Rehna shines before the monastery festival: bus stops now in red!

Rehna shines before the monastery festival: bus stops now in red!

Before this year's monastery festival, Rehna is working hard to give the town a fresh look. In the run-up to the event, which opens on July 19, 2025 at 12 p.m., two bus stops on Friedrich-Dreyer-Straße will be given a new coat of paint. These stops have repeatedly been the target of vandalism and graffiti in the past, resulting in a situation that no one could wish for. Now the city has responded with the help of Rehna's Braun painting company and painted the stops in an attractive brick-red color. In addition, a special anti-graffiti coating is applied, which enables quick and easy cleaning in the event of further damage, as Nordkurier reports.

It is not new that vandalism at stops causes high costs and requires enormous repair work. Other cities are also struggling with these problems. The Zeit reports that in Frankfurt alone over a million euros are lost every year due to vandalism at bus and train stops. This money could be better invested in improving infrastructure. The Frankfurt am Main transport company (VGF) has therefore launched a comprehensive prevention concept, which is supported, among other things, by educational campaigns at stops.

Prevention and awareness

The companies pay particular attention to passengers’ sense of safety. Damaged stops not only affect the appearance of the city, they also create a feeling of insecurity, as the VGF describes on its website. Therefore, quick repairs to damaged windows and display cases are important to prevent further damage. Passengers are also asked to report any damage or vandalism immediately, either to the employees in the vehicles or directly to the security service.

The problem is not only evident in Frankfurt: around 1,000 cases of vandalism damage to train stations and bus stops were also recorded in the North Hesse Transport Association (NVV) in 2023. The Kasseler Verkehrsgesellschaft (KVG) has reported almost 3,000 damages since 2019 with a total amount of almost 1.5 million euros. These amounts make it clear how serious the situation is and that graffiti and damaged windows are particularly common. Security measures such as camera surveillance and increased presence of security staff are intended to remedy this.

A look forward

In Rehna, preparations for the monastery festival are already in full swing and the city wants to make a statement with the new paint job on the bus stops. Crafts, music and dance in the historical ambience of the monastery complex are intended to attract visitors on the festival day. But the challenge remains: How can vandalism be curbed in the long term and the city kept livable for its residents and guests? A good hand in prevention work is required here in order to make public spaces attractive and safe for everyone. The first steps are already in motion, and hopefully the success of these important measures will soon become apparent, as VGF is already striving for.