18 Market and Industry Omnibus 3·<strong>2010</strong> A success story Hamburg’s central bus station is today more than just a place to catch a bus. Lots of different services are provided in and around the station, freely based on the motto: “All under one roof.” That concept is also reflected by the building’s architecture.
EARLY IN A MORNING and late in an evening, it’s always the same: the Hamburg BusPort is always busy. There are hundreds of travellers waiting for the buses. People sit on suitcases, eager to head off on holiday, or visiting friends and family. Those not waiting at the stops themselves are enjoying the comforts inside the building, and relying on the state-of-theart info column, with its touch-screen display, or the large-format display board, to keep them up to the minute on all the comings and goings. All incoming and departing buses are detailed to the minute, as are any possible delays. And anyone who’s not quite so conversant with modern technology can simply ask one of the travel office staff, who are happy to answer customers’ questions as well as selling tickets. All covered over, with lots of service facilities packed inside Something else is strikingly apparent: the almost 300 m² glass roof – the highly visible feature making Hamburg’s BusPort such a landmark. The roof is an impressive 11 metres high, and appears to float above the facility like a suspended sculpture. Travellers and people coming to collect them are not only protected from the elements beneath the transparent roof, the three light and airy glazed buildings comprising the complex offer all the services to be expected of such a state-of-the-art facility: plenty of shops offering sustenance or something to read for the journey, as well as two restaurants; and a dozen or so travel agents, selling bus tours and other holiday trips to anywhere in the world. There are also modern, clean toilets of course, including a disabled facility, shower rooms and baby-changing facilities, as well as luggage lockers and public telephones. A state-of-the-art feature that no modern-day facility of this kind can do without is of course an internet cafe. A car-hire office offers private mobility to arriving travellers. And there are change machines and banking facilities at the BusPort too. “The main service facilities are open every day from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Wednesdays and Fridays even until midnight,” reports Wolfgang Marahrens, general manager of the BusPort. The Hamburg-born qualified engineer regards the bus station as an all-round service facility. “The old bus station would have been modern for its time, but it simply could not handle new trends in long-distance bus travel especially. Fluorescent tubes flickering on the ceiling and hard bucket seats were no longer in keeping with modern needs.” That was why the decision was taken to build a new bus station. After all, bus transportation is a key pillar of Hamburg’s long-distance transport infrastructure, alongside its airport and railway station. “The main question was what the new bus station would need to offer customers,” Marahrens recalls. “Those considerations had to be thorough and wide-ranging, because the station’s customers are not only the travellers passing through it, but also tour operators’ guides and – most especially – the bus drivers”. The drivers and other bus company personnel are particularly warm in their praise of the shower facilities the new station offers. Bay design ensures stress-free entry and exit The new station’s technical features are just as modern as its architecture and outfitting. Passengers can log on to the internet at home to find out when their bus departs, and from what bay. At the BusPort itself there are information columns with touch-screen displays as well as the main largeformat display board pointing travellers in the right direction. “There is also an electronic display board at each bay,” Marahrens adds. The local Omnibus 3·<strong>2010</strong> Market and Industry 19 BusPort general manager Wolfgang Marahrens: “Everything under one roof, and keeping a close focus on the needs of all users. That is our recipe for success.” bay displays indicate the current and next scheduled bus departures. The station general manager is particularly proud of the bay design. It is a tried and proven system at many bus stations in other countries, and as such can only be a good thing for Hamburg. Instead of parking as at a normal stop, buses pull into the bay facing forwards, and reverse out when departing. Marahrens expands: “The key benefit is that passengers do not have to cross a road to get to and from their bus”. The system also enables luggage to be loaded and unloaded safely on both sides of the bus. As soon as the bus pulls out of the bay, the red lamps inset in the ground start flashing to warn vehicles behind. The display boards announce a wide variety of European destinations, particularly in Eastern Europe. But Marahrens believes that will soon be changing. In view of the new long-distance bus travel offers now on the market, the BusPort general manager believes the establishment of 20 to 30 new connections within Germany itself is a realistic prospect for Hamburg alone. He is confident of being able to handle such an expansion, because the facility’s capacities are nowhere near exhaustion levels as yet. “We’ve literally got everything covered here,” Marahrens comments with a grin, “and the same goes for our capacity reserves.” t www.zob-hamburg.de Photos: Rüdiger Schreiber A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR LONG-DISTANCE BUS TRAVEL In its coalition agreement, the German Federal Government has set out proposals to amend the law and open up the long-distance bus service market. If all goes to plan, by the end of <strong>2010</strong> there will be a draft new Passenger Transport Act which will authorise long-distance bus services to be set up with effect from August 1, 2011. Section 13, paragraph 2, of the Act stipulates that long-distance rail travel is to be largely protected against competition from buses. Long-distance bus services have long been a well-established part of the transport network not only in the USA, but also in other parts of Europe, such as Spain, the <strong>UK</strong> and Sweden. Such services provide affordable mobility for price-conscious travellers, and open up new markets targeting new customer groups. Some bus operators believe they can also attract business travellers, and so are looking to offer free internet access and other business-related facilities on-board. Other advantages are self-evident: compared to the train, a bus journey may take a quarter longer, but it is only half as expensive. Compared to regional rail services, buses would even be cheaper and a third faster. Long-distance bus services are among the most environmentally friendly means of transport, and cautious estimates predict that they might attain a market share of over five percent.
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