Westerwaldbus des Kreises Altenkirchen GmbH

Westerwaldbus des Kreises Altenkirchen GmbH — commonly shortened to Westerwaldbus or Webu — is a German regional bus operator based in Steinebach/Sieg in the Altenkirchen district of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was founded in November 2017 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the district-owned Westerwaldbahn des Kreises Altenkirchen GmbH, the company that also gives the group its rail heritage. The bus company took over local public road transport with its own vehicles at the December 2018 timetable change, initially serving the collective municipalities (Verbandsgemeinden) of Betzdorf-Gebhardshain, Kirchen and Daaden-Herdorf, with some routes reaching beyond those boundaries. A second major expansion came in December 2021, when Westerwaldbus also began operating the Altenkirchen–Wissen route bundle, covering the Verbandsgemeinden of Altenkirchen-Flammersfeld, Hamm and Wissen. Today the company says it runs more than 85 buses and covers roughly 3.5 million vehicle kilometres per year, making it one of the principal bus operators in the northern Westerwald. Its network lies within the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel (VRM) fare area, with the Westfalentarif of the Verkehrsgemeinschaft Westfalen-Süd (VGWS) applying as a transitional fare in the neighbouring Siegen-Wittgenstein district. Westerwaldbus positions itself as a regional, accessible and safety-focused mobility provider. Its fleet is largely barrier-free, with low-floor entry, wheelchair spaces and request buttons on almost all vehicles, and acoustic stop announcements to assist blind and visually impaired passengers. The company sells tickets on board using electronic ticket printers. It also markets advertising space on its buses, promoting a reach of 65 buses on 35 lines and 3.5 million kilometres driven annually as an attractive regional out-of-home advertising medium. As a 100% subsidiary of a district-owned company, Westerwaldbus is not listed on any stock exchange and operates as a public-service transport undertaking rather than a profit-maximising commercial brand. Its public identity is closely tied to the Westerwaldbahn group, with joint corporate videos and shared branding. The company communicates timetable changes, construction-related disruptions, stop closures and extreme-weather service information through its website, and it recruits drivers under campaigns such as "#wirsuchendich" ("we are looking for you").

Westerwaldbus des Kreises Altenkirchen GmbH was founded in November 2017 in Steinebach/Sieg, in the Altenkirchen district of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was established as a 100% subsidiary of the Westerwaldbahn des Kreises Altenkirchen GmbH, the district-owned company whose name and ownership structure it shares. The creation of a dedicated bus company reflected the district's decision to organise its local road-based public transport through a single, district-controlled operator. Operations began with the timetable change in December 2018, when Westerwaldbus took over personennahverkehr (local public transport) with buses in the Verbandsgemeinden of Betzdorf-Gebhardshain, Kirchen and Daaden-Herdorf, with some services extending beyond those areas. This first phase established the company as the principal bus operator in the northern part of the Altenkirchen district. A second, significant expansion followed in December 2021, when Westerwaldbus added the Altenkirchen–Wissen route bundle. This extended its network into the Verbandsgemeinden of Altenkirchen-Flammersfeld, Hamm and Wissen, and broadened its coverage across the district and into parts of the neighbouring Westerwaldkreis. By the mid-2020s the company reported operating more than 85 buses and covering roughly 3.5 million vehicle kilometres per year. Its fleet is largely barrier-free, with low-floor entry, wheelchair spaces and request buttons on almost all buses, and acoustic announcements to assist blind and visually impaired passengers. Tickets are sold on board via electronic ticket printers. The network operates under the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel (VRM) fare system, with the Westfalentarif of the Verkehrsgemeinschaft Westfalen-Süd (VGWS) applying as a transitional fare in the adjacent Siegen-Wittgenstein district. Alongside its core transport role, Westerwaldbus markets advertising space on its vehicles, presenting its 65 buses on 35 lines and 3.5 million annual kilometres as a high-reach regional advertising medium. The company also uses its website to communicate timetable changes, construction-related disruptions, stop closures and extreme-weather service information, and it runs recruitment campaigns such as "#wirsuchendich" to attract drivers. As a district-owned subsidiary, it remains a public-service undertaking rather than a listed commercial enterprise.

• 2021

  Adds the Altenkirchen–Wissen route bundle, extending service to the Verbandsgemeinden of Altenkirchen-Flammersfeld, Hamm and Wissen.

• 2018

  Begins operating local bus public transport in the Verbandsgemeinden of Betzdorf-Gebhardshain, Kirchen and Daaden-Herdorf at the timetable change.

• 2017

  Westerwaldbus des Kreises Altenkirchen GmbH founded in Steinebach/Sieg as a 100% subsidiary of Westerwaldbahn des Kreises Altenkirchen GmbH.

Regional, publicly owned bus operator focused on accessible, safe and reliable local public transport in the northern Westerwald.

• Local bus transport services

  Public passenger transport by bus across the Altenkirchen district and parts of the Westerwaldkreis.

• Barrier-free low-floor buses

  Fleet largely equipped with low-floor entry, wheelchair spaces, request buttons and acoustic announcements.

• On-board electronic ticketing

  Tickets sold on board using electronic ticket printers.

• Bus advertising space

  Advertising on 65 buses across 35 lines, from rear-panel ads to full vehicle wraps.

1. 1Westerwaldbus des Kreises Altenkirchen GmbH – Homewesterwaldbus.de
2. 2Westerwaldbus des Kreises Altenkirchen GmbH – Über unswesterwaldbus.de
3. 3Westerwaldbus – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
4. 4Westerwaldbus – Wikidatawikidata.org