Neumünster: The friendliest bus drivers in Germany secure first place!

Neumünster: The friendliest bus drivers in Germany secure first place!

Neumünster can once again look forward to a very special title: the city has the friendliest bus drivers in Germany. This remarkable award is based on the current public transport customer barometer 2025, which was carried out by the renowned market research company Kantar and in which a total of 44 transport providers from all over Germany were tested. Stadtwerke Neumünster (SWN) proudly announced that they have taken first place in the “friendliness of drivers” category for the seventh time in nine years. Kn-online reports that ...

A total of around 25,000 surveys have shown that passengers are very satisfied not only with the friendliness of the staff, but also with the reliability, speed of transport and the price-performance ratio of SWN. Managing director Sonja Kessal emphasizes that the positive feedback from customers is an incentive for the municipal utility to continue to set high standards and create customer-oriented mobility. The SWN “Hin & Wech” offer, which was expanded at the end of August 2025, is very popular as it enables flexible departure times and needs-based connections for passengers.

Increasing demand for flexible offers

What is particularly noteworthy is that since the timetable change, passengers have been able to travel back and forth from three in the morning. This flexibility is particularly advantageous for working people, as they can now travel to industrial areas more easily. Before the change, this was only possible at fixed times and with a detour via the central bus station at the train station, which many passengers found to be inconvenient. SWN reports that ...

With these changes, SWN shows that it takes passengers' demands seriously and is continuously working on an attractive mobility concept. The many positive reviews in categories such as reliability and speed of transport underline this approach. The surveys from recent years as part of the public transport customer barometer show that satisfaction with local public transport in Germany will have fallen nationwide in 2024 to its lowest level in 20 years. Nevertheless, the SWN was able to stand out from the crowd and defend its position.

A look at the national public transport situation

Last year's surveys showed that the use of public transport has continued to increase, especially since the introduction of the Deutschland Ticket in May 2023. Although general satisfaction with public transport is struggling, regional providers such as SWN seem to stand out with innovative offerings and the highest level of passenger satisfaction. While a third of the providers surveyed were able to improve their global satisfaction, it cannot be denied that many large transport companies still have to work on their image. Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG took the top spot in overall customer satisfaction in 2024, followed by Erfurter Verkehrsbetriebe and other providers. Kantar shows that...

The SWN sees the positive reviews as confirmation of its work and advocates continuing to invest in improving mobility. The combination of friendly staff, reliable connections and attractive tariffs seems to be the key to success. It remains to be hoped that other providers can learn from the Neumünster residents' successes and thus improve general satisfaction in German public transport.