The Hermann Express will travel a fixed-route through New Ulm on an hourly schedule. There are 18 stops on the bus route. The bus will serve each stop once an hour.

The bus will operate from 8 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. To get riders accustomed to using the bus, there will be no cost to ride the bus during 2022. Service will be free until January 2023, when the fare will be $1.

Hermann Express will be an extension of the Heartland Express service that has operated in Brown County since 1993.

Pat LaCourse, transit manager for Heartland Express, said the on-demand, dial-a-ride, bus service offered by Heartland Express will continue to operate in addition to the Hermann Express.

Photo by Clay Schuldt “Hermann” seems to be saluting with his sword in approval of New Ulm’s new bus line called the Herman Express.

LaCourse said the creation of a fixed-bus route in New Ulm has been discussed for 20 years and it was finally made possible through partnerships with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the city.

Before the ribbon cutting, Mayor Terry Sveine gave a brief history of bus transportation in New Ulm. The Hermann Express is not the first fixed-route bus to operate in the city.

The New Ulm Bus Line began in 1946 with the same concept of providing transportation assistance to those who need it to include stops at various employers, shopping venues and public service stops. The bus line would change hands over the years but remained in operation until 1961.

Sveine said the key element of operating the bus service was having a critical mass of riders. The rise of individual car ownership meant public transportation was needed less after World War II. The previous bus lines had no public funding to rely on, and Sveine believed this would make the difference between the old bus line and the new Hermann Express.

Sveine believed the bus system was a benefit of urban living and more environmentally efficient. Like the previous bus lines, the Hermann Express would be an efficient method for commuters traveling to and from work.

Provided image Route of the Hermann Express, the new fixed-route bus line in New Ulm.

New Ulm City Manager Chris Dalton said when he first began working for the city, a bus route was the most requested service from residents.

The opening of the bus route was only the first step. In the future, the city plans to add additional electric buses to the fixed route.

Heartland Express assistant manager Nate Moldan said the electric buses have been ordered, but due to delivery and transport backlogs, they will be unavailable until 2025. The two electric buses would operate at the same time, cutting the wait to half an hour. Electric buses are capable of operating all day on a single charge.

For now, Hermann Express has a single bus with 17 fixed seats and space for two wheelchairs.

The Hermann Express will begin its first route at 8 a.m. Wednesday at Linderhof/Hillside Apartments. The route includes stops at Oak Hills Living Center, New Ulm Medical Center, St. Michael’s, Broadway Haus, two downtown Minnesota Street stops, Oakwood Estates, HyVee, Emerson Union/Courthouse, Hermann Heights, Highland Regency, Sunset Apartments, Cash Wise, Aldi, Walmart, Skyline Terrace and DMV.

For more information visit the city website at newulmmn.gov.