Translation by Sigmund Rønneberg

The city’s first commercial bus at it’s terminal at Kongsgaard in 1908 — In this region, regular bus-traffic did not really start until 50 years later

The first scheduled bus in traffic was Ronneberg’s – the blue bus – which would travel the distance Stavanger to Sola. This route was not held up for long. The bus was open, the seats placed almost as in an amfi-theatre. The last stop was supposed to be by Stavanger Støperi & Dokk (Ship-yard in Stavanger). But it was not let in there. The bus was believed to be a risk for the kids in there. Some words taken from a song written by Samuel Næsheim in 1909, go like this:

On bumpy streets we swish along

To Madla we are taken for the lowest fare

And scare each horse, every cow and every pig

But to the warft (place for working with cast iron) it will not travel, there was too much singsingalong

But beware, folks, horses and pigs, because the automobile is dangerous – singsingalong

Ben Kvam started a bussroute from the city square to Våland. Det was a terrible box to travel in. When full, and more people wanted to get in, Kvam stopped

Another Story about the bus

A/S STAVANGER AUTOMOBILE OMNI-BUS COMPANY

Norway’s first bus service began 12 May 1908 and travelled the distance between Molde and Batnfjorden. But only a short month later, the first bus service in our district was started by cannery-owner Tørres Rønneberg. Through his initiative, the A/S Stavanger Automobil-Omnibusselskap was founded 16 March 1908.

Shortly after, Rønneberg travelled to Germany and purchased a blue 36 horsepower Gaggenau Assichtswagen which on 6. June 1908 was put into traffic between Stavanger – Malde and Sola. The bus cost as much as 14.000 NOK, which at that time was a major investment.

The garage was in Sandekrossen in Sola, and the first year Rønneberg ran 10 departures daily between the city and Sola. The farmers along the road boycotted «the monster», and Rønneberg had to reduce to 2 daily departures.

Even though the city people claim the route was from Stavanger through Madla to Sola, it actually ran the opposite way. Unfortunately, the first bus service in Stavanger was shut down, probably as early as in 1910.

Sent to us by Eivind Oanes