Demographic change has highlighted the lack of doctors in rural areas. Older people who require increased medical care are often forced to travel long distances to the nearest doctor’s office. Many rural regions in Germany also lack sufficient numbers of young medical professionals.

In order to counteract this shortage, DB Medibus, a mobile medical-practice, has been driving through villages of northern Hessen since 2018. Equipped with a waiting room, laboratory, treatment room, and a doctor’s office, the converted bus offers patients on-site modern care. Medical equipment such as ultrasounds and ECGs are offered on the DB Medibus, as is a tele medical station, which allows the attending physician to contact specialists or interpreters. Power is supplied by solar cells mounted on the roof of the bus, which also charge three high-performance batteries. Electrical equipment such as refrigerators, air conditioning, and network technology can thus be operated self-sufficiently and emission-free.