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The Bus Hamburg City DLC | Developer Diary 72

This week, we’re taking you on a special tour:
Instead of focusing on a single building or road section, we’re showcasing impressions from across the entire route network of the upcoming Hamburg City DLC for The Bus.



These screenshots are taken from both Line 6 and Line 17, offering a first glimpse at the variety of route segments awaiting you in the finished add-on.

As always, please note: everything you see here is still under development.
Road surfaces, manhole covers, traffic signs, stop equipment – all these elements are still being carefully optimized and refined.
Still, the images already give a good impression of how detailed and atmospheric the virtual recreation of Hamburg is becoming.

Some iconic sections of Line 6:

  • Speicherstadt with the world-famous Miniatur Wunderland, the starting stop of Line 6, and a unique mix of heritage-listed warehouses and modern architecture.
  • St. Peter’s Church at Domplatz, including the distinctive red temporary bus stops.
  • Central Station and its surroundings – a key hub where many lines will eventually intersect – featuring iconic buildings like the Schauspielhaus, the Bieberhaus, and the Museum of Arts and Crafts.
  • Lange Reihe, a narrow, bustling street with a traditional weekly market.
  • Major construction site at Sechslingspforte, right by the Binnenalster.
  • Residential areas such as Mühlenkamp, Goldbekplatz, and Jarresstraße, characterized by typical red-brick architecture in the style of Hamburg’s northern districts.
  • The green route to Borgweg, the terminus of Line 6, which is also part of Line 17.


In addition, Line 17 follows its own unique route – with even more highlights:

  • Feldstraße with the Rindermarkthalle, Heiligengeistfeld, and the green-topped bunker, now housing a hotel, restaurants, and a concert hall.
  • Millerntor Stadium and the iconic Knappschaft building, home to the legendary Zwick pub and the adjacent Dancing Towers.
  • St. Michael’s Church, known as “Michel” – a true landmark of the city that Line 17 passes right by.
  • Rödingsmarkt station, where animated subway trains will be visible in the future.
  • The Zurich building on Domstraße, with a bus stop directly in front and a view into the green interior courtyard.
  • Saarlandstraße station, with a large EDEKA supermarket right at the Wiesendamm intersection.
  • Barmbek station, featuring roundabouts, a circular bunker, and passenger facilities on both sides of the street.

Each of these locations tells a piece of Hamburg’s urban history, and we’re doing our best to make that digitally tangible.
The route layout connects historical landmarks with everyday city life, modern residential areas with bustling shopping streets – always with attention to the big picture as well as the smallest details.

We’re looking forward to showing you even more soon.

As always: questions, feedback, or suggestions are welcome at [email protected]
See you next time – and have fun exploring Hamburg virtually!

Your Halycon Media Development Team

The Bus | New Update: Line 147 + 245 with New Routes Coming Friday! 🚏

🚏 A new update for The Bus will be released on Friday!
A brand new line 147 - from S Ostbahnhof to U Leopoldplatz! Also included: the adapted line 245 with a new route. 🚌💨We've already taken a look at the update for you.

🔴 The video is now online - take a look!
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Play Hamburg City live for the first time!

On June 14, 2025, our new The Bus DLC – Hamburg City will celebrate its public premiere – and you can be there!



As part of the Mobility Festival in Hamburg, you’ll get a unique chance to try out the new map live inside a real Hochbahn bus.

The Bus DLC – Hamburg City playable at the Mobility Festival on June 14 in Hamburg

From 12 PM to 7 PM, the Jungfernstieg in Hamburg will become a stage for innovation and mobility – and right in the middle of it all: our brand-new DLC The Bus – Hamburg City!

For the very first time, the new map will be available to the public – in the Hochbahn experience bus, right in front of the well-known Apple Store.
Equipped with a gaming station, steering wheel, pedals, and a large screen, a real Hochbahn bus will become your virtual driver’s cabin.
Whether you're just curious or a passionate simulation fan – expert virtual bus drivers will be on-site to help you get started right away.

