Face of the Island: UBB Team Leader Maik Albrecht

Mr. Albrecht, for the past five years, as a dispatcher at the control center in Ahlbeck, you have been coordinating all bus services for the Usedomer Bäderbahn (UBB). Which UBB services does this encompass?

Our regional bus routes serve local transportation in the imperial resort towns and in Zinnowitz. With our various discovery tours, locals and vacationers can reach every corner of the island every two hours. In addition, school bus service is integrated with the regional bus network. With our long-distance bus route, we run services to Berlin and Hamburg 365 days a year. On the way to Hamburg, passengers can get on or off in Greifswald and Rostock. This year, we introduced a new booking system that allows passengers to order tickets with a single click. Using the app, customers can conveniently book their tickets up to five minutes before departure. We also offer day trips. At this time of year, these are primarily excursions to the Christmas markets in Rostock, Lübeck, Lüneburg, Hamburg, or Copenhagen. Multi-day trips include, for example, attending a musical performance combined with a city tour in Berlin or Hamburg, as well as multi-day trips to Switzerland, among other destinations. These offers, devised by our marketing team, are extremely popular. For guests who would like to be picked up from home and taken to bus stops, we also offer a door-to-door service. Last but not least, UBB also organizes trips tailored to completely individual requests. So if you’re looking for ideas for school trips, company outings, or family celebrations, feel free to consult our marketing team.

With so many bus routes and different tours, it’s surely not always easy to keep track of everything?

That’s true. We have 57 bus drivers, 31 regular-service buses, 6 minibuses, and 11 tour buses at our disposal, which we have to juggle. We use scheduling software to coordinate all trips and the availability of drivers and buses. First, monthly schedules are created based on this data, taking into account each driver’s driving and rest times, vacation requests, and training sessions. The schedules are created according to a consistent format and then assigned to the bus drivers on a rotational basis. This ensures that the various shifts are distributed fairly. However, there are constantly changing daily updates that we have to respond to. For example, when drivers call in sick or when a second bus needs to be deployed for well-booked day trips or sightseeing tours. I can track regional bus traffic live on the monitor. There, I can see exactly which bus is how many minutes late. When passengers call to ask when their bus is coming, I always have a clear overview. We’re powerless, though, when it comes to traffic jams. Of course, buses get stuck more often in the summer. By the way, there are QR codes at the bus stops that allow customers to check information about delays directly.

What appeals to you about this job?

The job is definitely always varied. Every day is different, and there’s never a dull moment. I like that. You have to be fully committed, though. As soon as you lose focus, things can quickly go wrong with the schedule. Spontaneity and the ability to handle stress are often required, for example, when traffic jams throw the entire schedule into disarray. That’s when you have to stay calm and find solutions. There are often tricky problems to solve, such as when you suddenly have to organize rail replacement service in the middle of the summer schedule. At the end of the day, I’m always proud and satisfied when everything goes smoothly.

You’re also the team leader at the control center. What tasks do you handle in this role?

Every day, I have to be prepared for just about anything. It happens time and again that vehicles suddenly break down and need to be replaced out on the tracks. Then it’s all about reacting lightning-fast and organizing a new vehicle and an available driver. Of course, we sometimes receive passenger complaints at the control center, which we try to resolve to the best of our ability. Otherwise, we refer them to our complaint management system. We simply wouldn’t have the time to address every caller’s questions.

In regional bus service, the buses travel to every corner of the island. What routes do you offer, and are you able to convince locals and vacationers to leave their cars behind every now and then?

On the Island Discovery Tours, you can reach every remote corner of the island. The buses on the Achterland Tour travel via Benz, Mellenthin, and Usedom Stadt all the way to Liepe and Warthe. The Lagoon Tour runs from the imperial resorts along the lagoon coast through Kamminke, Zirchow, and Stolpe to the Usedomer Winkel. In the northern part of the island, the routes lead from Zinnowitz to Gnitz or from Wolgast via Trassenheide to Karlshagen. The Fishing Villages Tour route runs from Wolgast via Kröslin and Freest to Lubmin. Vacationers in particular appreciate this extensive network for exploring the island or the region. But more and more residents of Usedom are also taking advantage of our service, as evidenced by the growing number of passengers.

A great incentive is the KaiserbäderCard, which, since 2018, has allowed spa pass holders to ride UBB buses in the imperial spa towns for free. As part of the “Model Region: Usedom Island and the City of Wolgast” project, funded by the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the goal is to extend this benefit to the entire island. What has been your experience with the KaiserbäderCard so far?

Since the KaiserbäderCard was introduced, we’ve seen a steady increase in ridership. The bus route between the imperial resort towns of Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf, and Bansin is particularly busy. During the summer months, buses run every 20 minutes. For the past two years, Ückeritz has also been integrated into the network covered by this tourist card. Patients at the rehabilitation clinic enjoy using the buses to take trips to the imperial resorts. This also makes the Schmollensee train station—a hub connecting Achterland buses and DB Regio’s regional rail service—easily accessible. The KaiserbäderCard offer also applies to UBB buses that run to Freest and Kröslin. The only exception is the Wolgast–Greifswald line. We would very much welcome it if free use of the UBB bus service with the tourist card were introduced island-wide in the future.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UBB was severely affected by the restrictions. What hygiene and safety measures is the UBB now implementing to ensure that bus service can run smoothly again?

Of course, we are implementing all necessary hygiene and safety measures to the best of our ability. For example, the vehicles are cleaned and disinfected more frequently, and passenger capacity is limited. Drivers wear medical masks, and passengers are also required to wear masks. Anyone who has forgotten their mask can purchase one from the driver. In addition, we have once again equipped the buses with screens separating the bus driver from the passenger compartment.

Do you have a favorite spot on the island?

I really like the northern part of the island. It’s unspoiled and much quieter than the imperial resort towns. I especially enjoy walking along the beach between Peenemünde and Karlshagen. Or through the hilly coastal forest behind the dunes—that’s something special.

Thank you very much for the interview!