knowledge Overview
The Berlin bus network is the largest urban bus network in Germany. The BVG offers around 152 city bus lines during the day, plus 45 night bus lines. The daytime network comprises approx. 1,675 kilometres of route length with more than 2,600 stops. Day line numbers range from 100 to 399. A Berlin speciality is the high proportion of double-decker buses (around 200 of a total of roughly 1,300–1,350 buses).
Operator
The operator is Berlin Transport Company (BVG), which also operates the U-Bahn, trams and ferries in Berlin. Individual services are awarded to subcontractors, including smaller and midibuses on the outskirts.
History
Berlin's bus service is the city's oldest public transport service: as early as 1825, Simon Kremser put the first horse-drawn omnibus line from the Brandenburg Gate to Charlottenburg into service; on 30 October 1846 the first regular lines of the Concessionierten Berliner Omnibus-Compagnie followed. Motorisation began at the start of the 20th century with the ABOAG (founded 1868); the last horse-drawn omnibus ran on 25 August 1923. On 1 January 1929 the bus operations were absorbed into the newly founded Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), which are today gradually switching to emission-free electric buses with the goal of an emission-free fleet by 2030.
Line classes
- MetroBus (M11 to M85): 17 lines with an "M" prefix, in operation around the clock, at least every 10 minutes during the day; they provide basic services where U-Bahn and tram leave gaps
- ExpressBus (X7 to X83): 13 fast lines with few stops, mainly airport connections and direct links between suburbs and the city centre (e.g. X9, X71)
- Night bus (N1 to N97): 45 lines; N1–N9 replace the U-Bahn lines U1–U9 on weekday nights, the remaining N lines serve important day lines and peripheral districts
- City bus lines 100–399: regular day lines, including the touristically famous line 100 (Zoologischer Garten – Alexanderplatz)
Major hubs
- Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof (ZOB) am Funkturm (long-distance and central bus hub, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf)
- Alexanderplatz
- Hauptbahnhof
- Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten
- Rathaus Spandau
- Mehringplatz/Mehringdamm and Hermannplatz (MetroBus hubs)
Further information
network_lines: approx. 152 day lines (17 MetroBus M, 13 ExpressBus X) and 45 NachtBus lines; network_area: Berlin; network_status: In operation