Local transport in Wiesbaden: Mayor calls for more respect for bus drivers

"Passenger insults bus driver", "Unknown people spit on bus driver" or "Bus driver mobbed by unknown person".

Such and similar reports have been increasing in Wiesbaden for some time.

The mobility service provider Eswe Verkehr had already complained in autumn that more and more staff were being attacked verbally or even physically.

Many passengers vented their frustration about the canceled bus timetable and delays to the drivers – but they couldn't help it.

Wiesbaden's Lord Mayor Gert-Uwe Mende (SPD) and Traffic Director Andreas Kowol (Die Grünen) have addressed the people of Wiesbaden in a video message and demand respect for Wiesbaden's bus drivers.

In their message, Mende and Kowol appeal to passengers to treat bus drivers with respect and gratitude "in these difficult times".

“Our bus drivers put in an enormous effort every day around the clock to transport people in our city safely from A to B.

The fact that they still get the displeasure of some passengers and sometimes even hostility is not justified," Mende clarified.

He pointed out that the bus drivers are not part of the problem but the solution.

Kowol promises better bus service

In fact, there are too few bus drivers in Wiesbaden, which is why the timetable has been thinned out in recent months.

According to Mende, Eswe Verkehr and the city of Wiesbaden are currently working together on solutions and the use of subcontractors has already closed some gaps in the timetable.

Traffic Director Kowol admitted that delays and cancellations are annoying, but the drivers couldn't help it.

"Be kind to them.

We are currently working at full speed to stabilize and improve the offer," promised the head of department and pointed out: "In any weather, our bus drivers navigate ten to 20 tons of weight through the city traffic, which is nerve-wracking at peak times anyway because of the Salzbach Viaduct and carries them responsibility for up to 100 passengers.

A spokesman for Eswe had already pointed out in the fall that the way some passengers dealt with the drivers could aggravate the situation.

No one should be surprised if fewer and fewer people wanted to become bus drivers under these circumstances, Spannaus had warned.

The video message from Mende and Kowol can be viewed

online at