SWEG bus strike November 5-6: routes and travel checks
A ver.di strike at nine SWEG bus depots is expected to cause major cancellations on Thursday, November 5, and Friday, November 6, 2026. SWEG railway services are outside this strike call. Check the operator of each bus leg before leaving, even if your app still shows a departure.
For visitors, the problem can be the short bus ride after an otherwise workable train journey. Confirm how you will reach your hotel or attraction from the station, and how you will get back. Leaving an extra hour does not help if the only onward bus is cancelled.
Which SWEG bus areas are affected?
The November 2 SWEG announcement names these depots:
| Depot group | Places named in the strike call |
|---|---|
| Ortenau | Lahr, Offenburg, Schutterwald and Kehl |
| Kaiserstuhl and Emmendingen area | Endingen and Emmendingen |
| Southern Upper Rhine area | Weil am Rhein and Müllheim |
| Zollernalb area | Gammertingen |
These are operating locations, not a declaration that every bus, tram and train in each town is closed. Find the company operating your particular departure rather than deciding from the town name alone.
In Offenburg, the city's notice says city bus lines S1-S9 will largely stop for both days, including school services. It also says replacement transport cannot be offered.
In Kehl, the municipal warning describes widespread SWEG bus disruption in Ortenau on both days. A station arrival is therefore only part of your travel plan. Confirm the final leg before committing to a timed booking.
Why a bus shown in an app may not arrive
Ettenheim's published SWEG notice warns that dispatch staff may also strike. Cancellations may consequently be missing from online journey planners and digital stop displays.
Keep using your planner to identify routes, stops and operators, but treat a listed departure as a timetable entry rather than confirmation of service. Refreshing the same screen repeatedly will not correct an unreported cancellation.
Before an essential journey:
- Save the date, line number, departure time, boarding stop and operating company for every leg.
- Read the operator's disruption notice, not only the journey result.
- Ask the operator about the exact departure if it is a SWEG bus in an affected area.
- Confirm an alternative with its provider before leaving your accommodation.
- Check the return journey separately, especially if the outward plan involves a lift or taxi.
SWEG's contact page lists +49 7821 9960770. Have your route details ready when calling. For a hotel or attraction transfer, send the same details to the property and ask for a specific, confirmed option rather than a general assurance that public transport is available.
Can you use a train instead?
SWEG says its railway services are not included in this bus strike. That makes rail worth checking, but it is not a guarantee that a particular train runs or that every part of your route is on rails.
There is an important exception to a train-based fallback: replacement buses between Gammertingen and Sigmaringen on Zollern-Alb-Bahn 2 may also be restricted. A journey displayed under a railway route can still contain a bus section.
The Ortenau regional page also lists separate engineering notices, including partial bus replacement between Kehl and Strasbourg on November 2-6. Check your exact departure and its mode. Do not read "rail services outside the strike" as confirmation of an uninterrupted cross-border train.
For an alternative route, compare the whole journey:
| Your situation | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| A train reaches a nearby station | Whether the final walk or onward transfer is practical with your luggage and mobility needs |
| The planner includes SEV or Schienenersatzverkehr | Who operates that replacement bus and whether it is running |
| A different bus company appears | Its own current notice and the specific departure |
| You have an airport or long-distance connection | A confirmed route with enough connection time, not an assumed last-minute taxi |
| Your outing is optional | Whether moving it to another day is simpler than arranging several transfers |
Which operations are outside this strike call?
SWEG excludes the Wiesloch, Sinsheim, Dörzbach and Lauda-Königshofen depots from the November 5-6 call. Their earlier November 2-4 action should not be carried forward automatically.
The announcement also excludes the separate SWEG bus subsidiaries named Schwetzingen, Rheinmünster, Pforzheim, Karlsruhe, Tübingen and NVW. This is a company-specific distinction, not a promise of normal service throughout those cities. Check other disruption notices as usual.
Taxis, children and accessible alternatives
Offenburg's notice says costs for privately arranged journeys, such as taxis, will not be covered. Ettenheim repeats that warning. Do not pay for a replacement on the assumption that SWEG will reimburse it; ask the operator about your circumstances before spending money.
If you arrange a taxi yourself, confirm the pickup place, time, fare basis, passenger capacity and any child-seat or wheelchair requirements with the actual provider. A saved phone number or an app installation is not a booking.
For rail assistance, SWEG's accessible-travel guidance asks passengers to request boarding help by 20:00 on the day before travel. If that deadline has passed, contact the operator about what is possible rather than assuming assistance is reserved. Check station access and the onward leg as well as the train.
Families should avoid replacing a cancelled bus with an unexamined long walk. Consider the pavement, luggage, weather and the child's ability to complete both directions. Our Germany with kids guide can help you choose a less transfer-heavy outing instead.
Mobile data for changing your journey
Save your tickets, accommodation address, operator phone number and an offline map before setting out. Keep enough battery to contact your host if plans change. Offline material is a backup; it cannot tell you whether a previously listed bus has been cancelled.
If your home plan does not already include suitable Germany data, OpenSim Germany plans provide a small prepaid option for checking notices and messaging your accommodation without depending on station Wi-Fi. On November 5, the public catalog listed 1GB for seven days at USD1.14 and 3GB for fifteen days at USD3.00. Both are fixed-data plans listed as supporting top-ups; confirm the current checkout terms before buying.
That can be useful for a short stay without buying a large allowance. It does not make an inaccurate bus listing reliable, reserve a taxi, or include ordinary phone calls simply because mobile data is available. If your existing plan already covers your needs, you may not need another purchase.
Use the travel data calculator for an allowance estimate, check phone compatibility, and read when to install before travel. For a journey continuing into France or Switzerland, check the selected plan's country list instead of assuming Germany coverage extends across the border.
Sources and updates
The strike scope follows SWEG's November 2 announcement, with local notices from Offenburg, Kehl and Ettenheim. Use the operator's traffic notices for subsequent changes. This alert applies to November 5-6, 2026; a new call or cancellation of the action requires a new check, and these dates do not establish disruption after November 6.
Photo: Kevin.B (Kyah117), Offenburg route S2, December 28, 2022, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped. It is a historical service photograph, not a photograph of this strike.
