Schwabinger bus accident: cyclist accidentally, drivers flee!

Schwabinger bus accident: cyclist accidentally, drivers flee!

On Friday afternoon, June 13, 2025, there was a troubling incident in Hohenzollernstraße in Schwabing, just a few steps from Kurfürstenplatz. Around 4:15 p.m., a 25-year-old cyclist drove on the bike path towards Leopoldstrasse when the path at the intersection with Tengstraße ended abruptly and the cyclist was forced to switch to the road. This often criticized area is quite narrow and is narrowed down by parked cars and tram rails.

At that moment, a regular bus approached with a trailer and overtook the cyclist. There was an unsightly touch: the trailer of the bus grazed the cyclist, causing it to be pressed against parked cars and fell to the ground. The agreed rescue workers immediately took the injured to the hospital. At this point it must be noted that the bus driver got out of the dust after the accident without fulfilling his legal obligations. However, the police were able to quickly contact the bus company and determined the driver, since it was a regular bus, such as the ADFC in 2021 bike accidents in Munich and the surrounding area, which corresponds to a decrease of 13 percent compared to the previous year. The number of injured cyclists was 2658, including 318 seriously injured people and four deaths. Against this background, however, the decline is considered temporary, since the pandemic and the associated restrictions influenced traffic. Nevertheless, the ADFC places the focus on the need for a better cycling infrastructure and safe traffic conditions.

The risk of accident for cyclists remains an important topic of public discussion. Andreas Schön, 1st Chairman of the ADFC Munich, expresses his concern about the persistently high number of wheel accidents and demands increased measures to improve safety for cyclists, especially for weaker road users such as children and older people. In order to increase security, the association suggests, among other things, protected cycle paths, safe intersections and the introduction of speed 30 in residential areas.

Although the property damage on the bike and the parked vehicles in this specific case was low, the health and safety of the cyclists remains in the focus. Such incidents show that there is a need for action to make cycling in the city a safe way to move. There is a great responsibility for both road users and the city planners to ensure more protection on the streets.