Transport Associations in Germany – Insights from several decades of regional integration and cooperation

In May 2025, the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) celebrated its 30th anniversary. Originally established to consolidate and coordinate public transport across the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main metropolitan region, RMV is now one of Europe’s largest transport associations, covering approximately 14,000 km² and serving over 6 million people in cooperation with around 160 transport operators.

Germany pioneered the concept of transport associations with the Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV) in 1965 – the world’s first integrated public transport association. Since then, more than 60 Transport Associations (Verkehrsverbünde) have been established, covering nearly the entire country. These associations emerged in response to growing demands for cross-jurisdictional coordination, unified fare and ticketing systems, seamless multimodal travel, and greater efficiency and public accountability.

Yet, a widely shared Reddit post titled “Das Heilige Tarifgebiet Deutscher Nation” – a satirical reference to the fragmented structure of the Holy Roman Empire – offers a humorous but pointed critique of the complexity of Germany’s public transport fare systems. Users highlight inconsistencies across regions, fragmented tariff structures, and especially the lack of transparency for occasional or new users.

Figure 1: Transport Associations in Germany (Source: Maximilian Dörrbecker (Chumwa), NJ Giggie, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karte_der_Verkehrsverb%C3%BCnde_und_Tarifverb%C3%BCnde_in_Deutschland.png)

The broader discussion reveals a fundamental policy challenge: user expectations have risen. Passengers today are accustomed to one-click shopping, climate-controlled private vehicles, and seamless digital services. Public transport must meet these standards – not only in terms of reliability and coverage, but also through a compelling user experience: clear and intuitive ticketing, integrated multimodal offers, and a safe, welcoming environment.

We do not claim to offer universal solutions. However, based on decades of experience in Germany, we believe that the establishment of transport associations can help other cities and regions – particularly in rapidly growing countries – to make public transport more user-friendly, better integrated, and future-ready.

1. Clear Goals Are the Foundation of Effective Integration

Successful integration of public transport begins with a clearly defined strategic vision. This may include goals such as increasing ridership, improving accessibility, reducing emissions, or strengthening regional cohesion. These objectives should shape governance models, technical standards, and investment decisions.

Examples show that alliances with well-defined goals are more likely to mobilize political support, secure funding, and achieve lasting reform.

Recommendation: Define a shared long-term vision early. This vision should guide the structure, scope, and sequencing of integration – whether in fares, schedules, infrastructure, or digital services. Strong political backing and adequate funding are critical.

2. Early Institutionalization Enables Effective Governance

Coordinated transport systems benefit from early establishment of formal institutions with clear mandates for planning, fare setting, and contract management.

[1] List of Associations in Germany: List of German transport associations – Wikipedia

Recommendation: Set up coordinating entities with clear legal mandates and professional structures early in the process. Ensure distinct roles for strategic oversight, system integration, and operations. Multi-level stakeholder governance—combining cities, counties, and states—supports legitimacy, responsiveness, and long-term stability.

Zooming in: Distinguishing Roles – PTAs vs. Transport Associations

Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) and Transport Associations are not necessarily the same and should not be conflated. In Germany, PTAs—typically districts and independent cities – are responsible for planning and commissioning public transport services such as buses, trams, and metro systems. For regional rail, responsibility varies by federal state: in some cases, the state itself takes the lead; in others, associations of cities and districts act jointly. PTAs manage tenders and contracts but do not interact directly with passengers.

Transport associations, on the other hand, act as distribution and coordination platforms. Their main roles include fare integration, timetable coordination, joint ticketing, customer communication, and unified branding. They generally do not operate transport services, own vehicles, or employ drivers. Most are lean organizations focused on harmonization and the distribution of fare revenues among operators. In this sense, they resemble early mobility-as-a-service platforms – well before the digital era.

Some transport associations, such as RMV, also serve as PTAs for specific transport modes, reflecting the diverse and sometimes overlapping institutional arrangements created by German federalism.

3. Local Transport Plans as Strategic Instruments

In Germany, the Nahverkehrsplan (Local Transport Plan) serves as the legal and planning basis for developing public transport services. Typically valid for five years, it aligns operational planning with strategic transport goals.

Core elements include:

• Assessment of current service levels and infrastructure
• Definition of service quality and accessibility targets
• Future-oriented scenario planning (e.g. demographic shifts, modal split)
• Investment and funding strategies
• Measures to ensure barrier-free access

In local transport plans, PTAs define the public transport services to be provided by the transport companies in terms of quantity and quality. They thus form the basis for public procurement procedures and are indirectly legally binding for the transport companies.

