The Bus DLC Hamburg | FAQs - Frequently asked questions
When will the Hamburg City DLC for The Bus be released?
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.
How much will the add-on cost?
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.
Will AI characters and vehicles be adjusted?
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.
Can Hamburg City be played in multiplayer mode?
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.
Will there be AI-controlled bus traffic?
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.
Will a bus be included – and if so, which one?
Unlike in OMSI, maps and buses are separate in The Bus. This gives players the freedom to choose which bus they want to use on the Hamburg City map. A specific Hochbahn bus from Hamburg will not be included. Also, there is currently no vehicle editor available for buses in The Bus, so it's technically not possible to create a drivable Hochbahn bus at this time. That said, we will include visual modifications for existing standard buses — such as liveries and seat textures. More details to follow.
Why develop a DLC while the main game is still in Early Access?
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.
Are the Hochbahn buses shown in the screenshots functional AI vehicles?
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.
Will Line 17 be extended to U-Bahn station Berne?
There are currently no plans to extend Line 17 by another 10 km to the Berne U-Bahn station. The route would be very diverse — passing through post-war housing blocks, high-rise areas, 1970s architecture, century-old housing estates, parks, new developments, and countless intersections. Implementing this extension would take over six months. For that reason, we decided to focus on the current route up to Barmbek station.
Will there be more bus lines added to the Hamburg DLC in the future?
At this time, no additional lines are planned for the Hamburg City map. However, this may change in the future — we’re always listening to community feedback!
Are typical Hamburg rail vehicles featured in the game?
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.
Will the Hamburg expansion be released for consoles?
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.
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.
---
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.
--- 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:
In your Library, you click with the right mouse button on the entry of the "The Bus"
In the drop-menu, you click on the entry "Properties"
In the window "The Bus - Properties" you select the tab "BETAS"
In the field "Select the beta you would like to opt into:" select the entry "beta-beta"
Now you can close the window and the beta version of the update should download right away
After downloading the update you can start The Bus via the "PLAY" button
In the main menu should now be the corresponding version number of the beta version of the update and you can test the update
--- 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**
* 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
The Bus - DLC Hamburg City coming soon!
The new Hamburg City add-on for The Bus takes you on two exciting routes through one of Germany's most famous cities - with iconic sights, a true-to-life cityscape and a licensed elevated railroad bus.
🚏 Two lines - Two sides of Hamburg:
Line 6: From the quiet Borgweg through the city center to the historic Speicherstadt.
Line 17: From colorful St. Pauli to Barmbek - with Reeperbahn, Millerntor and more.
🌆 A city full of life:
Over 60 stops, 500+ individual objects, 200 of which are completely new
Landmarks such as the Elbphilharmonie, TV tower, Spiegel building
Authentic details: circus, markets, bicycle boxes, red garbage cans and much more
Lively traffic with S-Bahn, U-Bahn, long-distance trains
🛠️ Included:
Officially licensed elevated railroad bus
Two lines with up to 45 minutes travel time per route
Completely new assets and detailed routes
Developed in cooperation with Hamburger Hochbahn AG
🎯 Add to your wish list now and don't miss the release!
📌 Note: The full version of The Bus is required to play. 💾 Planned storage space: approx. 25 GB
The Bus - DLC Hamburg - Developer Diary
This week, we are focusing on an interesting section of the route network in The Bus DLC - Hamburg City, Saarlandstraße. A place that, despite its rather quiet location in the game, catches the eye with its striking architecture and proximity to the subway station.
Even though bus route 17 does not pass directly by the station in the simulation, there is a clear view of the striking station and the adjacent bridge structures from the intersection at Wiesendamm. This visual presence was reason enough for us to integrate the area into the game true to the original - including a small special feature: at irregular intervals, a Hamburg subway train will also be seen crossing the bridge, providing additional dynamics.
As usual, the images shown are from the current development phase. Some elements - especially the signage - still serve as placeholders, but they already convey an atmospheric impression of the surroundings.
The subway station was opened in 1912 and is part of the U3 ring line, one of Hamburg's oldest subway lines. The station has only borne the name Saarlandstraße since 1970 and was previously called Bahnhof Stadtpark.
The station is located above ground on an embankment with a striking steel bridge over Saarlandstraße and the Barmbeker Strichkanal to the east. This is a typical feature of Hamburg's elevated railway architecture of the time. The station was named after the street of the same name, which in turn was named after Saarland in the 1920s. In the early days, the station was an important transfer point for workers from the surrounding residential and industrial areas, who found connections to the city center here.
Today, Saarlandstraße is no longer a classic transportation hub, but it remains an important part of the U3. It connects the Winterhude district with the rest of the Hochbahn network and is particularly popular with commuters and residents. Its proximity to the Alster, Stadtpark and Jarrestraße also makes the area attractive for leisure trips. The architecture of the station with the adjoining railroad bridges has been largely preserved in its original state to this day and is a listed building. This makes the area not only functional, but also remarkable from an architectural and historical point of view.
In the virtual realization, we attach particular importance to the depiction of the characteristic brick facades, the curved bridge structure and the typical signal and traffic lights.
All of this contributes to creating an authentic cityscape that Hamburgers will immediately recognize - and that will also make newcomers want to explore the city digitally.
Do you have any questions, suggestions or requests for upcoming topics?
Then write to us as always: TheBus@halycon.info
See you next time - and have fun exploring Hamburg in The Bus!
Your Halycon Media development team
Hamburg DLC - First insights!
