Stadtverkehr Tübingen

TüBus is the public transport offering for the university city of Tübingen, presenting itself as the local ÖPNV (public transport) service. According to its own data, it carries on average more than 50,000 passengers daily and more than 20 million per year, with a dense route network, short intervals, night services and many direct connections extending beyond the city area. The Stadtwerke subsidiary TüBus GmbH plans and organises the city transport on behalf of the university city; its own subsidiary, Stadtwerke Tübingen Verkehrsbetrieb (also a GmbH), employs around 120 staff including 100 drivers and operates about half of the city transport with 45 buses, while the other half is provided by private bus companies Kocher, Schnaith and Groß as well as the rail subsidiary RAB. The TüBus control centre monitors and coordinates all buses day and night, and the bus stops in Tübingen are owned by the university city.

In 2024 TüBus recorded 23 million passengers, a record that also exceeded pre-Corona figures, an effect of the discounted Deutschlandticket Tübingen; the university city continued to subsidise it, and the number of subscribers rose to 26,000. TüBus achieved very good results in the nationwide ÖPNV customer barometer, taking first place for the smooth implementation of the D-Ticket, and new departure displays introduced real-time passenger information. In 2025, for the first time in its history, TüBus had to reduce its offering: losses in the ÖPNV division rose to around 8 million euros, more than the Stadtwerke could absorb, and the university city could no longer provide certain subsidies due to its strained budget. To save one million euros per year, initial cuts took effect from April, with a second step following at the December timetable change, mainly thinning out less-demanded lines or removing them in evening service; the holiday timetable now applies on all school-free days, and evening service begins an hour earlier from December. Because the damaged Alleenbrücke may only be crossed by small buses, lines 2 and 6 were reorganised. The switch to electric drives progressed: 27 of 82 TüBusse were purely electric, while planned further procurement was reduced or postponed, and the necessary charging infrastructure was in planning.

1. 1Willkommen beim TüBus, dem ÖPNV in Tübingen - TüBustuebus.de
2. 2Geschichte des TüBus - TüBustuebus.de
3. 3Daten und Fakten (TüBus) - TüBustuebus.de
4. 4Seniorentraining für den TüBus - TüBustuebus.de
5. 5Stadtverkehr Tübingenwikidata.org