Buses over the Dinkelberg: More connections for the Lörrach district!

Buses over the Dinkelberg: More connections for the Lörrach district!

The Lörrach district council has made an important decision that will have a significant impact on local transport in the district. The bus connections over the Dinkelberg are to be expanded. This is part of a plan to increase transport services, which should both benefit passengers and reduce the burden on the environment.

From 2024, the annual subsidy requirement for this expansion will increase from 383,000 euros to 542,000 euros. An application for funding is submitted to the state in order to receive the necessary financial support. The administration has already given the order to obtain appropriate offers.

Passenger numbers are increasing – need for more connections

The “SchopfRheiner”, which has been in operation since December 2021, is enjoying positive development. The number of passengers is continuously increasing: 130,300 people used the buses in 2022, 203,700 in 2023 and 231,470 passengers are expected for 2024. These increasing numbers underline the need to expand the service and have buses run every half hour during rush hour.

The planned changes will also lead to an increase in the annual service volume from the current 203,000 to 242,000 scheduled kilometers. In addition, binding marketing measures are planned, which will be funded with a budget of 26,000 euros, in order to better inform the public and promote the use of the bus service.

Financing and future developments

Experts consider the challenge of securing financing for this extensive project to be complex. As the Institute for Transport Management emphasizes, it is necessary to invest significantly in the future of mobility, although traditional financing instruments are often not sufficient. Public funding can provide important support. Unfortunately, many potential funding sources are not being used sufficiently by transport companies, which leaves great potential untapped. More attention must also be paid to networking and exchange between the individual actors in order to promote synergies and use resources efficiently, as the VDV Academy shows.

From 2027, the Hochrhein route bundle, which is operated by Südbadenbus, will be re-allocated. This includes five lines with a total of 760,000 scheduled kilometers per year. In order to meet the needs of passengers, selective adjustments to the line structure are necessary, in particular due to the commissioning of the new Dreiland Clinic in Lörrach and the new timetables following the electrification of the Hochrheinbahn. Integration into Rheinfelden's city traffic is currently being examined.

Public participation and planning

In order to take the interests of citizens into account and incorporate critical points into the planning, public participation was suggested. This shows that the decision-makers in the Lörrach district are open to the concerns of citizens.

Overall, it can be said that the planned changes in local transport not only improve mobility services in the Lörrach district, but also send a clear signal for an environmentally friendly future. Because there is something going on – the mobility of the future! A new timetable could represent a great opportunity for all passengers.