Getting to Medevac bus at Landstuhl

Author Message   John D. Moderator Username: John_d Post Number: 4521 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 95.208.80.143 Posted on Thursday, May 27, 2010 - 03:43 am:    Yes, Larry, you read the rumor in the other Landstuhl Medevac Bus thread further down the board.   Larry Cranford Advanced Member Username: Larrycranford Post Number: 296 Registered: 06-2006 Posted From: 69.111.108.104 Posted on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 - 11:52 pm:    Did I read somewhere that this whole thing comes to a halt in October, 2010? Larry   Martha Fralia Advanced Member Username: Mjfralia Post Number: 375 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 75.141.137.233 Posted on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 - 12:32 pm:    It is a good ride through beautiful country. Just wish we had a map to see where we were after turning off at Innsbruck.   ALLAN JESKA Advanced Member Username: Jeskaa1 Post Number: 211 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 97.120.10.9 Posted on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 - 04:39 am:    Sorry, Martha... I went the other direction and just copied the Vicenza departure time from Lew & Bonnie Wirf's 31Aug09 posting. Guess you lose another hour of sleep... It's still a great ride!   Martha Fralia Advanced Member Username: Mjfralia Post Number: 373 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 75.141.137.233 Posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - 08:51 pm:    Allen, The bus leave the Vicenza commissary parking lot at 7AM, be there at least 15 minutes before.   John D. Moderator Username: John_d Post Number: 4496 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 95.208.80.143 Posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - 02:48 pm:    Chaplaingil, Congrats on your retirement! In future if you forget where you read something always remember to check the location pages at Spacea.net. This and similar info is contained in the Wiki Pages - in this instance, the Ramstein Location page under the European Locations. Enjoy your terminal leave!   TR Advanced Member Username: Travel_ready Post Number: 240 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 74.192.161.189 Posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - 02:06 pm:    Good info. Thanks to all.   ALLAN JESKA Advanced Member Username: Jeskaa1 Post Number: 210 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 97.120.4.142 Posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - 01:48 pm:    O.K. Hurrah! I found the info in my hoard!! M & Th Bus leaves Vicneza Commissary Parking Lot @ 0800 bound for Landsthul Army Hospital. T & F Bus leaves Landsthul Emergency Entrance @ 0845 bound for Vicenza Commissary Parking Lot, arriving o/a 2100 hours. Bus is a large commercial contract version with lots of room and baggage storage. Trip is scenic, free, and frequent stops occur. "Shuttle Bus" is @ 0600 from Ramstein AFB to Landsthul is an Army Van and is often full. Have a local taxi number handy as a "back-up." Congratulations Chaplain on your pending retirement and thank you for serving all of us during this time of need.   Chaplaingil Member Username: Chaplaingil Post Number: 32 Registered: 08-2009 Posted From: 206.39.250.30 Posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - 11:22 am:    Getting ready for my pre-termial leave trip to Europe with my daughter, I remember at some point reading which days of the week the bus runs Landsthuhl-Vicenza and Vicenza-Landsthuhl but with my pending retirement I am getting more forgetfull everyday. Respectfully request, if someone would be kind enough to remind me of the travel days. Thanks, V/R and Blessings, Chaps   ALLAN JESKA Advanced Member Username: Jeskaa1 Post Number: 209 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 97.120.15.239 Posted on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 - 03:39 pm:    We have taken the Medevac bus from Landstuhl to Vicenza. It worked slick. To answer some questions posted, it makes frequent stops for toilets, snacks, and fast food meals. Burger King comes to mind for lunch. We tried to catch the Ramstein to Landstuhl shuttle, but it is only a small van and was full when it got to our BOQ, so we took a taxi to the emrgency room gate. We were quite early for the bus, so the security folks let us stow our luggage in a waiting room, while we went to the dining facility for a great GI breakfast. The trip is VERY pleasurable, down through scenic Austria and onto the flat Italian plain. It is not only a neat way to go between Vicenza and Ramstein, but it is a great way to see this portion of Europe. I do NOT know if you can get off the bus en route. There is No accountability for seats, as all we did was sign a roster that the bus driver passed around. No GI's monitored the boarding. The bus driver makes the run both ways twice a week and knows every pebble in the road from experience. Try it, you'll love it. I'd even PAY for the trip.   Danny Hamilton Senior Member Username: Dannyhamilton Post Number: 556 Registered: 03-2004 Posted From: 68.225.115.15 Posted on Wednesday, April 07, 2010 - 03:29 am:    Barbara, thank you for the first hand information about the gates at Landstuhl. I wish you luck getting on the medevac bus to Italy and really hope you will post the details on this board for us SPATS! I hope you have a great trip!   Barbara Patterson Member Username: Bap Post Number: 48 Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 80.148.26.106 Posted on Tuesday, April 06, 2010 - 03:14 pm:    We arrived in Ramstein early this morning from Jackson. Nice ride. Anyway, picked up an Avis car and drove to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center LRMC (pronounced "larmcy"). Since you can only drive into the base through Gate 3 (way on the back side and up the mountain) it took us awhile to get there. Found someone who confirmed that the Vicenza Medevac bus still picks up on Tuesdays and Fridays across from the ER. They told us that taxis know how to get from downtown Landstuhl up to Gate 1 (now closed except for foot traffic), which is right across from the ER. Ramstein KMC to Landstuhl (Gate 1) shouldn't be more than 15 min. I'll post again after we take this bus on April 20th.   