20 coaches have been deregistered for a year and are unused in the yard of the bus company “Lyst Reisen” from Zellingen in the Main-Spessart district. “We can survive,” says managing director Stefan Lyding. But the reserves are “all gone”. He puts the financial damage from the corona restrictions at around 800,000 to 900,000 euros. Therefore, the bus company is demanding compensation from the Free State and suing the Würzburg district court.
Restriction of freedom of occupation
The company is represented in court by the Würzburg law firm “Steinbock & Partner”. The firm believes that the company is entitled to compensation. The professional freedom of the bus operator was restricted by the lockdown measures, says lawyer Julian Pfeil. In court it is now about a claim of 750,000 euros, which the law firm wants to fight for the bus company.
Similar lawsuits have so far been unsuccessful
It is not the first time that an entrepreneur has asked for compensation because he had to accept financial losses due to the corona restrictions. Last July, however, the Hanover regional court dismissed a restaurateur’s complaint about the corona-related closure of his restaurant. The same thing happened to an innkeeper at the Berlin Regional Court in October.
“No reason to throw the gun in the grain,” says lawyer Pfeil. He argues that the new lockdown in winter may have changed the legal assessment. Nevertheless, he admits that the chances of success in the case could be better.
Bus company facing loss of existence
The bus company “Lyst Reisen” serves both regular and tourist transport. At the moment there is only regular service. In order to remain solvent in the crisis, managing director Lyding took out a loan of 500,000 euros from the state development bank KfW. State aid alone would not be enough. Lyding fears that the industry will face more difficult months: “There are companies that have worked hard for decades – and now such companies are losing their existence. That just hurts.”
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