The RufBus service in the Schwäbisch Hall district is now significantly expanded. There are the following changes since April 2022:

• The RufBus network remains unchanged. However, journeys are now offered every hour from Monday to Friday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in both directions. The late connections on Friday and Saturday evenings remain in place.

• On weekends and public holidays RufBus trips are offered every 2 hours from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the exception of Saturday mornings in the Gaildorf area.

• In the municipalities of Kreßberg, Fichtenau, Stimpfach and Frankenhardt (RufBus lines R58, R59, R60 and R62), the RufBus service is also being offered in a pilot project every 1 hour from Monday to Friday from 5:30 a.m. (not used in school transport ).

• The RufBus surcharge of 1 euro for journeys after 10 p.m. does not apply.

• Registration time is extended to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. This applies to the telephone registration as well as to the app booking. On December 24th and 31.12. (Christmas Eve/New Year's Eve) registration via phone and app ends at 6:00 p.m.

• Some new stops are added to the RufBus network. The additional stops and places that are served to order after 8 p.m. to exit remain in place.

• The RufBusse is aligned even more consistently with the departure and arrival times of the trains at the stations, resulting in some changes to existing journeys.

Attention: From January 5, 2026, a maximum of two online bookings per person per day are permitted. This is due to the high costs incurred by (double) bookings when passengers fail to show up and/or cancel booked trips in a timely manner. In justified individual cases, additional trips can be booked by phone.
Please cancel any booked trips in a timely manner if you do not wish to or are unable to use them. Thank you!

New phone number for call-bus orders: 0521 - 43 06 07 67.

Nothing has changed regarding app booking. Registration in the app is now mandatory to book on-demand buses. The advantages of the on-demand bus app include an overview of booked trips, the ability to cancel booked trips easily, and the receipt of booking confirmations via text message and/or email.

If required, you can reach technical support for the RufBus app via odvsupport(at)owlverkehr.de (RufBus booking is not possible here).

Please cancel unnecessary trips early! This will give other passengers the opportunity to use the call bus, and you will avoid unnecessary costs, which will benefit the continued existence of the call bus system. THANK YOU!

As a complement to the existing bus routes within the district of Schwäbisch Hall, the RufBus (on-call bus) offers additional travel options in the evening, at the weekend, and on holidays. On Friday and Saturday evenings – for the RufBus lines R64 and R66N even Mon–Fri – late connections from Crailsheim, Schwäbisch Hall, and Gaildorf offered in almost all municipalities and boroughs.

The RufBus (on-call bus) runs on a fixed timetable and only calls at stops upon request. Anyone wishing to use the RufBus (on-call bus) must register at least one hour before the desired departure – via phone or WebApp.

If there are no registrations, the corresponding trip does not take place. The fare corresponds to the regular RegioTarif i.e. RegioAbos, monthly passes, day tickets, and the Schülerkreisticket (SKT) are recognised.

For the RufBus (on-call bus), taxis are generally used. As a result, please note the technical limitations on the sale of tickets in the RufBus (see info box to the right or below).

When registering, the desired day of travel, the departure time, your boarding and alighting stop and the total number of people must be specified. The booking center will confirm your registration and take care of everything else.

hen booking via WebApp, the passenger receives a direct confirmation. When booking by telephone, please give your name and telephone number or e-mail so that the booking center can inform you or reach you in the event of any disruptions.

As a registered user in the WebApp, you have the advantage of viewing your bookings and saving favorites. In case there's a problem with a booking or a ride, the booking centre can inform registered users via their supplied contact information.

Data protection: Please see the notes on data protection (PDF, 72 kByte). These instructions apply to both telephone RufBus bookings and app bookings.

With the help of the electronic timetable, all RufBus (on-call bus) offers will be retrieved in addition to regularly scheduled journeys. The RufBus (on-call bus) journeys are marked accordingly. All RufBus (on-call bus) timetables can be downloaded under timetables for download.

• Registration for a RufBus journey is done via the OWL CallCenter in Detmold, easily and conveniently via the RufBus-WebApp. Please register in the app before your first booking (minimum name, first name, email).
   
• Registrations are possible daily from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. On December 24th and December 31st the registration time ends at 6:00 p.m. Please book trips that start before 8:00 a.m. by 8:00 p.m. the day before at the latest, otherwise there may be staff shortages at the taxi company.
   
• The OWL call center is available for cancellations or customer queries daily until 12 pm (December 24th and December 31st until 6 pm). Please always contact us by phone for cancellations or inquiries, not via app or email. Please note: Our emails are only processed Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
   
• For timetable information, please continue to use our customer centers in order to keep the service numbers for RufBus registrations free. Outside the opening times of the customer centers, the bwtarif customer service is available to you for timetable information under 0800 - 2 98 27 43 (free of charge).
   
• For the RufBus (on-call bus), primarily taxis with a limited number of seats are used. Unfortunately, group transport is not possible. If you want to bring larger pieces of luggage, strollers, wheelchairs, etc., you must specify this when registering. When booking the app, there is an extra multi-purpose field (indication: foldable stroller, electric wheelchair, dog with muzzle, child seat required, etc.). The taxi companies usually cannot provide bowls for babies and must be brought by the passenger if necessary. Carrying babies “in hand” is not permitted in taxis.
   
• The transport of bicycles is not possible.
   
• The departure times at the stops, which are indicated in the schedule, are compulsory. The RufBus will wait for delayed trains for up to 10 min as long as the passenger has indicated the connection request upon registration (please specify train arrival time).
   
• Depending on the number of other registrations, the travel time may either be decreased or increased (in exceptional cases). Bus and train connections have priority.
   
• After 8:00 p.m., it is possible to alight en route upon request as long as the desired stop is on the route (PDF: Overview of additional RufBus stops for alighting after 8:00 p.m.). For boarding, only the stops specified in the timetable will be called at.
   
• The RufBus may not be used for short distances under 2 km (esp. in the cities e.g. from Crailsheim Station to the Crailsheim town hall). The same applies to connections that are simultaneously being served by regular transport (e.g. from Crailsheim Station to Rot am See when a train is travelling in parallel).