What PB Consult does

PB Consult GmbH is a German engineering consultancy founded in 1998 in Nuremberg that provides mobility management, transport planning, traffic engineering, and quality measurement services to public-sector clients. The company operates across two service pillars — Smart Mobility Services (mobility management, traffic planning, traffic engineering, mobility research, surveys, quality measurement, and citizen participation) and Infrastructure Services (tram, bus, metro systems, public space design, depots, and operational management) — complemented by proprietary digital tools including the EMMA survey/interview application launched in 2020 and the mitwirken.eu citizen participation platform.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements commissioned primarily by municipal governments and public transport operators across Germany and internationally, with pricing determined by scope, duration, and complexity per engagement. The firm pursues work through direct client relationships, competitive public tenders, and consortium bids — including the INGE Plärrer consortium alongside Dorsch Gruppe sister companies (GRE German Rail Engineering, KREBS+KIEFER) for the Plärrer redesign in Nuremberg, and international roles in projects such as Addis Ababa City Smart Mobility 2025 (Ethiopia), Mass Rapid Transit in Nairobi (Kenya), and the Serengeti southern bypass in Tanzania. PB Consult also operates the Q-Barometer, a biennial benchmark study now in its 8th edition covering public transport service quality across Germany and Austria.

Since mid-2020, PB Consult has been a subsidiary of Dorsch Gruppe, a German engineering conglomerate with over 7,000 staff and €600M+ in global revenue, which provides consortium access for large international infrastructure tenders. The company employs 51–100 staff, is led by Managing Directors Thomas Kahn, Georg Kern, and Dieter Roth (effective January 1, 2025), and maintains project footprints in Germany (Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich, Cologne, Hamburg) and abroad (Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Turkey, Finland, Greece, Egypt).

Name

PB Consult

Legal name

PB Consult Planungs- und Betriebsberatungsgesellschaft mbH

Website

https://pbconsult.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

PB Consult is a German engineering consultancy (Nuremberg, est. 1998) that provides mobility management, transport planning, traffic engineering, and quality measurement services to municipal governments and public transport operators across Germany and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobility and Transport Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

Keywords

• Mobility consulting
• Transport planning
• Traffic engineering
• Sustainable urban mobility
• Public transport consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Nuremberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Planning Consulting: PB Consult generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements in mobility management, transport planning, traffic engineering, infrastructure design, and operational consulting. Projects are commissioned by public transport operators, municipal administrations, and government authorities across Germany and internationally. Revenue is earned through professional services fees, feasibility studies, planning commissions, and general planning contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PB Consult is a planning and operations consulting engineering firm (Ingenieurbüro) that delivers sustainable urban mobility and transport infrastructure services. Its core offering spans mobility management, transport planning, traffic engineering, mobility research and surveys, quality measurement for public transport, and citizen participation/dialogue processes. The firm also operates proprietary digital tools (EMMA survey app and mitwirken.eu participation platform) that support its consulting engagements.

Product overview

PB Consult is a planning and operations consulting firm (Ingenieurbüro) specializing in mobility and infrastructure. The company operates two core service pillars: Smart Mobility Services (mobility management, transport planning, traffic engineering, mobility research, surveys, quality measurement, and citizen dialogue/participation) and Infrastructure Services (public transport systems, public space design, and operational management). The company also offers proprietary digital products including the EMMA survey app and mitwirken.eu participation platform, along with specialized consulting services such as traffic simulation, urban development concepts, and the Q-Barometer benchmark study.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EMMA: A proprietary survey and interview app developed by PB Consult for conducting passenger counts, quality assessments, and customer journey mapping in public transport.
• mitwirken.eu
• Q-Barometer

