Press release of the Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labour
The rubi on-demand bus service was launched in the district of Rostock in 2021 in the districts of Mecklenburgische Schweiz, Gnoien and Tessin as well as the town of Teterow. The service is now being extended to the entire district with the support of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The aim is to make local public transport in rural regions more attractive and flexible for people. From today, "travel on demand" will be possible in all regions of the district of Rostock. Transport Minister Reinhard Meyer today presented the District Administrator of Rostock, Sebastian Constien, and the Managing Director of rebus Regionalbus Rostock GmbH, Thomas Nienkerk, with the official funding notification for around 1.37 million euros, thus signalling the start of the complete expansion of the on-demand bus concept in the district of Rostock. "As part of the mobility offensive, we are creating a state mobility network with nationwide, fast, synchronised rail and bus services as well as on-call buses that reach even the smallest villages in the state. This will lay the foundations for the people of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to make a sustainable switch to climate-friendly public transport systems in the cities, but especially in rural areas. However, this will not happen overnight. With the expansion of the rubi on-demand bus system to the entire district of Rostock, we are taking another important step forward. Rubi is a transport service at the regular public transport tariff that is available when there is no regular bus service," said Reinhard Meyer, Minister for Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labour.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs is supporting the project with state funds via VMV-Verkehrsgesellschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. A total of 13.5 million euros will be provided for the development and operation of a state-wide on-call bus system in 2024, after 13 million euros were already made available for the development of the systems in 2023. The state also plans to provide funding for subsequent years.
"Our rubi on-demand bus service has met with an overwhelmingly positive response so far. After three years and having gained a wealth of experience, we can now take the next step and, with the support of the state, extend the on-call bus to all regions in the district of Rostock. This is a real benefit for people, especially in rural areas, and a major step forward on the road to climate-friendly mobility that also takes individual needs into account," said District Administrator Sebastian Constien.
"With the nationwide introduction of the nationwide on-call bus system, we are creating a fully-fledged mobility service for passengers in rural areas. Even more so since the introduction of the Deutschlandticket, passengers expect a reliable and consistent service, especially for people who have no other means of transport. I would like to thank our partners in the district of Rostock and rebus for their close and trusting cooperation in the realisation of this ambitious mobility project. The MV on-demand bus is a gain for everyone. Try it out," says Daniel Bischof, Managing Director of VMV-Verkehrsgesellschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern mbH.
"Thanks to the 15 new vehicles and the 30 newly hired drivers, who will be on duty throughout the week in future, we can now offer rubi throughout the district of Rostock and thus significantly improve the quality of life in rural areas. Whether it's to the doctor in the morning, to the gym in the afternoon or to the cinema in the evening, rubi is there when you need it and provides you with the mobility you need, even if there is no longer a regular bus service," emphasised rebus Managing Director Thomas Nienkerk.
Free travel from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The rebus call buses with the distinctive squirrel "rubi" as their mascot will be travelling throughout the district of Rostock (with the exception of Güstrow and Bad Doberan) from today. There is no fixed timetable for rubi. The bus can be used from Monday to Friday between 05:00 and 22:00 and Saturday/Sunday/holidays between 08:00 and 18:00. If no regular scheduled bus is available for the route in question within one hour before and after the journey request, the booking can be made. In future, the operating times will be gradually extended, especially at weekends, to create an even more attractive service. Passengers themselves determine the departure time as well as the departure and destination stop within the respective call bus region. rubi then takes passengers either to the next available regular service or, if this is not available or not available within the previous or next hour, directly to the destination within the respective call bus region.
Easy and barrier-free travelling
How much does a journey with rubi cost? The fare is based on the tariff of the Verkehrsverbund Warnow (VVW), as is the case for regular bus journeys. The fare regulations and conditions of carriage of the VVW also apply. Of course, the use of season tickets, such as the Deutschland Ticket, is also possible without additional payment. In addition to cash purchases from the driver, payment can also be made via the VVW APP.
Order the bus with the app
Even though the on-call bus can be ordered by phone, numerous users have already registered via the app. The "rubi rebus - rubi kommt wie gerufen" app can be downloaded to smartphones from the App Store and Google Play Store. Passengers can also use the rubi app to make advance bookings up to 30 days in advance. Serial bookings, for example every Thursday at 09:00, are also possible.
Further information on the MV on-call bus operated by rebus Regionalbus Rostock GmbH here.
The "MV FÄHRT GUT" journey planner
The nationwide journey planner "MV DRIVES WELL" for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern takes into account all changes to the new timetable. The state's free app contains all public transport timetable data in M-V and is available for Android and iOS (www.fahrplanauskunft-mv.de).
Background:
As part of its Mecklenburg-Vorpommern mobility offensive, the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern grants financial assistance for the development, provision and operation of municipal regional and call bus systems as part of the state-wide bus network in accordance with specified quality criteria.
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