Bad news for commuters and other people who rely on public transport: the Berlin Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) has announced that its bus services will be reduced from December 10, as the city struggles to cope with a shortage of drivers.

Fewer buses serving routes across Berlin

The timetable changes, which are expected to cause a 6-percent reduction in the regular bus timetable in Berlin, will come into effect on December 10. According to Rolf Erfurt, BVG’s operations director, it has not yet been decided exactly which bus lines will be affected, but he promised that the reductions would be evenly distributed across the city. 

The changes will also primarily affect services taking place outside of peak times, Berliner Morgenpost reports, and large schools and hospitals should remain well-serviced. Erfurt said the major noticeable change will be that timings will be slightly different, and while services are set to be less frequent on certain routes, larger vehicles might be used to make up for the shortfall. 

BVG struggling with shortage of drivers

“This is not a good situation for us or the passengers,” Erfurt said to Berliner Morgenpost. “That is not the promise of quality we stand for.” He also reflected that the change was particularly poorly timed as passenger numbers have now risen back to levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic. 

He said, however, that the cut was unavoidable given the tense situation on the labour market, that is being felt throughout the transport industry. BVG’s goal is to fill 630 jobs by the end of the year. 500 drivers have already been hired, but even if that target was met they would still be 350 short of the number required to maintain the regular timetable. 

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