Cantonal Council SO Five little-used Solothurn bus routes to be retained
On Wednesday, the cantonal parliament approved the global budget of just under CHF 80 million for public transport in 2025/2026. Contrary to the government's proposal, the cancellation of six bus routes from 2025 was rejected. Five of the six little-used lines are to remain in place for the time being.
03.07.2024, 12:10
SDA
The Solothurn government's plan published in May to discontinue the Gerlafingen-Luterbach/Attisholz, Dulliken-Lostorf, Hägendorf-Allerheiligenberg and local bus services in Oensingen, Däniken and Bettlach due to a lack of profitability met with resistance in the cantonal council.
On Wednesday, a motion by Fabian Gloor (center) demanding that only the Gerlafingen-Luterbach/Attisholz connection be discontinued and the other lines continue to operate for the time being was passed with 52 yes to 43 no votes. The government had proposed discontinuation because the six bus routes did not meet the statutory minimum requirement of 20 percent cost coverage.
Giving it another chance
It is not acceptable to present the municipalities with a fait accompli, said Gloor. The bus routes should be given another chance with the extension of two more years. There is no fundamental opposition to a review.
"The government is only implementing the law," said Stefan Nünlist (FDP) during the debate. It is also not an austerity bill because the budget for public transport as a whole is actually being increased. Various members of the Cantonal Council criticized the short-term nature of the amendment. The municipalities would have too little time to provide the funds themselves if they wanted to keep the bus routes.
Errors in communication
Government Councillor Sandra Kolly (center) admitted that mistakes had been made in communication. However, she pointed out that the decisions had not been made at short notice, but had been based on ten years of figures. With very low capacity utilization, transport with diesel buses is not sustainable.
The cantonal council approved the "Public transport" global budget for 2025/2026 by 63 votes to 27. With a commitment credit of around CHF 79.5 million, this will finance the compensation paid by the canton of Solothurn to public transport companies, the Northwestern Switzerland fare network and school transport costs in 2025 and 2026.
