Travel quickly and comfortably in the city center without looking for a parking space. From January 1, 2024, it will be "free travel" on all bus routes within the free city center area. A new parking fee regulation will then come into force from March. It is intended to reduce parking search traffic and bundle parking in the city in suitable areas such as the large parking lot and the large multi-storey parking lots. Together with the new CityLinie, the measures are intended to improve the quality of stay and attractiveness of the city center. The pilot project is initially limited to three years and will be evaluated in parallel. Bus travel in Erlangen's city center will become much more attractive in the new year thanks to the free city center zone. Anyone who wants to travel there by bus can simply hop on. There is no need to buy a ticket.

The free city center area

It extends

• from the bus station in the west to Zollhausplatz in the east
  and
• from Werner-v.-Siemens-Straße in the south to Schwabachanlage in the north.

The names of the bus stops in the free inner city area are highlighted in yellow-orange on the signs. This color is also used on all timetable and fare information. An interactive map on the Internet(www.erlangen.de/innenstadt-kostenlos) provides

• Parking options and the best way to get from there to the city center by bus
• Answers to frequently asked questions about the free city center area.

The new CityLinie

It is the heart of the free city center area. Since the timetable change on 10 December, the electrically powered buses have been running as a ring line connecting

• the large parking lot
• various parking garages
• central points such as the university hospitals, the arcades and the northern city center.

Fare zone C for Erlangen city area

However, all other buses in the designated area can also be used free of charge. Anyone wishing to travel to or from stops outside the free city center area must continue to buy the corresponding ticket at the regular VGN fare as usual. Fare zone C applies to the city of Erlangen.

Following the launch of the free CityLinie at the timetable change in December, the free city center area in local transport is the second stage of a concept designed to

• relieve the city center from car traffic
  and
• and thereby increase the quality of stay and attractiveness.

New parking fees from March

The third stage, the revised parking fee regulations, will come into force in March. The aim is to relieve the city center of unnecessary parking search traffic. It is also intended to bundle parking in the city in suitable areas such as the large parking lot and the large parking garages with plenty of free capacity by changing parking fees. From there, commuters and visitors can reach their destinations in the city center on foot or conveniently by bus.

Up to now, the charges for parking in public areas have been very low compared to the multi-storey parking lots. This is set to change. The actual steering effect of parking traffic is to be achieved by increasing the charges. In order to increase the frequency of parking in the city center, the fees there will be set at the legally permitted maximum amount of 2.60 euros per hour. The fee for the large parking lot is set significantly lower at 1.50 euros per hour.

Lord Mayor Florian Janik: "The traffic turnaround can only succeed if we create attractive alternatives to the car. Free local transport and the bundling of parking are essential building blocks for an attractive city center with a high quality of stay for the people who want to shop here and who live here."

Photos: Erlanger Stadtwerke, City of Erlangen