Plans for a shuttle between Ramstein Air Base and the airport have been shelved due to lack of interest in the project by possible contractors, according to the Air Force. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — A Ramstein Air Base proposal for Frankfurt Airport shuttle service was scrapped for lack of bids, ending hopes in the largest U.S. military community overseas for a better option to get to the European hub.
There are no immediate plans to float the offer again, officials with the 86th Airlift Wing said Wednesday, citing the availability of “several other low-cost alternatives in the local area providing a similar service.”
The wing did not immediately respond Wednesday to questions about those alternatives.
Ramstein officials had intended to partner with a commercial shuttle operator by August 2024. A notice on sam.gov, the federal government’s contracting website, proposed shuttle service three times daily, transporting from one to 40 passengers per ride.
“The base-airport shuttle project was solicited as a concessionaire contract,” the wing said in a statement Wednesday. “There were no prospective bidders for the terms of the solicitation.”
Fares on door-to-door commercial airport shuttles, the most convenient option for military members and their families, have skyrocketed since before the COVID-19 pandemic, when adult riders could readily book a spot in a shuttle for 40 euros per person each way.
A proposal for shuttle service between Ramstein Air Base in Germany and the major European air hub of Frankfurt Airport was shelved because of lack of contractor interest, the base's 86th Airlift Wing said Jan. 8, 2025. (Jared Lovett/U.S. Air Force)
Since the pandemic, several local shuttle services require that single riders rent the entire shuttle for 200 euros each way, if they can’t find others to share the shuttle themselves.
Faced with a 400-euro round trip, some Americans have taken to social media pages seeking a ride with an offer to share gas money. Posts often solicit suggestions of other cheaper but less convenient ways to get to the airport.
Flix offers inexpensive bus service three times a day from Kaiserslautern’s main train station, which was a 30-minute ride away from Ramstein through highway traffic Wednesday afternoon. But the buses this week leave at 5:40 a.m., 11:45 a.m. and 10:35 p.m., which is inconvenient for many travelers.
Various parking options near the airport, some of which are outdoors and require a shorter bus ride to the terminals, cost anywhere from 50 euros to 269 euros for a week, according to a German parking comparison website. Drivers will need to factor in gas to cover 150 roundtrip miles.
Other travelers said they have paid about 110 euros for a one-way vehicle rental with drop-off at the airport. Or they’ve used Deutsche Bahn rail service, which requires longer travel times, train changes and is prone to cancellations because of strikes, maintenance or delays.
A prospective shuttle operator for the Air Force would have been able to determine its own cost for riders, according to the terms in the Ramstein notice.
Other overseas U.S. military bases provide airport shuttle services for leisure travel. In Japan, for example, Yokota Air Base provides two daily buses to and from Narita and Haneda airports in Tokyo. The Narita shuttle is $40 for passengers ages 13 and up; $30 for 12 and under. The shuttle to Haneda is $20 per rider of all ages.
