The central bus station (ZOB) needs more than just a "new coat of paint": in its current form, it no longer meets the needs of Bonn's population - it does not offer sufficient capacity and is not equipped with modern facilities. There is also much room for visual improvement. The ZOB is a central area of the city center. This means that the challenge for the new building is to combine many different requirements and usage demands so that efficient, flexible and barrier-free local transport is possible for everyone.

First of all, the aim is to create as many stops and waiting positions as possible for (regional) buses. At the same time, stopping positions for articulated buses are needed - it must be ensured that these positions can be approached from all directions if possible. The quality of stay at the ZOB should be significantly improved for passengers. In addition, short and barrier-free transfer routes should be made possible, both when changing between individual bus routes and to other local public transport services. Of course, this also applies to the direct connection to the main train station with its long-distance trains.

Many things should also be improved for all those who travel by bike: Independent cycle paths should, where possible, run in such a way that buses do not have to cross the road, thus ensuring increased safety for all road users. A bicycle garage with a direct connection to the existing cycle path network is also to be built.

The ZOB is located in the middle of the city - and should therefore also be designed to be visually appealing and blend in architecturally with its surroundings. Currently existing "visual axes" are to be preserved. The urban planning and design advisory boards have already been consulted on this.

The traffic areas between the southern underpass, the street "Am Hauptbahnhof" and around the central bus station are to be optimized. The streetcar stop in the direction of Dottendorf will also be taken into account.

The streetcar tracks in the southern underpass are to be rearranged in order to optimize the streetcar's driving dynamics and reduce wear and tear on the tracks and the vehicle itself - this will require the existing tracks to be partially relocated.

In this context, the northern retaining wall of the southern underpass will also be partially straightened and its course altered.

In order to realize the underground bicycle garage including the bicycle ramp, an existing channel must be relocated. The relocation is to be implemented in such a way that the flood protection of the southern underpass is guaranteed even in heavy rain. In addition, it must be ensured that the sewer shafts in the area of the southern underpass can be accessed by maintenance vehicles so that maintenance work can be carried out on the existing drainage channel.

The core element of the future ZOB will be a large central island with a glass roof and photovoltaic system. There will also be a new building with a service area for passengers and a lounge area for the drivers of the local bus companies.

The positioning of the buses will be changed to ensure flexible and barrier-free accessibility.

There will be an underground bicycle garage for anyone traveling by bike. The main station and streetcar stops will be accessible via traffic lights.

Yes! Information and advice are the focus at the new ZOB. In addition to ticket sales and timetable information, fare advice is also planned. Customer cards and chip cards can also be issued directly at the ZOB.

Food and drink will also be available at the new ZOB: The plan is to integrate a bakery or snack bar so that both food and drinks, such as water, coffee or soft drinks, can be purchased.

On the central island and the bus platforms along Maximilianstraße, there will be seating where people can sit and meet fellow travelers. There will be seating adapted to the needs of older people and people with limited mobility.

All seating will be built to be weatherproof and offer a dry place to sit and relax even in the rain.

In future, bicycles can be securely parked in an underground bicycle parking garage, which can be reached via a bicycle ramp or via the B-level (Maximilianpassage). There will be 650 parking spaces here, of which around 65 will be for cargo bikes. It will also be possible to charge electrically assisted bicycles.

Yes, there will be a public toilet facility on the central island, which is integrated into the building there.

In order to offer the greatest possible comfort and safety to all people staying at the ZOB in future, a special area for homeless and drug-addicted people will be set up at the new ZOB. A self-cleaning toilet, covered seating, waste garbage cans and a water dispenser are planned there. This will make it possible for everyone who uses the ZOB to live together in harmony.

In future, it will be possible to use traffic lights above ground and the B-level below ground to change between bus, streetcar and train services.

The central island will be connected to the B-level via a fixed staircase with one escalator in each direction and two large elevators. The large central island with the adjacent bus platforms will make it easier to find your way around and access the individual bus platforms compared to the current situation.

