The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (German: [fɛɐ̯ˈkeːɐ̯s.fɛɐ̯ˌbʊnt ˈʁaɪn ˈʁuːɐ̯]), abbreviated VRR, is a public transport association (Verkehrsverbund) in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It covers most of the Ruhr area, as well as neighbouring parts of the Lower Rhine region, including Düsseldorf and thus large parts of the Rhine-Ruhr conurbation. It was founded on 1 January 1980, and is Europe’s largest public Transport association, covering an area of some 5,000 km² (1,900 sq mi) with more than 8.1 million inhabitants, spanning as far as Dorsten in the north, Dortmund in the east, Langenfeld in the south, and Mönchengladbach and the Dutch border in the west.

The VRR takes part in the federal fare system project called Deutschlandticket.

The VRR is tasked with coordinating public transport in its area. This means the following:^[1][2][3][4]

• 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

A total of 26 cities and districts form the special purpose associations Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (ZV VRR) and Nahverkehrs-Zweckverband Niederrhein (ZV NVN). Both special purpose associations form the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr AöR which cooperates with further transport companies additionally.^[5]

The member cities and districts of the Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr are:

• cities
  • Bochum
  • Bottrop
  • Dortmund
  • Duisburg
  • Düsseldorf
  • Essen
  • Gelsenkirchen
  • Hagen
  • Herne
  • Krefeld
  • Mönchengladbach
  • Mülheim (Ruhr)
  • Neuss
  • Oberhausen
  • Remscheid
  • Solingen
  • Wuppertal
• districts
  • Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis
  • Mettmann
  • Recklinghausen
  • Rhein-Kreis Neuss
  • Viersen

The members districts of the Nahverkehrs-Zweckverband Niederrhein are:

• Kleve
• Wesel

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 AöR, and other committees. The administrative council elects the administrative board of the VRR AöR, currently Oliver Wittke which also is their speaker.^[1][6]

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)^[7] and Kompetenzcenter Sicherheit (KCS).^[8]

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.^[1]

These above mentioned cities’ and districts’ and other associated transport companies thus operate under the VRR fare scheme:^[5]

• Bahnen der Stadt Monheim (BSM)
• Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahnen (Bogestra)
• Busverkehr Rheinland (BVR), operating as “DB Rheinlandbus”
• Dortmunder Stadtwerke (DSW21)
• Duisburger Verkehrsgesellschaft (DVG)
• Flughafen Düsseldorf
• Hagener Straßenbahn (HST)
• Kraftverkehr Schwalmtal (KVS)
• Kreisverkehrsgesellschaft Mettmann (KVGM)
• LOOK Busreisen
• Niederrheinische Verkehrsbetriebe (NIAG)
• NEW mobil und aktiv Mönchengladbach (NEW Möbus)
• NEW mobil und aktiv Viersen (NEW Viersen)
• Rheinbahn
• Ruhrbahn
• StadtBus Dormagen
• Stadtwerke Goch
• Stadtwerke Kevelaer
• Stadtwerke Krefeld (SWK)
• Stadtwerke Neuss (SWN)
• Stadtwerke Oberhausen (STOAG)
• Stadtwerke Remscheid (SR)
• Stadtwerke Solingen (SWS)
• Straßenbahn Herne – Castrop-Rauxel (HCR)
• Verkehrsgesellschaft der Stadt Velbert (VGV)
• Verkehrsgesellschaft Ennepe-Ruhr (VER)
• Verkehrsgesellschaft Hilden
• Vestische Straßenbahnen
• Wuppertaler Stadtwerke (WSW)

The following rail companies operate S-Bahn or regional train services in the VRR area and accept VRR tickets:

• DB Regio
• Keolis Deutschland, operating as “eurobahn”
• National Express Rail
• NordWestBahn
• Regiobahn
• Train Rental
• VIAS Rail

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 seperately, this regulation counts for all lines.^[9]

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.^[10] The VRR has been divided into ten three-digit numbering sheme regions, the first digit in the line number representing that numbering sheme Region (prefix). The last two digits are the individual line number. These are the existing prefixes:

• 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 prefix: Kreis Kleve and Kreis Wesel

Stadtbahn lines are identified with the prefix "U" followed by the prefix and a one-digit identifiers. The prefixes 2, 5, 9 and 0 are not used for these lines. The Wuppertal Schwebebahn is officially line 60, but because it does not run underground, the U prefix is not used.

After the integration of the former Verkehrsgemeinschaft Niederrhein (VGN) area north of Duisburg, route numbers were unchanged, i.e. representing no prefix.^[11]

• 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 these numbers 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.^[12]

The VRR's 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.

Fare level A is valid either:

• for a single fare zone or
• in one entire city consisting of two fare zones or
• between two neighboured subzones of different fare zones

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

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

• 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)