line 67

The focus is not only on the new systems, the city bus line 670 has also ensured conversation. As originally feared, this will not be stopped, but continued as a city bus line 67 from 2026. The new connection will combine Kirchhausen and Biberach with the Böllinger Höfe and the SLK clinic at the Gesundbrunnen. Despite the majority of positive feedback, there were concerns: The district of Heilbronn will no longer continue the line due to too little interest, which means that the municipalities of Massenbach and Massenbachhausen will no longer be connected to the bus network from next year.

Despite a strained budget and additional annual costs, the local council approved between 40,000 and 50,000 euros for the city side. Some city councilors emphasize the great importance of the bus route for public services and proximity to the citizens, while others prefer to speak out against its continuation. This shows that there really is a red line between different views and interests.

Future of local public transport

The decision to reduce the clock of the newly named city bus line 67 to every 90 minutes and to close in the morning timetable gaps shows that the city deals with the needs of the citizens: inside. This regulation initially applies to the years 2026 and 2027, and you can be excited to see how the opening of the bus line will affect user behavior.

The introduction of the automatic passenger counting systems is part of a larger plan, which is supported by recommendations of the VDV, as supported in the VDV-Scripture 457. The aim of these recommendations is to create uniform statistical basics and standardized framework conditions for technical solutions in public transport. This is intended to optimize counting systems that optimize general services in local transport, which is of great importance for citizens.

Overall, there is a lot going on in the area of ​​public transport in Heilbronn. It remains to be seen how these developments will impact in the coming years - not least on the satisfaction and mobility of citizens.