Products and services

• Smart Mobility Services Comprehensive consulting services for sustainable urban mobility, including mobility management, transport planning, traffic engineering, mobility research, surveys, quality measurement, and citizen participation services for municipalities and public transport operators.
• Infrastructure Services Engineering and consulting services for public transport infrastructure including tram, bus, and metro systems; public space design; and operational management covering depots, road design, accessibility, bicycle lanes, and construction maintenance.
• EMMA Survey and Interview App Proprietary mobile application for digital traffic data collection, enabling passenger counts, quality assessments, customer journey mapping with time-of-day recording, boarding/alighting locations, ticket types, and socio-demographic data; allows rapid questionnaire adaptation to client requirements.
• mitwirken.eu Participation Platform Online citizen participation platform for urban and transport planning processes, enabling interactive maps, surveys, and stakeholder engagement in mobility projects for municipal clients and public engagement initiatives.
• Q-Barometer Benchmark Study Bi-annual benchmark study measuring and comparing service quality of public transport companies across Germany and Austria, covering vehicles, employees, sales points, and stops, providing comparative performance insights for transport operators.
• Traffic Modelling and Simulation Macroscopic and microscopic traffic modelling using industry-standard software (VISUM, Vistro, Lisa+) for scenario analysis, route selection, and signal timing optimization for municipal and transport infrastructure clients.
• Integrated Urban Development Concepts (ISEK) Comprehensive urban development planning services integrating mobility, land use, and sustainability goals for municipalities.
• Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) Strategic planning framework for sustainable urban mobility, networking various transport modes and reducing environmental impact while improving quality of life for municipalities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cologne modal split transformation: bicycle and car each reached 25% share of all journeys (from near 50% car share 20 years prior)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MCube ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Since November 2024, PB Consult is an official associated partner in the MCube consortium — one of 15 German future clusters selected under the Federal Ministry of Education and Research's 'Clusters4Future' programme. PB Consult participates in sub-project 'WiPa - Effective Participation for Mobility Innovations' (until autumn 2027), developing methods for citizen participation in local mobility projects. Partners include Technical University of Munich, Munich University of Applied Sciences, City of Munich, USP Projekte GmbH, Hans Sauer Foundation, experience consulting GmbH, intrestik, Deutsches Museum, and Mehr Demokratie e.V.
• JBG Gauff IngenieurecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010PB Consult worked with JBG Gauff Ingenieure on transformative traffic projects in East Africa starting in mid-2010. Projects included the Mass Rapid Transit project in Nairobi (Kenya) — covering both BRT and suburban rail — and the Serengeti southern bypass project in Tanzania. JBG Gauff Ingenieure was a former shareholder of PB Consult.
• GOPA ConsultantsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010PB Consult worked with GOPA Consultants alongside JBG Gauff Ingenieure on the Serengeti southern bypass project in Tanzania, commissioned by the Tanzania National Roads Agency.
• Dorsch Gruppe Subsidiaries (GRE German Rail Engineering, KREBS+KIEFER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPB Consult forms the INGE Plärrer – Dorsch consortium with GRE German Rail Engineering and KREBS+KIEFER (both Dorsch Gruppe companies) alongside two Nuremberg architectural offices (wgf Landschaftsarchitekten and Bermüller+Niemeyer Architekten) for the Plärrer redesign project — the largest project in PB Consult's history.
• IFOKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPB Consult won a pedestrian transport strategy project for Frankfurt am Main together with IFOK, with IFOK providing expertise in public participation and dialogue processes.
• Planungsbüro VogelsangminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Planungsbüro Vogelsang and LANDSCHAFTSÖKOLOGIE + PLANUNG Bruns, Stotz & Gräßle on citizen participation and coordination work commissioned by the City of Oberasbach.
• Rambøll IngenieureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPB Consult worked together with internationally active Rambøll Ingenieure to plan and supervise the new Nuremberg-Erlangen-Herzogenaurach high-speed cycle link (RSV) — the longest contiguous RSV currently planned in Bavaria at 29 km.
• Ramboll Deutschland GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPB Consult and Ramboll Deutschland GmbH were jointly commissioned to carry out design and planning for the Metropolradweg Nuremberg-Bamberg cycle route (approx. 65 km along the Regnitz Valley, involving 16 cooperation partners and 3 districts).
• Bayern InternationalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPB Consult exhibited at Smart City Expo World Congress 2023 and 2024 in cooperation with Bayern International, Bavaria's official foreign trade and investment support organisation.
• NOMAS-ArchitektenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPB Consult won first place in the Dingolfing parking competition together with NOMAS-Architekten and Tautorat Landschaftsarchitekt. Also collaborated on the Nuremberg Stadtpark terminus building design.
• Mailänder Consult / Obermeyer InfrastrukturminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPB Consult participated in a planning consortium with Mailänder Consult and Obermeyer Infrastruktur for the eastern branch planning of the Stadt-Umland-Bahn (StUB) connecting Erlangen to Eckental.
• spiekermann ingenieureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPB Consult worked together with spiekermann ingenieure on the Frankfurt am Main barrier-free public transport stop planning project commissioned by VGF.
• City of CologneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPB Consult conducted comprehensive mobility behaviour survey of 11,426 Cologne residents in autumn 2022, with results presented at a press conference and generating significant media coverage.
• Lots* Gesellschaft für verändernde Kommunikation GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPB Consult joined a 20-partner consortium initiated and managed by Lots* GmbH from Leipzig for a collaborative research project (autumn 2024 – spring 2025) exploring how transport companies, municipal administrations, and mobility service providers can influence mobility behaviour through communication.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consultancy with a transportation practice that designs and advises on urban mobility, transit, and smart-city programs. Competes with PB Consult on large public-sector mobility tenders, particularly those tied to international development finance.
• Rambøll Group: Global engineering consultancy with a substantial transport and mobility practice, already partnered with PB Consult on the Nuremberg-Erlangen cycle link. Competes for the same mega-tenders while also serving as a consortium partner, making it both peer and counterparty.
• WSP Global: International professional services firm with a Transport & Infrastructure practice covering mobility planning, traffic engineering, and smart-mobility advisory. Competes for the same public-sector tenders as PB Consult at larger scale.
• PTV Group (PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG): Karlsruhe-based provider of transport planning software (VISUM, Vistro) and consulting, serving many of the same municipal and transport-operator clients as PB Consult. Overlaps on traffic modeling and SUMP work, but is significantly larger and software-led.
• Arup: Global engineering and consulting firm with a sizable cities, transport, and urban mobility practice. Pursues similar municipal and transit-operator engagements as PB Consult but with vastly greater geographic and resource breadth.
• SYSTRA: French-headquartered engineering consultancy specialized in public transport, rail, and urban mobility, active internationally including in Africa where PB Consult also operates. Competes for transit and BRT consulting mandates.

Direct peers

• Planungsbüro Vogelsang: German engineering and transport planning consultancy, occasionally co-bidding with PB Consult. Comparable in scale and focus on municipal traffic planning, cycling concepts, and citizen participation work in Germany.
• Steer: Independent transport-focused consultancy (formerly Steer Davies Gleave) advising on public transport strategy, mobility research, and traffic planning. Closely comparable service portfolio to PB Consult, especially on the survey and quality-measurement side.
• Rupprecht Consult: Cologne-based consultancy focused on sustainable urban mobility, mobility management, and SUMPs, with strong European and German public-sector clientele. Highly comparable to PB Consult in service mix, customer base (cities, transport operators), and project-based revenue model.
• Intraplan Consult GmbH: Munich-based transport research and planning consultancy serving public authorities on public transport demand modeling and traffic forecasting. Directly comparable to PB Consult on the German public-transport planning and research axis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pb-consult-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PB Consult