The Association of German Transport Companies is the umbrella organization of organizations of transit authorities and other

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

companies. The membership fluctuates in the range of about 600 transport companies. It is a member of the

International Association of Public Transport The International Association of Public Transport (; UITP) is a non-profit member-led organisation for public transport authorities, networks and operators, policy decision-makers, scientific institutes and the public transport supply and service ...

. The current organization (VdV) was founded in 1991 with its headquarters in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

. The predecessor is the (VöV) (Association of ermanPublic Transport Companies) that was founded in 1949 in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

with main office in

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

until 1959 when it moved to Cologne. There is a predecessor for the VöV as well deriving from umbrella railway organizations in the early 19th century that were forming a subsidiary of (Association of German Tram and Light Railway Authorities) in 1895 in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. With a broadened scope of non-railway transportation it changed its name to (Association of German Transport Authorities) in 1928 with the main office in Berlin. With the Nazi

Gleichschaltung The Nazi term (), meaning "synchronization" or "coordination", was the process of Nazification by which Adolf Hitler—leader of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, Germany—established a system of totalitarian control and coordination over all ...

its functions were integrated into the

Reich Ministry of Transport The Reich Ministry of Transport (, ''RVM'') was a cabinet-level agency of the Germany, German government from 1919 until 1945, operating during the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. Formed from the Prussian Ministry of Public Works after the end o ...

''()'' requiring a new start after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The association is not only an

interest group Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...

but it serves as a

standards organization A standards organization, standards body, standards developing organization (SDO), or standards setting organization (SSO) is an organization whose primary function is developing, coordinating, promulgating, revising, amending, reissuing, interpr ...

within Germany. Its first project in post-war times was to settle on a tramway model that could quickly replace the demolished vehicle fleet throughout.

Duewag Düwag or Duewag (stylised in all caps), formerly Waggonfabrik Uerdingen, was a German manufacturer of rail vehicles. It was sold in 1999 to Siemens with the brand later retired. History Duewag was founded in March 1898 as Waggonfabrik U ...

was contracted to refurbish various tram chassis with a standard body () in the range of 355 motor cars and 248 trailer cars from 1948 to 1950. The next generation tram type was named (association car ype with 206 motor cars and 326 trailer cars produced from 1951 to 1958. During the 1960s bus transport seemed to be more feasible than tram transport so that the association mandated the design of a new standard city bus () with multiple generations produced by various manufacturers from 1968 to the mid of the 1980s. Starting in the mid-1980s a new series of buses () is recommended. A modern field of standardization is the e-ticketing with a (VdV core application) that partner companies can use to provide new ticketing solutions.

References

*https://www.vdv.de/english.aspx - English landing page of the association {{Authority control Public transport in Germany Transport associations in Germany 1991 establishments in Germany