When Claudia Hartmann (53) walks across the depot, past her employees, tears run down her cheeks and she cannot believe it: the 50-year history of her family business – simply over.
On Sunday at 7.55 a.m. the last bus from your company Der Suedender/Omnibusgesellschaft Hartmann drives to the depot on Greinerstraße.
It comes from the night tour that starts at Turmstraße (Moabit) and ends at Blockdammweg (Lichtenberg). On the rear, a four square meter smiley face with the inscription “Goodbye”.
How Claudia Hartmann learned to walk between buses, held her school cone in front of the big yellow one, then managed the business – a closed chapter. After 30 years, her company lost the contract for part of the BVG network. She wrote the notices to 280 employees (“with pee in their eyes”) and sold the 63 buses (“my life”).
She has encouraged employees to apply elsewhere. 120 may be from the BVG taken over, 20 by the subsidiary Berlin Transport. That reconciles them a little.
And then there are the passengers who give the drivers Merci packs and Mon Chéri boxes or just say thank you. “The many kind words and gestures are good,” she says.
