Since the 1920s (of the last century), the realisation grew in Hamburg that buses were also needed to connect all parts of the city to the Hanseatic city’s public transport system. As a result, the first bus routes were started as trial from 1921 onwards, but these were discontinued. Hamburg’s first permanent bus line was launched on 1 December 1924.
But the buses also needed drivers. So the public transport operator Hochbahn opened its own bus driving school on 1 August 1924 – because the drivers had to be finished with their training in time for 1 December. And the Hochbahn was one of the first companies in Germany to have its own bus driving school.
The centenary was celebrated on 31 July 2024 with a small party at the Alsterdorf depot. It was proudly reported that the company has trained 24,000 bus drivers over the past 100 years.
A new 2024 Mercedes eCitaro (no. 2425) was specially refurbished in “retro style” for the anniversary. Efforts were made to make the modern electric bus look a little like a Magirus-Deutz Saturn II from around 1960. At the time, the Hochbahn’s fleet consisted largely of “Saturn II” vehicles – the company loved its air-cooled rear engine.
05.08.2024
