Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr

Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) (German: [fɐˈkeːɐ̯sfɐˌbʊnt ˌʁaɪ̯n ˈʁuːɐ̯]), is a public transport association (Verkehrsverbund) in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It covers large parts of the Ruhr area, the Lower Rhine region including Düsseldorf and the Rhine-Ruhr conurbation. It was founded on 1 January 1980, and is Europe’s largest public Transport association, covering an area of some 7,305 km² (2,820 sq mi)^[1] with around 7.8 million inhabitants^[2], spanning as far as Dorsten in the north, Dortmund in the east, Langenfeld in the south, and the Dutch border in the west and northwest.

The VRR is tasked with coordinating public transport in its area. This means the following:^[3][4][5][6]

• setting and developing the fare system (VRR tariff)
  • redistributing ticket revenue onto the transport companies
• coordinating local train services (Schienenpersonennahverkehr, SPNV) within its area as public service obligations (PSO)
• integrating the public transport system
  • setting standards and guidelines for passenger information and bus/tram stop facilities
  • coordination between transport companies, local authorities and Land authorities
• financing partial subsidies for bus and tram companies according to § 11 (2) and § 11a ÖPNVG NRW
• coordinating Land subsidies to transport companies and local authorities according to § 12 and § 13 ÖPNVG NRW

The member cities and districts of the public transport association VRR are:

The municipal and district councils send representatives to the two special purpose associations’ councils, which in turn elect the main decision making corporations, the administrative council of the VRR, and other committees. The administrative council elects the administrative board of the VRR, currently Oliver Wittke who also is their speaker.^[3][7]

In addition, there are departments within the VRR dealing with different matters, such as marketing or law. Two Land institutions are located within the VRR structure: Kompetenzcenter Digitalisierung NRW (KCD)^[8] and Kompetenzcenter Sicherheit (KCS).^[9]

Through the ZV VRR Eigenbetrieb Fahrzeuge und Infrastruktur (ZV VRR FaIn-EB), the VRR also buys and/or owns the rolling stock for some, but not all, of its PSO rail operations.^[3]

Before 2026, two spare subsidiaries named Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (ZV VRR) and Nahverkehrs-Zweckverband Niederrhein (ZV NVN) formed the public transport association VRR shared responsibility for public transport related tasks. ZV NVN was responsible for the districts Kleve and Wesel while ZV VRR was commissioned for all other municipals.^[10][11]

These above mentioned cities’ and districts’ and other associated transport companies thus operate under the VRR fare scheme:^[12]

Additionally, there are several districts and cities outside the area of VRR which tariff applies for, but only while travelling with a transport vehicle from/to the area of VRR. Unless specified separately, this regulation counts for all lines.^[13]

With the introduction of the VRR in 1980 a new line numbering system for all bus, tram and Stadtbahn (underground) lines in the VRR area was introduced. The VRR has been divided into ten three-digit numbering sheme regions, the first digit in the line number representing that numbering sheme Region (key number). The last two digits form the individual line number.^[1] These are the existing key numbers:

• 1: Essen and Mülheim
• 2: Kreis Recklinghausen, Bottrop and northern Gelsenkirchen
• 3: Bochum, southern Gelsenkirchen, parts of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis and Herne
• 4: Dortmund
• 5: Hagen and main part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis
• 6: Wuppertal, Solingen and Remscheid
• 7: Düsseldorf and Kreis Mettmann
• 8: Düsseldorf and Rhein-Kreis Neuss
• 9: Duisburg and Oberhausen
• 0: Mönchengladbach, Krefeld and Kreis Viersen
• no key number: Kreis Kleve and Kreis Wesel

Stadtbahn lines are identified with the prefix “U” followed by the key number and a one-digit identifiers. Wuppertal's suspension railway line is officially line 60, but because it does not run underground, the prefix U is not used.

After the integration of the former Verkehrsgemeinschaft Niederrhein (VGN) area consisting of Kleve and Wesel, route numbers were unchanged, i.e. representing no key number.^[1]

• Express buses are called Schnellbus and have the prefix SB followed by two digits. None of these digits is a key number.
• Semi-fast buses are called City-Express and have the prefix CE followed by two digits. As with the express buses none of the digits is a key number.
• On demand buses (and also Taxis) have the prefixes ALT, AST or TB.
• In some cities the local buses have an own numbering system, e.g. the buses in Velbert, whose line number consists of the prefix OV, followed by one or two digits.
• In some cities the night buses are called NachtExpress (NE).

The VRR sells tickets based on three different fare levels which are represented by their three letters A, B and C. Its area is divided into fare zones (German: Tarifgebiet). Each fare zone consists of at least two subzones (German: Wabe). The zones’ numbering sheme consists of a two-digit fare zone number and a one-digit subzone number.^[14]

Fare level A is valid either:

• for a single fare zone as seen on VRR's tariff map^{[note 1]} or
• in one entire city even if it consists of more than one fare zone (Dortmund, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Essen or Wuppertal) or
• between two neighboured subzones of different fare zones (to be repealed within the year 2026)^[15]

Fare level B is valid for journeys whose start and destination are separated by at most one other fare zone.^[16]

Fare level C applies for all other journeys in the area the VRR operates in.

People younger than fifteen years pay lower fares. The VRR sells tickets for one single journey or for four consecutive journeys respectively. Tickets for 24 hours are also available. If the transportation of a bicycle is desired, the traveller has to buy a ticket for bicycles, valid for 24 hours. Before travelling, those tickets must be validated by nearby stamp boxes. The monthly ticket is called Ticket2000. The social discount variant is named SozialTicket, only valid in the district of residence. To expand the area of a monthly ticket temporarily, a supplement ticket called ZusatzTicket is needed per journey.^[17][18]

The digital variant is called eezy.nrw, working as a check-in system.^[19] Its product's name consists of the fictive respelling of the word easy and the abbreviation of the state North Rhine-Westphalia.

Furthermore, the VRR's transport association companies offer the nationwide Deutschlandticket.

• Rhine-Ruhr Stadtbahn
• Bochum Stadtbahn (BOGESTRA)
• Dortmund Stadtbahn
• Rheinbahn
• Essen: Public Transport

Media related to Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr at Wikimedia Commons

• Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) – official site (in English)
• Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) – official site (in German)