BUS2Talk: Mobile infrastructure with DB Regio

Guest: Arndt Hecker, Business Development, Regio Bus, DB Regio

Mention “Deutsche Bahn“, and the first thing that springs to mind is rail transport. However, with around 10,000 buses, DB Regio is the largest regional bus service provider in Germany. At DB Regio, Arndt Hecker is the Head of Business Development at Regio Road Transport. In an interview with Kerstin Kube-Erkens and Totinia Hörner, Hecker presents the ’service bus’, which aims to improve the quality of life in rural areas by offering a mobile infrastructure. Currently, seven ’Medibuses’ offering medical services are operating in Germany as replacements for doctors’ practices. Over the past month the ’Supermarket Bus’, a joint project by DB Regio and its partners REWE and FairTrade, has been carrying out tests. This shopping bus currently runs to a fixed timetable, stopping at several towns west of Kassel six days a week. A bus offering financial and insurance services is also in the pipeline, and currently Deutsche Bahn is actively looking for joint venture partners. The idea is to make use of buses in many different ways. At the same time the focus is on improving regular bus routes and expanding on-demand door-to-door services. “Article 72 of Germany’s Basic Law says that living and working conditions in urban and rural areas should be equal. We must not leave rural areas behind“, says Hecker.

Find out more about integrated day-to-day mobility options, attractive regular bus routes and the ’Supermarket Bus’ in the latest episode of the BUS2BUS Podcast.

A note for all non German-speaking listeners: this episode is only available in German.