Shuttle bus in use: Strong strike affects public transport in Lower Saxony!

Shuttle bus in use: Strong strike affects public transport in Lower Saxony!

Next Thursday, March 13, 2025, local public transport in Lower Saxony will be significantly restricted. The reason for this is a warning strike, organized by the ver.di union, which will paralyze Üstra buses and trains in Hanover. Despite these extensive measures, there will be special shuttle buses that will be offered to employees, patients and visitors to the Hannover Medical School (MHH).

The shuttle bus runs between the Karl-Wiechert-Allee stop and the MHH campus between 5:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. This measure ensures that medical care and operations at the university can be maintained during the strike. The stop at the MHH campus is located at the main entrance on Karl-Wiechert-Allee, between the barriers and the ramp, near the ticket machine. The shuttle buses are clearly marked with a “MHH Shuttle” sign and run every 30 minutes, with departures from the MHH campus on the hour and half hour and from Karl-Wiechert-Allee at 20 and 40 minutes after the hour. However, the bus shuttle service will be paused between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. The routes to the stop are signposted accordingly, so that no one has to feel disoriented. MHH reports that the S-Bahn trains are not affected by the strike and that the S3, S6 and S7 lines will continue to run from the main station to the Karl-Wiechert-Allee S-Bahn station.

Details about the warning strike

The warning strike in Lower Saxony affects, among others, the cities of Hanover, Braunschweig, Osnabrück, Goslar, Wolfsburg and Peine. ver.di announced this measure to demand improvements in collective bargaining for the federal and local public services. The union is demanding a “reasonable” offer from employers and has already indicated that further strikes could follow if no agreements are reached. NDR states that traffic will be severely affected, especially in Hanover. On Thursday there will be no light rail service from the start of operations to the end of operations. While the Regiobus bus routes are not affected, trips by Üstra-Reisen are canceled.

Things look similar in Braunschweig and Osnabrück. Here too, the majority of local transport is missing and school trips have to be adjusted. Various measures to maintain traffic have been implemented for the affected cities. In Hanover, for example, scheduled taxis and regional bus connections are being provided, while in Göttingen transport by local transport companies is on strike until Friday. NDR reports a strong participation of employees in the strikes, who expressed their dissatisfaction with the employers' offers to negotiate so far.

Public reactions and alternatives

The reaction to the effects of the strike meant that many citizens and commuters had to switch to alternative means of transport. The Üstra in Hanover has already called on its passengers to switch to other means of transport. Regiobus and the “sprinti” on-call bus are still available. Taxi companies like HalloTaxi have increased their staff and put more taxis on the road to meet increased demand. In addition, the e-scooter rental company Tier has made its e-scooters available at central transport hubs to offer those affected additional mobility.

The situation highlights the challenges that can arise from collective bargaining in the public sector. Both employees and passengers have a responsibility to adapt to the new regulations, while solutions to the long-term problems in the public service continue to be found. It remains to be seen whether the upcoming talks between ver.di and the employers will lead to a satisfactory result that can avert another strike.