hidden europe 28

Cross-border traffic: missing links

by hidden europe

Summary

Investments in cross-border roads in remote and rural areas of the European Union are much to be welcomed. But where are the bus services that should be plying those routes to connect communities across borders?

The plethora of European Union initiatives to promote integration and cooperation between border communities across the EU leaves one area surprisingly untouched. There are remarkably few cross-border local bus services in Europe. Even in towns that are divided by international frontiers, cross-border services are often minimal. For example, there are only three local bus routes that cross the German-Polish border. One runs only thrice weekly, and the other two offer daytime only services. Even the buses linking Görlitz and Zgorzelec (a twin town divided by the border) stop before six in the evening — even earlier at weekends.

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