– It means a lot! It is clearly something that increases turnover and earnings.
This is what René Knudsen, owner of De Grønne Busser (translated to The Green Busses”, ed), says when he is asked what the Fehmarn construction means for his company.
The company is headquartered in Væggerløse in southern Falster but has opened an office in Rødby to service the residents of the FLC Village. De Grønne Busser won a tender from Femern Link Contractors in 2021 to be responsible for the daily transport of employees to and from the construction site, the canteen, and the FLC Village.
Eight men and four buses
It is a task that requires that De Grønne Busser have eight men and four buses full-time, running six days a week – Monday-Saturday. That is why De Grønne Busser has bought buses to solve the task and opened an office at Gl. Badevej in Rødby with a chauffeur’s lounge, washing area, and more, and René Knudsen is looking forward to the task becoming even bigger.
– There are 750 people living in FLC Village today, but they need to increase that number to 1,500, and we expect that we will be running for many years to come, he says.
The contract also includes a clause on an annual price adjustment so that the high fuel prices are taken into account.
Tours of the construction site
Skørringe Turistbusser (translated to Skørringe Tourist buses, ed.) also benefits from the Fehmarn construction, albeit to a lesser extent. From time to time, the company is booked to drive the bus when guests are to be given a tour of the construction site.
Here, as an outsider, you are not allowed to just walk around, so guests are driven around the square, and Skørringe Turistbusser manages that from time to time.
– It’s nice to have, but it’s not something we can make a living from – we can’t have a permanent driver for it, says owner Jan Martin Jørgensen and explains that the tours are typically done in one and a half to two hours, but that a driver must be paid for four hours at least.
Office workers come out for a drive
Jan Martin Jørgensen, therefore, drives many of the tours himself.
– Some of us in the office run the tours, and it’s exciting to get out and see what’s going on. It’s fun to follow the project, so I really enjoy driving it, he says.
On board the buses is also a guide – typically from Femern A/S or FLC – and often they are officials or others who have some connection to the construction. But it also happens that trips are organized for neighbours or other “ordinary people”.
Safety course required
To be allowed to drive around the construction site, you must have taken a safety course within the last six months, and a handful of drivers from Skørringe Turistfart have that, including Jan Martin Jørgensen.
