In search of shrimp with dill and coffee, Maria Harth combs the Edeka supermarket in Herrsching. The 73-year-old from Seefeld with a short haircut and shiny shoes pushes the shopping cart through the long aisles. She meticulously searches several shelves. She collects farmer’s lettuce, bread, salmon and much more in the supermarket. Somewhere between fruit and vegetables, the frozen food department and the meat counter, she says that she can no longer drive and that she is now dependent on the new bus shuttle service that takes her to Herrsching for shopping.
Construction workers are currently working in the Edeka store in Seefeld, and the business is being expanded. It’s already closed, and that’s expected to stay that way until September 2022. But what happens when the only supermarket in the village closes and everyday shopping becomes a challenge?
The new shopping bus made its first lap on Tuesday.
(Photo: Franz Xaver Fuchs)
The community provided food for thought for a bus service, says Mayor Klaus Kögel, who took the time for the first trip on Tuesday. “We got so many complaints.” The senior citizens’ advisory board is also asked – and thinks the idea is good. Another solution would have been a staple food machine.
In the end, however, a bus service started on Tuesday, which is primarily intended to support older people during the renovation. The free service for passengers is organized and financed by the Edeka Group, which of course drives buyers to another Edeka branch – and not to the door of the competition.
When the bells of the church tower clock ring at ten o’clock and no bus can be seen far and wide, the mayor suspects that he and 76-year-old Renate Braun will literally be left standing in the drizzle. “That is not how it works.” But the bus, which can accommodate a little more than 20 people, arrives at Marienplatz with a five-minute delay.
The mayor and Renate Braun get in. The woman is still mobile and drives a car, so is not generally dependent on the bus. She says that she is trying to tell a lot of people about the bus. At the second stop in front of the closed supermarket, another six seniors get on, the anger about the small delay seems to have already been forgotten. Regarding the size of the group on the first trip, Kögel says: “That was okay right from the start.” But he would like better signage.
The mayor is already envisioning a “shopping community”.
(Photo: Franz Xaver Fuchs)
The ride from supermarket to supermarket takes less than a quarter of an hour with the shuttle. There is also a regular bus service between Seefeld and Herrsching, but it goes via Frieding and stops at other stops. With the Edeka branch in Seefeld – where there are still butchers and a weekly market, for example – the only supermarket in the village has temporarily closed.
In Hechendorf there is only one small “mom and pop shop”, as a woman on the bus calls the shop. A stop of the shuttle in Hechendorf is not planned, says Mayor Kögel. He justifies this with the fact that people had to think about and organize how they would go shopping even before the Edeka was closed.
The little bus is parked. Before everyone goes shopping according to shopping lists or memory, they do a count and the return journey is set as shortly after 11 a.m. Then the passengers whiz away. All in all, you are reminded of a school trip.
The Strobel couple will also be there on Tuesday. Franz Strobel has not been able to drive a car since suffering a stroke, and his wife Irene has no practice. This is what the two of them tell after they have paid at the cash register and wait for the return trip. You are dependent on the shuttle: “We hope that this will not be discontinued.” Then they would have to ask neighbors for help.
Maria Harth joins the group in front of the supermarket. She got the shrimp she was looking for – albeit with garlic instead of dill. This is also something the group talks about: The product selection in Herrsching and Seefeld is not identical. In addition, you first have to find your way around in a new business. It is also a change to plan large purchases and no longer be able to buy spontaneously.
The group gets back on the bus. It’s a bit cramped, but there is space for purchases and buyers. Overall, the group seems satisfied, the mayor even envisions a “shopping community”. Harth is the first to get out. The driver makes an extra stop for them so that the purchases do not have to be carried so far. “I’m not coming next week – I bought too much,” says Harth and carries her shrimp home. She hopes she’ll enjoy them with garlic too.
The bus to Herrsching leaves Seefeld on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Passengers can get on at Marienplatz and directly in front of the closed Edeka supermarket. Return journeys from Herrsching are at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The bus service is planned for the entire duration of the renovation work.