Transport community
A transport community was an amalgamation of transport companies in local public transport (ÖPNV). The aim was to create a tariff that was the same for all transport lines involved, with a uniform range of tickets and the right to transfer between all lines (tariff community). Agreements on timetables (guarantee of connection) and the allocation of uniform line names (to avoid duplicate numbers) could also be included.
Austria and especially Switzerland have developed different structures; here there are only tariff and transport associations .
history
Transport communities were often a first step towards creating a comprehensive transport association . Many of today's associations have community transports as a historical basis, often several local communities were united to form a larger regional association. As an example, today's tariff association “Der Sechser” in East Westphalia-Lippe was created through the merger of three communities ( VOW , MRV and VGL), whereby the Verkehrsgemeinschaft Lippe included rail traffic from the start. Verbundgesellschaft OWL Verkehr is an association of transport companies.
Traditionally, only bus companies were involved in Germany; local rail passenger transport (SPNV) had its own tariffs or the DB tariff used throughout Germany . In some communities, however, railway companies or individual railway lines are also included (example: the Osnabrück – Bielefeld railway line in the VOS -Plus tariff ).
While transport associations were initially developed in metropolitan regions (first German association in 1965 in Hamburg), transport associations were more likely to emerge in rural or small-town regions.
organization
A transport community was traditionally a cooperation between transport companies without an additional management company. Far-reaching changes to provisions in the legal conditions of traffic law (implementation of EU directives, introduction of competitive conditions) led to changes in company structures from the 1990s onwards: In Germany, so-called regionalization meant that the federal states were responsible for regional local rail transport and the corresponding tasks for the The districts and municipalities received local road transport . Since transport lines now have to be tendered across Europe, for example in line bundles , the previous basis for transport communities as cooperation between transport companies was no longer applicable. As a result, the restructuring and inclusion of the local rail transport led to the creation of new associations and associated companies, some of which continue to appear as a "transport community", but are based on local authorities or special purpose associations or regional transport companies for rail and bus transport (example: Verkehrsgemeinschaft Münsterland ).
Tariff structures
The tariffs of the communities are generally based on zones or “honeycombs” that can overlap over a large area or in relation to individual stops. The “tariff area” usually refers to zones that are oriented towards municipal boundaries; the area unit then forms an entire city or municipality. Overlaps are often ruled out here (municipality limit equals price limit, connection areas begin between stops with effect from the next stop in the adjacent municipality). Since connecting tickets to season tickets have to be purchased within the area of validity of these cards, community-based tariff areas without overlapping make it difficult to buy tickets and limit the range of tickets that can be used: To avoid double payments for sections of the route already paid for with season tickets, special connecting tariffs are required; day tickets can sometimes not be used .
See also
- List of German tariff and transport associations
- State tariffs ( NRW tariff , Schleswig-Holstein tariff )
- Hessenticket (association of associations)
- City Ticket (transition possibility mainline / urban transport through additional ticket)