As a Hamburg company, we are committed to the people of this city and to making sure our actions are in harmony with them. We also want to use our knowledge and our infrastructure to contribute to social issues such as ways out of homelessness and ways to integrate disadvantaged groups into the jobs market. Here are some of examples of the projects we’re involved in: 

#wärmegeben in Hamburg 

Since 2020, we have been providing a heated bus for Hanseatic Help's #wärmegeben campaign during the winter months, which is used to collect clothing and monetary donations for homeless people. HOCHBAHN also makes an important contribution as a reliable mobility partner to the Christmas campaign ‘More than a warm meal’. With shuttle buses and drivers, we enable people in need and homeless people to travel safely to and from the celebration in the fish auction hall, where a festive three-course meal awaits them.

The “Duschbus”: Because washing is dignity

The idea: To provide homeless people with a mobile shower facility. Thanks to the non-profit organisation GoBanyo, people without a permanent residence have free access to sanitary facilities and toiletries in the privacy of the shower bus. 

In 2019, HOCHBAHN donated the first bus, which was converted into a ‘Duschbus’ (engl. "shower bus") with three fully equipped bathrooms with the help of donations and volunteer work. Since then, it has been regularly visiting three fixed locations in Hamburg. For its fifth anniversary, we gave GoBanyo a second decommissioned public bus, which gives even more people access to sanitary facilities.

HOCHBAHN supports the project not only by donating the buses, but also by providing infrastructure and services such as maintenance and repairs.

Jamliner: From public bus to rolling recording studio 

Jamliner is a unique music project run by the Hamburg State Youth Music School, in which disused public buses have been converted into mobile recording studios. The aim is to enable children and young people to receive musical education and participate in music right in their own neighbourhoods – free of charge and without any prior knowledge. Participants form their own bands, write songs and record them in the converted bus. HOCHBAHN supports the project as a long-standing partner by providing the buses, literally getting the mobile music school rolling.

Donating spare change: small amounts add up to big help

With the voluntary spare change donation scheme introduced in 2022, all HOCHBAHN employees have the opportunity to donate the cent amount of their monthly salary to a good cause. The donations go to social projects for people in need in the hvv area. The employees themselves decide on the specific donation targets through suggestions and votes on the internal ideas portal.

Training refugees – project to integrate refugees into the transport service

Accompanying people on their journey and getting them to their destination. This is not only our task for Hamburg, but also the goal of our integration project. Since 2017, we have been offering people who have had to flee their homes new career prospects as bus drivers at HOCHBAHN. Together with DEKRA and the Jobcentre, we train refugees. Their path to driving HOCHBAHN buses: driving school, car driving licence, German courses, six months of training to obtain a bus driving licence and then several months of work experience at one of our depots.

NEUSTART – Seizing opportunities

Enabling a new start is the mission and driving force behind the initiative of the same name run by the Hamburger Ausbildungszentrum (HAZ) e.V. Since 1983, socially disadvantaged young people have been trained here in industrial metal, automotive and electrical professions. As one of nine Hamburg-based companies, HOCHBAHN is a member of the initiative and finances up to 30 training places per year. Forty employees of the Hamburg Training Centre, including thirty experienced training supervisors, prepare young people for working life. They are also supported on their journey by learning therapists, social education workers and tutors.

Social Days

The idea behind HOCHBAHN's Social Day is to take on social responsibility and raise awareness of the importance of voluntary work. That is why HOCHBAHN's trainees and dual students swap their everyday work for a day of social activity. In the past, they have packed clothes for people in need, done gardening work at a residential facility for homeless people, refugees and asylum seekers, and organised a holiday for children at the Arche Billstedt.