Autobetrieb Weesen-Amden

Autobetrieb Weesen-Amden (AWA) is a Swiss public transport operator based in Amden, canton of Glarus. It is a legally dependent municipal enterprise of the Ortsgemeinde Amden, which holds the passenger transport concession for the bus line Ziegelbrücke – Weesen – Amden – Arvenbüel, operated under line number 650. The line has been listed in the official timetable under field 80.650 since 2008. AWA provides connections to regional and long-distance services toward Zürich, St. Gallen, Glarus and Chur, and accepts Ostwind and Z-Pass tickets, Generalabonnement (GA), Halbtax, Gleis 7, and other Swiss fare products. In addition to scheduled passenger services, AWA offers excursion and wedding trips with 50-seat buses, performs tipping/lorry transport in summer, and carries out snow clearing in winter. The company traces its origins to a horse-drawn postal service established in 1892 and was founded as a motorized bus operation on 1 July 1919. It has operated a variety of vehicles over the decades, including Saurer buses, Mercedes-Benz Integro, Setra and MAN Lion's Regio models. A book commemorating its 100th anniversary was published in 2019.

The history of Autobetrieb Weesen-Amden (AWA) begins in 1892, ten years after the construction of a drivable road from Weesen to Amden, when a horse-drawn postal coach service was established. The first motorized buses were converted military trucks that the municipality of Amden acquired in 1918. The founding of AWA is dated 1 July 1919. New vehicles included a Saurer bus, which served the route Weesen Bahnhof – Amden Vorderdorf twice daily, and a truck that transported materials such as hay, wood, rubble, stones and straw destined for Amden. In 1922, the opportunity arose to acquire an 8-seat limousine from the commercial vehicle manufacturer Hippolyt Saurer. In the 1930s, AWA struggled with massive revenue problems in both freight and passenger transport. With the extension of the mountain postal road from Sell to Arvenbüel in 1955, the bus line was also extended there. In 1961, AWA purchased its first self-propelled snow cutter. From autumn 1967, the timetable included a Sunday evening pair of services to Ziegelbrücke; from autumn 1969 there were three Sunday and two weekday pairs. The vehicle fleet consisted mainly of blue Saurer diesel buses, identical in construction to the yellow Postbuses and equipped with a three-tone horn. In the 1970s, the continued existence of the bus operation was threatened by renewed revenue losses. A spin-off of the bus line was discussed but not realized. In the 1980s, another series of Saurer buses was procured, this time with destination displays on the front. From 1999 to 2001, AWA procured three Mercedes-Benz Integro intercity buses in silver-grey, which ended the Saurer era in 2001. As the last Swiss bus in operation, a NAW bus ran until 2008, by then replaced by a Setra S415UL with wheelchair lift. Two more such vehicles in 2010 heralded the replacement of the Integro fleet. In 2017, the last Integro and in 2018 the oldest Setra were replaced by MAN Lion's Regio buses. A minibus is also used for school transport.

• 2019

  100th anniversary book published by Jürg Biegger.

• 2018

  Oldest Setra replaced by MAN Lion's Regio.

• 2017

  Last Integro replaced by MAN Lion's Regio.

• 2010

  Two additional Setra buses begin replacement of Integro fleet.

• 2008

  Last NAW bus in service replaced by Setra S415UL; line listed under timetable field 80.650.

• 2001

  End of the Saurer bus era with delivery of Integro buses.

• 1999

  Procurement of Mercedes-Benz Integro buses begins.

• 1969

  Timetable expanded to three Sunday and two weekday pairs of services.

• 1967

  Introduction of Sunday evening service to Ziegelbrücke.

• 1961

  Purchase of first self-propelled snow cutter.

• 1955

  Bus line extended to Arvenbüel following road extension.

• 1922

  Acquisition of an 8-seat limousine from Hippolyt Saurer.

• 1919

  Founding of Autobetrieb Weesen-Amden on 1 July.

• 1918

  Municipality of Amden acquires converted military trucks for motorized bus service.

• 1892

  Horse-drawn postal coach service established on the Weesen–Amden road.

Regional public transport provider and municipal service operator in the Amden/Weesen area.

• Bus line 650 Ziegelbrücke–Weesen–Amden–Arvenbüel

  Scheduled public bus service connecting the villages and providing access to regional and long-distance trains.

• Excursion and wedding trips

  Charter services with 50-seat buses for weddings, club trips and other excursions.

• Tipping/lorry transport

  Summer service for tipping transport.

• Snow clearing

  Winter snow clearing operations for the municipality.

1. 1AWA-Bus Homeawa-bus.ch
2. 2Autobetrieb Weesen-Amdende.wikipedia.org
3. 3Autobetrieb Weesen-Amdenwikidata.org