George Downer Intermediate Member Username: George_d Post Number: 91 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 98.166.130.196 Posted on Friday, March 26, 2010 - 05:30 pm:    Henry the bus makes a couple stops along the autobahn, which probably accounts for some of the time difference. Remember it’s a bus, and a lot of cars were passing us on the trip. I have no idea if you can get off the bus during the trip. No one did on our trips. It‘s a contract bus and driver, so he may not be permitted to do that.   Barbara Patterson Member Username: Bap Post Number: 46 Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 70.178.250.156 Posted on Friday, March 26, 2010 - 03:14 pm:    Wow, George Looks like we've made a "break through" on how to get to the Medevac bus pick-up point. Take a taxi to the Landstuhl "north gate" and take the pedestrian trail to the ER. Sounds simple enough - now if I can just say that in Deutch! Barb   Barbara Patterson Member Username: Bap Post Number: 44 Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 70.178.250.156 Posted on Friday, March 26, 2010 - 03:00 pm:    I can't answer Henry's question until we go in April However, I finally got through by telephone to the Europcar desk at Ederlee (Vicenza) and in a matter of moments had a reservation from the base with a drop-off in Aviano 1 week later! You cannot book this reservation online. So, success on that issue! Barbara   Henry J. Sommer Member Username: Sommerhj Post Number: 40 Registered: 01-2006 Posted From: 24.113.108.150 Posted on Friday, March 26, 2010 - 02:10 am:    Two very specific questions re the Landstuhl-Vicenza bus route: First- Several posts have referred to the trip duration as 12 hours. My Michelin trip router says 8 hours. Does the bus stop for lunch and dinner to account for the "extra" 4 hours? Second- Apparently route is through Brenner Pass. Enroute it passes through Fuessen. Is it possible to get off bus there, rather than continuing to Vicenza?   William Standage Senior Member Username: Charlie13 Post Number: 1029 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 75.172.94.184 Posted on Thursday, March 25, 2010 - 12:06 am:    George, That's the gate I was calling the North gate. I was not aware it was open to foot traffic. Yes, that would be the shortest route if it was open. The bus pickup point is near the ER. I also don't know if the triangle shuttle route still operates. I think it was cut back to once in the morning and once at the end of the day, however, with the number of casualties being process through LAMC, expect change.   George Downer Intermediate Member Username: George_d Post Number: 90 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 98.166.130.196 Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 07:59 pm:    There is a gate next to the emergency room entrance (where the bus departs). I don’t know the gate number. While it’s closed to vehicle traffic, there’s a pedestrian gate there that is open. If the taxi driver knows the area, I’m sure he know about the gate.   Danny Hamilton Senior Member Username: Dannyhamilton Post Number: 549 Registered: 03-2004 Posted From: 68.225.115.15 Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 07:58 pm:    I wonder if the GI shuttle buses still travel between Ramstein and Landstuhl Hospital? I think they ran that route plus including another nearby US military installation and the generic term for those shuttle buses was "Triangle Shuttles". Of course, they were free to ride as well. I had landed at Rhein Main AB (so you know how many years ago that was!) and had taken a free bus from Rhein Main to Landstuhl Hospital, then took one of those Triangle Shuttles from Landstuhl onto Ramstein AB. Sure would be nice to know if that mode of transportation is still available.   Barbara Patterson Member Username: Bap Post Number: 42 Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 70.178.250.156 Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 07:05 pm:    Thanks, that makes sense. I kind of remember some gates being closed the last time we were there. We'll be there a couple of days before we have to go, so we'll drive over there and check it out.   William Standage Senior Member Username: Charlie13 Post Number: 1027 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 75.172.91.60 Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 06:58 pm:    The problem, at least the last time I was there, is that the most direct road route from Ramstein to Landsthul Army Medical Center (North gate) is blocked. The North gate allowed direct access down the hill to the town. It is no longer open for vehicle traffic. To drive up to the hospital, you have to do a long round about approach that add many exta miles to access the base. If I remember correctly, you enter from one gate on the West side and exit from another on the East. I'm not aware of any rental car drop boxes on base, perhaps someone onsite can answer this one. I think you only have two options: have some one drop you off by car, or take a cab. Another idea comes to mind. Try and get a room on base the night before. Once upon a time, the military used to run a twice daily shuttle between the hospital and Ramstein. You can easily walk from LAMC billeting to the bus stop, unfortunately, room availablity will be tight.   Barbara Patterson Member Username: Bap Post Number: 41 Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 70.178.250.156 Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 03:53 pm:    Somewhere I read that it was a little difficult to get yourself to the Landstuhl Medevac pick-up spot. What's the problem? Looks like a rather short taxi ride from Ramstein terminal area. We'll have a rental car but guess there's no drop-box at the Landstuhl location. Does anyone know?