Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel: "We are aiming to significantly improve local public transport as part of two pilot projects.

The mobility needs of citizens are to be increasingly met with flexible forms of service. In cooperation with our transport company, KVG Braunschweig, and the Greater Braunschweig Regional Association, these new types of transport services are also to be tested in Salzgitter from mid-December 2021 as part of two pilot projects in Salzgitter-Bad and Salzgitter-Thiede. I have proposed this to the Salzgitter City Council for its meeting in April 2021."

The advantage of these flexible demand-response services is that they operate in an optimized manner based on passenger requirements without a fixed route. In comparison, travel times are shorter. In particular, they can close the gap between existing bus and rail services and "your own front door". As the flexible forms of operation become a fully-fledged part of ÖPNV, they are also subject to the tariff of the Braunschweig Region Transport Association. This means that passengers will not incur any additional costs.

Mayor Klingebiel emphasizes that the specific features of Salzgitter-Bad and Salzgitter-Thiede will be taken into account and that inner-city services in particular will be improved for passengers. In Salzgitter-Thiede, a connection to the Thiede railroad station, to the supra-local lines and finally to the VW plant and to Salzgitter-Beddingen (port and town) is also to be made possible, and in Salzgitter-Bad there is also to be a better transport connection to the Salzgitter-Ringelheim railroad station and the university campus in Salzgitter-Calbecht.

To this end, seven new low-floor minibuses are to be deployed by KVG Braunschweig at around 70 new additional stops in the city districts over extended service periods. Passengers will then be able to use the app, internet browser or telephone to request transportation from KVG Braunschweig at short notice and at flexible times. "The city of Salzgitter is significantly enhancing its ÖPNV with these new, flexible forms of service," says Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel. "We are convinced that this will enable us to offer our citizens an attractive service!"