Recommendation: Also use Local Transport Plans as strategic instruments of PTAs to align quality, accessibility, and investments and budget planning for publicly financed services. Ensure they are integrated into broader transport and climate policies.

4. Sustainable Funding Reflects Public Value

Public transport delivers broad public value – reducing emissions, promoting access, and supporting economic activity. However, it requires stable funding. In Germany, fare revenues often cover less than 50% of costs; the rest is publicly financed.

A 2023 study for Germany found:

• €75 billion in annual value generated—three times the cost
• Potential to grow to €162 billion annually by 2030 with investment
• ROI estimated at 1:5

Recommendation: Implement multi-source funding strategies, including:

• • Fare revenues (as core component)
  • Multi-level public subsidies
  • Land value capture mechanisms
  • Climate-related funds (e.g. carbon pricing)
  • Institutional contributions (e.g. universities, employers

5. Fare Systems Must Be Unified – But Flexible

A unified fare system simplifies access, but overly rigid structures can limit local flexibility. The national government’s introduction of Germany’s €49 – now €58 – flat-rate Deutschlandticket significantly improved usability but raised concerns over loss of municipal fare autonomy.

From a user perspective, it greatly simplified the system—removing the confusion associated with zones (Waben) and rings (Tarifringe). Yet local authorities worry about reduced ability to cross-subsidize, design social fares, or adapt pricing to specific needs. Another problem is that the principle of subsidiarity is undermined: If ticket prices, and therefore significant revenues, can no longer be influenced by local governments, their general influence decreases considerably.

Recommendation: Develop modular fare systems that combine:

• Flat-rate subscriptions (e.g. Deutschlandticket)
• Usage-based digital pricing (e.g. distance- or time-based)
• Targeted social discounts

Digitalization enables best-price models, greater transparency, and more inclusive pricing.

6. Innovation Requires Structure and Support

Transport associations are well positioned to test innovations – e.g. on-demand transport, autonomous vehicles, integrated mobility platforms – but require governance capacity and support.

Example: RMV’s KIRA project, Germany’s first pilot to integrate Level 4 autonomous vehicles into public transport, offers flexible rural shuttle services bookable via app.

Recommendation: Foster innovation through:

• Dedicated innovation teams
• Inter-agency collaboration
• Evaluation and monitoring frameworks
• Scalable pilot programs

Shared mobility integration remains a key challenge: many alliances are still defining how to effectively coordinate with providers of bikes, scooters, or carsharing.

7. Communication Is a Strategic Focus

During the setup phase of a transport association, management should focus on establishing a clear communication and stakeholder engagement strategy. This includes identifying key stakeholders, mapping their interests, and defining channels for effective coordination. Because transport associations bring together diverse actors – municipalities, regional authorities, transport operators, and in some cases state governments – it is essential to clarify roles and expectations from the outset. Suburban municipalities often have different priorities and financial capacities than core cities. Rural bus operators may have different expectations and business models than S-Bahn or tram providers. Effective stakeholder communication helps balance these diverse interests, build consensus on funding, and align objectives across regions.

Equally important is the creation of transparent mechanisms for conflict resolution and consensus-building, since suburban and rural stakeholders often have different priorities and financial capacities compared to core urban areas. It is also important to note that in practice, some stakeholders who perceive themselves as disadvantaged by integration measures are often compensated financially or through other incentives.

Way forward

Looking ahead, many cities and regions worldwide are beginning to integrate their public transport systems. Digital solutions – such as unified ticketing platforms, real-time passenger information, and multimodal journey planning – are becoming increasingly widespread and expected by users. The central question is how the experience with German transport associations can inform this process: what lessons can be adapted, and how can the concept of regional Transport Associations be further developed to fit the context of rapidly growing cities with different institutional and financial capacities?

Successfully answering this requires not only technical know-how, but also flexible governance models and strong political commitment to ensure that integration supports both efficiency and equitable access.

Read more:

• SUTP Module 3f – Public Transport Integration and Transit Alliances: https://sutp.org/publications/sutp-module-3f-public-transport-integration-and-transit-alliances/
• iNUA #5: Transit Alliances: https://sutp.org/publications/inua-5-transit-alliances/

Authors: Dr. Florian Krummheuer, Armin Wagner/GIZ