A must for everyone in and around Hamburg. Come by and be among the first to explore the digital version of the Hanseatic city from behind the wheel!
In addition to exciting insights into the future of transportation, there will be plenty of other highlights around sustainable mobility to discover.

You’ll find all details and a site map for the event at the end of this news post.

If you visited the HafenCity Run or Christopher Street Day last year, you may have seen the Hochbahn’s event bus before.
Back then, though, it wasn’t yet featuring the Hamburg City map for The Bus. We’ve included some photos from those events below.









We’re looking forward to showing you more from our The Bus DLC – Hamburg City very soon.
As always, if you have questions, feedback or suggestions, feel free to reach out to: [email protected]

See you next time – and enjoy virtually exploring Hamburg!

Your Halycon Media Development Team

More details about the Mobility Festival

The Bus DLC Hamburg | FAQs - Frequently asked questions | Updated on 8/4/25

[p]A list of frequently asked questions and answers for the upcoming dlc Hamburg City, created by third party developer (independent external developer) of that AddOn Halycon Media. [/p][p]
-Updated on August 4 2025 -[/p][p][/p][h3]When will the Hamburg City DLC for The Bus be released?[/h3][p]There is no fixed release date yet. However, we can say this much: it won’t be much longer! You can look forward to the launch very soon.


[/p][h3]How much will the add-on cost? [/h3][p]Hamburg City is a paid expansion for The Bus. Since March 2023, a dedicated team of up to 15 people has been working on its development. The final price will be announced at a later date.


[/p][h3]Will AI characters and vehicles be adjusted? [/h3][p]The core behavior of AI vehicles and pedestrians is based on The Bus's main game standards and can only be modified within limited technical constraints. Any adjustments will be made within the possibilities offered by the base game.


[/p][h3]Can Hamburg City be played in multiplayer mode? [/h3][p]Yes! Since The Bus supports multiplayer, the Hamburg City map is also playable in multiplayer mode. All players must own the same DLCs to use them together.


[/p][h3]Will there be AI-controlled bus traffic? [/h3][p]As long as the main game does not support AI bus routes, this feature cannot be implemented on the Hamburg City map either.
However, if The Bus introduces this feature in the future, we will provide an appropriate update. Timetables for AI routes are already prepared — and hubs like the central station are expected to feature busy AI traffic once activated.


[/p][h3]Will a bus be included – and if so, which one? [/h3][p]In contrast to other bus simulators such as OMSI2, maps and buses are separate in The Bus. This means that a map does not necessarily include one or more buses.
An original elevated railway bus from the real fleet in Hamburg is therefore not included in the scope of delivery, in addition to the buses known from the main game.
In addition, there is currently no vehicle editor available for buses, which means that it is not technically possible to create another drivable elevated railway bus yourself. It has not yet been decided whether we will release buses as a separate add-on in the future.
What we will deliver, however, are adaptations of existing standard buses, for example paintwork, seat upholstery, interior displays and matrix. More information on this will follow later.


[/p][h3]Why develop a DLC while the main game is still in Early Access? [/h3][p]The main game The Bus is being developed solely by TML-Studios.
We are responsible for the Hamburg City map expansion, which adds a new city and additional routes to the game.
We have no influence on the development or feature set of the main game and cannot introduce core changes.
Important: Work on Hamburg City does not interfere with the development of The Bus — these are separate teams working independently.


[/p][h3]Are the Hochbahn buses shown in the screenshots functional AI vehicles? [/h3][p]No. The Hochbahn buses currently visible in work-in-progress screenshots are static objects — placed at rest areas, for example — and serve to enhance the map's authenticity.
They are neither drivable nor AI-controlled.


[/p][h3]Will Line 17 be extended to U-Bahn station Berne? [/h3][p]We are currently discussing internal plans to extend Line 17 by another 10 km to the Berne underground station. The potential route would be very varied – it passes through various residential areas, from red post-war brick buildings to high-rise estates and 1970s architecture to over 100-year-old housing estates, complemented by parks, new housing developments and many intersections. Implementing this section is likely to take some time, given the current level of quality. [/p][p]However, there are also other options for expanding the map in a meaningful way. [/p][p]The decision-making and planning process is already underway. 


