knowledge Overview
The Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (hvv) was founded on 29 November 1965 and is thus one of the oldest transport associations in Germany. It covers the area of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg as well as neighbouring regions in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony. The association coordinates timetables, fares and ticketing of the participating transport companies, including the Hamburger Hochbahn, the S-Bahn Hamburg, DB Regio, VHH and HADAG.
Operations
The hvv does not operate any transport itself, but coordinates the transport services of its member companies, among others:
- The Hamburg U-Bahn of Hamburger Hochbahn AG (lines U1–U4).
- The S-Bahn Hamburg (S-Bahn Hamburg GmbH).
- Bus, regional bus and ferry lines as well as regional railways in the association area.
History
The Hamburger Verkehrsverbund was initiated on 29 November 1965 by four founding partners – the Hamburger Hochbahn AG, the Deutsche Bundesbahn, the HADAG Seetouristik und Fährdienst AG and the Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH) – and was the first transport association of its kind worldwide. On 1 January 1967, a uniform tariff, joint revenue sharing and a coordinated overall timetable followed. The shareholders of hvv GmbH today are the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (85.5 per cent), Schleswig-Holstein (3 per cent), Lower Saxony (2 per cent) and seven districts (9.5 per cent).