Because of Omicron: BVG cuts bus service starting Wednesday

From Wednesday (Jan. 19) onward, passengers of the Berlin public transport company BVG will no longer be able to use the entire bus service for the time being.

All stops in the bus network continue to be served

The reason for the service cuts is the increasing number of sick and quarantined staff. "We are taking precautions in order to be able to constantly offer a reliable, stable and high-quality service for our passengers on the road and rail," a spokesman said. The BVG had announced the measure last week.

According to the company statement, all sections and stops in the bus network will continue to be served. However, frequencies will be thinned out, for example on sections where several lines run in parallel. The BVG assured passengers that the Metrobus lines will run at least every 10 minutes. The bottom line is that bus service on weekdays will drop by a good three percent.

Further timetable changes likely from next week

Currently, a great many people in Berlin are infected with the Omikron variant of the Coronavirus. "Even though the overall number of sick leaves among BVG staff has not yet shown a dramatic increase, but we are seeing a noticeable upward trend in some areas," the state-owned company said. "We are responding to this fact responsibly in the interests of our passengers and our employees." Subways, trams and ferries have not been affected so far. The BVG is expected to announce a second round of schedule adjustments for the coming week this Thursday.