Verkehrsbetriebe STI

Verkehrsbetriebe STI (Steffisburg-Thun-Interlaken) is the main bus operator in the Swiss canton of Berne. It is a private company based in the city of Thun, and operates bus services in that city, as well as routes linking Thun with the neighbouring towns and villages including the tourist hubs of Interlaken and Steffisburg. STI currently operates 65 buses and employs 175 workers.

History

Verkehrsbetriebe STI was formed in 1913, with the opening of a tram line between Steffisburg and Oberhofen, which was later extended to Beatenburcht and finally to Interlaken. The operation of trams on the main line (Thun to Interlaken) ceased in 1939, and on the line to Steffisburg in the late 1950s, and since then the STI network has been covered exclusively by buses. At first these were environmentally friendly (and quiet) electric buses, drawing their power from overhead wires, but in the 1970s they switched to conventional, diesel powered buses. STI introduced its first night service in 1993, between Thun and Bern. Further extensions to the network in 1999 and 2001 took STI buses into areas such as Gwatt, which had seen train station closures.

Routes

*1 Steffisburg - Thun - Gwattzentrum - Spiez
*2 Schorenfriedhof - Neufeld - Thun
*3 Blumenstein - Allmendingen - Thun - Alte Bernstrasse
*4 Lerchenfeld - Thun
*5 Schorenfriedhof - Thun
*6 Westquartier - Thun
*21 Thun - Oberhofen - Beatenbucht - Interlaken Ost
*22 Hünibach - Hilterfingen - Oberhofen - Thun
*25 Thun - Oberhofen - Gunten - Schwanden
*31/32 Thun - Goldiwil/Döfli - Heiligenschwendi Reha Zentrum
*41/42 Thun - Fahrni - Schwarzenegg - Heimenschwand/Innereriz
*43 Thun - Emberg - Kreuzweg - Heimenschwand
*44 Oberdiessbach - Linden - Heimenschwand
*45 Heimenschwand - Linden - Heimenschwand
*50/51 Thun - Thierachern - Uebeschi/Forst - Blumenstein
*53 Seftigen - Wattenwil - Blumenstein
*55 Thun - Wimmis
*56 Riggisberg - Burgistein - Wattenwil

Rolling stock

*21 MAN NL313 (2001-2006)
*10 MAN NG 363 NF articulated (2002-2004)
*6 Mercedes-Benz Citaro articulated (2001-2006)
*4 MAN NG 312 NF articulated (1997)
*4 Mercedes-Benz O405G articulated (1991-1992)
*4 Setra S213 UL (1989-1993)
*3 MAN 353 (2006)
*3 Mercedes-Benz O405 (1988)
*2 MAN NG 272 NF articulated (1995)
*2 MAN NL 313/D28/3T NF (1999)
*2 Setra S319 NF (1999-2001)
*1 Mercedes-Benz 416 CDI (2005)
*1 Mercedes-Benz 313 CDI (2003)
*1 Saurer/Ramseier and Jenzer SH560-25 (1981)

Livery

STI vehicles are painted in a livery of yellow, orange, brown and white.

External links

* [http://www.stibus.ch Official site]
* [http://www.ferrovie.ch/img/categories.php?cat_id=80&sessionid=41829f2c86bf7f242a3b992e0506f8f4 Ferrovie, with images of STI vehicles]