[/p][h3]Will there be more bus lines added to the Hamburg DLC in the future? [/h3][p]Additional lines are an option that we are considering. They must be compatible with the existing DLC and be able to be implemented within a reasonable time frame.


[/p][h3]Are typical Hamburg rail vehicles featured in the game?[/h3][p]Yes! The Hamburg City map offers a vibrant cityscape featuring many iconic rail vehicles.
In addition to DT5 Hamburg U-Bahn trains, you’ll also see S-Bahn, Metronom, regional, and long-distance trains as AI traffic — realistically placed along their real-life routes.
For example, at Rödingsmarkt station, U-Bahn trains cross above Line 17, while at Barmbek you’ll see S-Bahn trains, and the central station showcases all train types.


[/p][h3]Will the Hamburg expansion be released for consoles? [/h3][p]Yes – the Hamburg City map is planned for consoles as well, once the main game becomes available on those platforms.
However, we cannot yet provide a specific release date.[/p]

The Bus Update 3.1 - Beta

Update 3.1 of the Early Access of The Bus is now available as BETA for testing.

This beta adds new character models, multiple improvements and bug-fixes to The Bus.

For the full detailed list of changes, please, see the changelog below.

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Please create backup copies of your savegame files before switching to the EA BETA Update. Savegames may not be compatible with the new version of the game.

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ATTENTION: This is a BETA update. Technical problems, instability of the game as well as bugs during gameplay can be possible.

How to install the beta version of the update?

Quite easily:
  1. In your Library, you click with the right mouse button on the entry of the "The Bus"
  2. In the drop-menu, you click on the entry "Properties"
  3. In the window "The Bus - Properties" you select the tab "BETAS"
  4. In the field "Select the beta you would like to opt into:" select the entry "beta-beta"
  5. Now you can close the window and the beta version of the update should download right away
  6. After downloading the update you can start The Bus via the "PLAY" button
  7. In the main menu should now be the corresponding version number of the beta version of the update and you can test the update


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Changelog 0.23.84120 EA Beta
  • New Character Models
  • Multiplayer Voice Chat
  • Galaxis dashboard can now be exchanged
  • Support for DLSS and FSR + FrameGen
  • You can now choose between a male and female player character model
  • Improved multiplayer vehicle synchronisation for drivers
  • Fixed unable to move board computer in galaxis multiplayer
  • Fixed bus charging not working in multiplayer
  • You can now click any mirror or camera to disable them
  • Fixed Busses spawning on top of other busses
  • You can now right click while outside the bus to show cursor
  • Arcade Mode no longer blocks actions
  • Level Art Fixes
  • Performance Optimizations**


Changelog 0.23.84517 EA Beta
  • Fix allowed speed icon missing
  • Removed black objects on map
  • Fixed passengers leaving through front door
  • Fixed passengers waiting for front door when entering through rear door
  • Fixed passengers invisible when loading savegame
  • Fixed passenger voice with wrong pitch
  • Fixed passengers not appearing in mirrors
  • Fixed passenger feet colliding with door clearance trigger
  • Fixed passengers walking sideways inside the bus
  • Fixed passenger feet going through the floor
  • Fixed pedestrian groups not spawning at start
  • Fixed date and time not applying from server settings
  • Fixed AI vehicles not using lights at night in multiplayer
  • Fixed tree appearance in winter in multiplayer
  • Fixed controller keybinds resetting to default
  • Fixed hair crash on older amd hardware
  • Level Art Fixes
  • Performance Optimizations**
  • Known Issues: Distorted voices in voice chat



Changelog 0.23.84618 EA Beta
  • Added bus driver announcements
  • Fixed leftover black object
  • Passengers no longer wait for front door when rear door is open
  • Fixed passengers not entering to door halves
  • Fixed passengers not seeing occupied seats on servers
  • Level Art Fixes
  • Performance Optimizations**



* Only occurred during the BETA test of this update

** Please, be aware that the impact of performance optimisations varies from system to system due to hardware configurations, installed software, and other programs running in the background