· bürgerbus, dettingen an der erms, mobilität, ehrenamt, gemeinde, bürgerforum, buebus, sozialprojekt, rufbus, nachbarschaftshilfe
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Dettingen an der Erms, 8 May 2026 – At midday, Mr. Martin Stanger (Chairman of the Dettingen Citizen Foundation), Mr. Felix Schiffner (newly elected Mayor of the municipality of Dettingen an der Erms), and Mr. Norman Sommer (Managing Director of Bürgerforum Buchhalde Dettingen gUG) met for an initial discussion regarding the possible introduction of a citizen bus service for Dettingen an der Erms.
The topic of a citizen bus has been on the agenda for some time. Mr. Martin Stanger had already raised the idea during the mayoral candidate presentation on 0 March 2026 in the Schillerhalle. In parallel, Mr. Norman Sommer had been working for several months on initial concepts for a modern citizen bus as an on-demand service with supplementary “flag-stop” bus stops.
An initial concept was set aside at that time, primarily because the cost structure and organizational questions surrounding the required passenger transport license for volunteer drivers remained unresolved. This includes, among other things, fees for criminal record certificates, applications, medical examinations, and other formal requirements.
During the current exchange, several open points have since been clarified. The approximately one-hour meeting therefore focused mainly on how a citizen bus service for Dettingen an der Erms could be concretely implemented and which existing models could serve as a reference.
The participants agreed to examine existing citizen bus and citizen car concepts – for example in Eningen unter Achalm – more closely and to seek dialogue with organizations already active in this field. Additionally, they plan to attend an upcoming information event in June to gather further experiences and insights.
Mr. Norman Sommer expressed his willingness to take over the organizational preparation as well as the technical and conceptual development of the project. This includes initial conceptual work, organizational preparations, and the development and testing of a digital platform for the future service.
At the end of the meeting, it was agreed to meet again in approximately two weeks to discuss initial results, findings, and possible next steps together, in order to further advance the project.
The planned citizen bus service aims to make mobility within the municipality simpler, more social, and more community-oriented in the long term – particularly for people with limited mobility or without access to a vehicle.
