Press release
dated 1.12.2025, No. 192
Celebrating the launch of the Alpine bus
Prime Minister, President of the State Parliament and Minister of Transport set an example for public transport along the Alps together with district administrators and members of parliament
Bad Tölz. Minister President Dr. Markus Söder, President of the State Parliament Ilse Aigner, Transport Minister Bernreiter - they all celebrated the launch of the Alpenbus on Monday together with the district administrators of the Alpine bus districts and the members of parliament and mayors of the municipalities along the new bus routes of importance to the state. With the timetable change on Sunday, December 14, 2025, passengers will be able to commute between Murnau and Rosenheim by express bus for the first time.
Shortly before commissioning, all those involved met in the middle of the line in Bad Tölz, where the east and west branches of the Alpenbus meet. Minister President Dr. Markus Söder: "Have a good journey at all times with our Alpine fleet! This is a huge step forward for modern public transport. We have good north-south connections overall, but we need improvements for west-east connections. The Alpenbus relieves traffic congestion in a booming region and plays an important role for tourism. The Oberland stands for the good image of Bavaria in the world. I have been closely involved in the project from the very beginning. Bavaria provides for good road development, but also for buses and trains. The municipalities are close to our hearts: together we are the team for democracy. Bavaria is investing massively in the future and everyday life - especially in transport, housing construction, daycare centers and hospitals. With the municipal financial equalization of almost 13 billion euros in total, we are providing a protective umbrella for the municipalities."
State Parliament President Ilse Aigner: "With the Alpenbus, we are connecting what belongs together. As a former transport minister, I am particularly pleased because I was able to support the project from the very beginning. Today, as then, I am convinced that the Alpenbus will not only create two more public transport lines. A new area is being created - the Alpine region, which is economically and touristically networked - and is now moving even closer together."
Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter: "Today we are setting an important milestone for public transport in the Bavarian Alpine region. With the new fast MVV regional bus routes, a west-east connection with optimized transfer options is being created for the first time, which many people have been waiting for for years. This is a strong signal, especially with regard to rural areas: we are serious about expanding public transport."
Josef Niedermaier, District Administrator of the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district: "Due to the Munich-oriented transport and rail network, we have been sorely missing this cross-connection for a long time. The Alpenbus will finally close this gap and passengers will be able to travel easily, comfortably and cheaply by public transport through the foothills of the Alps. My special thanks go to the Free State of Bavaria, which made this project possible in the first place with its substantial co-financing."
In future, anyone traveling on the Alpenbus will use the western branch from Murnau via Penzberg to Bad Tölz and the eastern branch from Bad Tölz via Gmund and Miesbach to Rosenheim. This will be the eleventh and twelfth nationally significant bus line in Bavaria.
The city of Rosenheim and the districts of Rosenheim, Miesbach, Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Weilheim-Schongau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen are involved in the Alpenbus. The aim is to strengthen the east-west connection in the south of Munich, to relieve rail traffic to the state capital and to shorten cross-city connections.
The expansion of the Munich Transport Association (MVV) supports the project, as the participating districts and the city of Rosenheim are already members or will join on January 1, 2026. From the new year, a standardized ticket, fare and system will apply on the Alpenbus from Murnau to Rosenheim. Bernd Rosenbusch, Managing Director of Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund (MVV): "In future, the Alpenbus will travel where no train can go due to mountains, valleys and rivers! The new express bus routes connect the regions south of Munich for the first time, directly and without the detour via the city - this is particularly attractive for commuters, who save time and, thanks to the new 1-zone tariff, also money."
The costs are distributed among the participating public transport authorities on a pro rata basis according to the number of kilometers covered. The Free State of Bavaria contributes 65% of the operating cost deficit in the first year, 60% in the second year, 55% in the third year and 50% from the fourth year onwards.
The idea itself dates back to 2018, and now the project coordinated by the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen is becoming a reality. The Alpenbus will create an important transport axis across the Alps, significantly improving local public transport in the Alpine region and advancing the mobility transition.
Marlis Peischer
Press Officer / Head of the Press Office
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen District Office