Supporting rural mobility infrastructure through innovative transport solutions: The kombiBUS
About this good practice
Municipalities in sparsely populated areas (SPAs) must react to the changes posed by depopulation trends and demographic shifts as well as to the increasing (financial) pressures on public infrastructures. Hence, public transportation systems in rural areas need to enhance their efficiency and/or make use of innovative approaches by re-assembling local resources and approaches for service delivery.
Since 2012 the kombiBUS brings people and goods to their destination in the Uckermarck, a SPA in the Federal State of Brandenburg, and puts rural supplies “in the fast lane”. The public busses of the Uckermärkische Verkehrsgesellschaft (regional public transport company) (UVG) not only carry passengers. They also transport packages and frozen food. As so-called ‘combination busses’, they serve the bus stops in the local public transport network and regularly deliver goods to shops, restaurants, hotels and companies, return bicycles to the shops or locations where they were rented or need to be transferred to.
Thus, the kombiBUS proofs particularly useful in SPAs: Via the scheme local businesses are spared long journeys to bring their produce to their customers. This reduces costs for purchasing and shipping goods for businesses and helps financing rural public mobility.
Resources needed
No information provided.
Evidence of success
Since its inception, kombiBUS has been recognized for its approach to ecological and sustainable mobility as well as sustainable transport in a rural area. Through promoting and transporting regional goods, the scheme successfully managed to particularly support the integration of locally produced food and beverages, especially into the tourism value chain. Similarly, the scheme is slowly being adapted in several municipalities across Brandenburg and other Länder facing similar challenges.
Potential for learning or transfer
For the successful adaptation of the practice, a well-connected bus network, easy-to-use services and awareness for the value and importance of regional services among local/regional companies and customers is necessary. Further, through its support programme to replicate the kombiBUS approach the Federal State of Brandenburg provides support to partially finance the planning and/or implementation of the kombiBUS scheme elsewhere in Brandenburg.
Further information
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Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
kombiBUS Gruppe