Digital displays will provide information about the departure times and positions of the buses. These displays will also have an announcement function for people with visual impairments.

In October 2021, Bonn City Council adopted a requirements profile for the bus station. Following consultation with a large number of relevant interest groups such as SWB Bus und Bahn, the Bonn Disabled Community, Radentscheid Bonn and various social associations (e.g. the Verein für Gefährdetenhilfe and Caritas), the city administration submitted a corresponding draft resolution for the next planning steps.

This was discussed in February 2024 in the Bonn district council, the Committee for Housing, Planning and Construction and the Committee for Mobility and Transport. Following this, the Bonn City Council adopted the draft resolution on further construction planning in March 2024. This resolution forms the basis for informing and involving citizens and for the further planning steps for the new ZOB.

The reduction in motorized individual traffic in the area around the station creates an important prerequisite for creating an area at the central bus station with a high quality of stay for pedestrians and cyclists and at the same time fulfilling the requirements for a central bus station. In concrete terms, this means that additional space will be created for pedestrians and cyclists as well as for the bus platforms and bus services.

Once the public information and participation process has been completed, the results will be summarized and presented to politicians. This will be followed by the next planning phases (design, approval and implementation planning), which will take a more detailed look at the planning status to date, also on the basis of the participation, and on the basis of which the new building can be constructed. As soon as the implementation planning is available, the city of Bonn can submit a funding application to the responsible funding body (go.Rheinland).

The administration involved various interest groups and representatives as well as other organizations and institutions in the development of the preliminary design plans for the redesign of the ZOB: These included the Behinderten-Gemeinschaft Bonn, which campaigns for accessibility and the needs of people traveling with support and restrictions in traffic. In addition, comments from the "Radentscheid" and FUSS e.V. regarding the safe integration of pedestrian and bicycle traffic at Bonn's central bus station were taken into account. In addition to objectives for cycling, the "Radentscheid" also formulates requirements for pedestrian traffic, which form the basis for urban planning. FUSS e.V. has also submitted additional recommendations.

In principle, the current preliminary draft planning is in many respects a compromise solution between the diverse demands for the use of this area. In addition to the individual modes of transportation (public transport, pedestrian and bicycle traffic), urban planning, monument law, planning law, regulatory and socio-political concerns must also be taken into account.

The involvement of other interest groups is planned as part of the upcoming public participation and in the course of the next planning steps.

Suggestions, ideas and feedback on the current planning can be submitted at  https://bonn-macht-mit.de/beteiligungen/zob (opens in a new tab). There will also be an information event on May 24, 2024 at the Digital Hub Bonn. There will be an opportunity to talk to the planners and contribute your own ideas and suggestions.

The contributions received will be collected and carefully evaluated. The resulting suggestions will be passed on to the planning team. During the subsequent planning process, the contributions will be checked for their feasibility and incorporated into the further planning as far as possible.

Safe, comfortable and conflict-free connections and a sufficient number of secure, covered parking spaces are provided. To avoid dangerous conflicts with bus traffic, the cycle path connection runs around the central bus station and not at right angles to incoming and outgoing buses. A connection is provided both from the direction of Kaiserplatz/ -straße and from the pedestrian zone (Maximilianstraße, Gangolfstraße and in future Wesselstraße). The ZOB can also be reached from the southern underpass. From the direction of the street "Am Hauptbahnhof", there will be a cycle path along track 1 of the main station to the bridge over the southern underpass. From there you can reach the ramp to the underground bicycle parking garage, which is also connected from the direction of Kaiserplatz.

The plans include barrier-free options for reaching the central island. Traffic lights are also to be installed. In addition, two large elevators are planned to connect the central island with the B-level and thus also create a connection to the light rail area and the main station. To ensure that cyclists and pedestrians have sufficient space, it is planned to clearly mark crossing options from the sidewalk area via the planned cycle path to the waiting areas of the bus platforms.