Access Keys:

English

German

Italian

Portuguese

Spanish

Swedish

Danish

Dutch

Czech

Polish

Hungarian

Slovakian

Germany

  • Arriva entered the German rail market in 2004, and the bus market in 2005.
  • We have a solid operational base in this large and growing market.

The German public transport market is the largest in Europe, and increasingly regional authorities are issuing tenders for companies to purchase shareholding.

The largest rail service provider is the state-owned operator Deutsche Bahn, with over 20 rail operating companies running regional rail passenger services. The market is gradually opening up to tendering.

Bus operations

2005
We entered the German bus market, with the acquisition of Sippel, running local bus services throughout the Rhine-Main area, including the cities of Frankfurt, Mainz and Wiesbaden, as a contractor to municipal clients. We also provide special scheduled services to private sector clients such as Frankfurt Airport.

2006
We acquired Verkehrsbetriebe Bils and expanded into the Münsterland region, which includes the cities of Münster, Warendorf and Hamm. We also acquired Neißeverkehr and began providing urban bus services in the Neiße region of north-east Germany, near the Polish border.


We expect the Rhine-Main public transport agency to continue to contract out its bus services, and anticipate further opportunities to tender for regional routes over the next few years.

Train operations

2004
We entered the German rail market, acquiring Prignitzer Eisenbahn Gruppe which provides services in North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenberg, Berlin and Mecklenberg-West Pomerania. Later that year we were chosen by the ministerial council of Bavaria to acquire Regentalbahn, operating in Bavaria, Thuringia and Saxony, with links into the Czech Republic.

2006
We won two new 10-year contracts in Bavaria. Also, in partnership with Austrian operator Salzburg AG, we won a 12-year contract to operate services between Freilassing and Berchtesgaden on the German-Austrian border from 2009.

2007
We acquired a majority stake in bus and rail company Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen which provides services in Lower Saxony.

Want to know more?

History
and growth

Find out about our history and growth in our Flash timeline

Senior
management

Find out more about our senior management

Local bus & train information