Today we take a first look at the upcoming Hamburg DLC for The Bus! 🚍 Even though the add-on is still in development, we would like to show you two of the planned lines, as well as the first new decorative elements and details about the city environment.
👉
The Bus - DLC Hamburg - Developer diary part 71
This week, we are taking a look at one of the most famous and at the same time most complex buildings in the Hanseatic city: Hamburg Central Station. With over 500,000 passengers a day, it is one of the busiest train stations in Europe - and is therefore also a central part of the route network in The Bus DLC - Hamburg City.
In the simulation, the bus routes run along the Steintorwall and Steintordamm - i.e. directly alongside the main station. The bus stops are located directly at the pedestrian exits to the platforms, which makes for a particularly realistic transfer scenario. Even though many of the platform details are not directly visible from above, it was important to us to recreate them true to the original in order to make the atmosphere of the location tangible.
As always, the images shown are from a development phase that has not yet been finalized. The overhead line is currently still being reworked, as are the platform areas, which will later be supplemented with suitable decorations and other objects. In the finished game, regional trains, Metronom trains and even a few long-distance trains will be seen there alongside suburban trains - some of which will be visible from the street, making them a real eye-catcher in the cityscape.
A look at the history of the main station shows how deeply rooted this transportation hub is in urban life: The station was opened in 1906 and replaced several smaller terminus stations. The imposing steel and glass hall construction was an architectural masterpiece in its day - and remains so to this day. The track layout is characterized by its central location: connections branch out from here in all directions - from the city centre to the suburbs, from northern Germany to the south.
This networking is also noticeable in the simulation. The area around the main station represents a kind of heart of the route, both in terms of passenger flows and from a transport planning perspective. The digital implementation is correspondingly complex - with a particular focus on the street space, the traffic mix and the characteristic surroundings.
The replication of the track areas and the central station is one of the larger implementations in the Hamburg City-Map. We already have an entry about the central station in the developer diary, which is linked below.
Our goal is to create the most vivid, detailed image of Hamburg Central Station possible - a place that millions know and that you can experience in a completely new way in The Bus.
As always, we welcome your questions and suggestions at: TheBus@halycon.info
See you next time - and have fun on your virtual commute through Hamburg!
Your Halycon Media Development
Last chance before the phase 3.0 price!
Update 3.0 offers you many possibilities: A multiplayer, the new Galaxis Urban and many other improvements. How do you like the new bus so far? 🤔🚌
From 28 April, the price will be adjusted to €38.99 as part of Early Access Phase 3.0. For you, this means: grab it quickly for €32.95! 😍
The Bus Update Phase 3.0
Update 3.0 of The Bus is here and officially heralds the start of Phase 3 of the Early Access period - the last one before the full release!
Watch the trailer here:
This new update adds a free multiplayer mode to the simulator. From now on you can drive through Berlin together with friends! You can now also explore virtual Berlin with the new Galaxis Urban bus and use the Aerosoft Truck & Bus Wheel System to control it. Have fun!
You can find a detailed list with all the changes in the following:
Changelog 0.22.82357 EA
Added Multiplayer Free Play
Upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.4
New bus added: Galaxis Urban
Added support for Aerosoft Truck & Bus Wheel System
Reworked keybinds for gears, wipers, indicator and light switch
Reworked device assistant to allow for multiple devices
Increased 32 button limit for devices
Added new passenger spawn system
Fixed stop names in navi using wrong format
Removed tour finished popup
Passengers no longer wait for money to be collected
Updated construction near Turmstrasse
Fixed button selection mode
Added option to configure maximum wheel rotation
Added option to turn off turn signal reset
Level Art Fixes
Performance optimizations**
** 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
🚌 The Galaxis Urban is ready for launch – releasing on April 16!
🚌 The Galaxis Urban is releasing on April 16!
It comes with some exciting features: In the vehicle selection menu, you can choose whether the bus has a fast-charging roof module or not. Fast-charging stations are available at the end terminals Zoologischer Garten/Hertzallee and Michelangelostraße.
There are also some nice little details: The front panel can be opened to manually operate the front door. Plus, there are plug-in connectors on the front and door side – currently non-functional, but a great visual detail! 🔋⚡
🚌 The Bus – Phase 3 launches on April 16! Multiplayer, New Bus & More!
Hey everyone! 👋
April 16 is the day: The Bus enters Early Access Phase 3 – and it’s bringing a free update! 💥
🚦 Here’s what’s coming your way:
Multiplayer is now official! The long-awaited multiplayer mode is leaving beta and becomes an official part of the main game! You can now cruise through Berlin together with your friends!
A brand-new vehicle is joining the lineup: the Galaxis Urban! Modern, quiet – and packed with exciting features:
Optional fast-charging roof module
Fast-charging stations at terminal stops (Zoologischer Garten/Hertzallee & Michelangelostraße)
Plug-in charging ports at the front and door side (not functional yet – but still cool, right?)
Front panel opens to reveal door controls A real head-turner – and it’s all included for free in the update! Technical upgrade & tons of improvements
With Phase 3, you’ll also get:
Performance boosts & bug fixes
…and lots of small optimizations to make your driving experience even smoother
⚠️ Note: Price increase possible With the transition to the new phase, a price increase might be on the horizon. So if you’re still thinking about it – now’s a great time to hop on board! 😉
🎯 Looking ahead Phase 3 is the final Early Access phase before the full release, which is still planned for 2025. Of course, more info to come soon!
We’re super excited to hear your feedback – and especially to see your multiplayer rides through the capital! 🚍 Let us know in the comments which feature you’re most looking forward to! 👇
