New managing director Oliver Kriegel: Make local buses future-proof!

New managing director Oliver Kriegel: Make local buses future-proof!

On July 1, 2025, Oliver Kriegel took over the helm at NAHBUS Nordwestmecklenburg GmbH. He is the successor to Jörg Lettau, whose dismissal from the Northwest Mecklenburg district has now been confirmed. Kriegel, who was previously operations manager and management consultant at Transdev Ostwestfalen GmbH, brings a wealth of experience in transportation. District Administrator Tino Schomann is convinced that the new managing director has the right touch to advance local public transport in the region.

The NAHBUS Nordwestmecklenburg currently operates with 128 of its own buses and 27 small vehicles that are used as on-call buses. The 257 NAHBUS employees are spread across the Grevesmühlen, Wismar and Gadebusch locations. At a time when local public transport is under pressure, Kriegel plans to develop innovative mobility solutions and ensure the long-term supply of local transport to the region. The district council has decided that NAHBUS will take over local transport in the northwest district for another ten years from January 1, 2026, which means a stable basis for the future development of public transport.

Changes in management and their significance

The job advertisement for the management was published at the end of 2024, with Kriegel officially taking up his position on July 1, 2025. During the transition phase, Mario Freytag (authorized signatory) and Volker Wittke (operations manager) took over management on an interim basis. However, the exact reasons for Lettau's dismissal remain unclear, which raises some questions.

Local public transport has a decisive influence on mobility in Germany. According to current statistics, the use of public transport in 2023 will still be below the level in 2019. In times of congested roads, buses and trains are indispensable for moving people efficiently. In this context, it is particularly important that transport companies offer high reliability and short journey times in order to attract more passengers.

Shaping the future of local transport

Kriegel sees great potential in modernizing and expanding public transport services. The Deutschlandticket, which has been available since May 2023, is proving to be an important tool for increasing user numbers. With a price that is below that of a monthly pass for larger transport associations, it aims to encourage people to use local public transport. Forecasts show that the number of users of the Deutschlandticket could rise to over 15 million by the end of 2025, which represents a positive development in the area of ​​local transport.

However, in order to master the challenges of the transport transition, additional funding is also necessary. The federal government has already announced that it will increase funding for local rail passenger transport, but many experts complain that this will not be enough to achieve the ambitious goals of the transport transition. Many cities are therefore considering alternative financing options in order to continue to make local public transport attractive.

The NAHBUS Northwest Mecklenburg is facing important changes, and with Oliver Kriegel at the helm, the citizens of the region can hope for an exciting and hopefully positive future in local public transport.

Wismar.fm reports that Kriegel signed the new ÖDA together with District Administrator Schomann and is focusing on sustainable mobility solutions. Further information on this topic can be found at NDR and the analysis of the topic Public transport from Statista.