Buslinienfernverkehr in Deutschland — effiziente Ausgestaltung einer Liberalisierung

Intercity coach traffic in Germany is virtually prohibited, in order to protect the rail network. From an economic perspective, this regulation is not legitimate, as allowing long distance coach transportation would not result in any market failures. A recent draft law from the German government includes a proposal to permit coach transport on longer routes and is therefore considered to be an important step toward a more efficient and competitive transport system. However, the exact set-up of the opening of the market is still being discussed intensely. This paper summarises and critically reviews the current discussion. In addition, the non-availability of coach terminals in most German cities is identified as a major issue with regard to the opening of the market. Copyright ZBW and Springer-Verlag 2012