What Rheinbahn does

Rheinbahn AG is a public limited company (Aktiengesellschaft) headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, founded in 1896, operating bus, tram, and rail transport services in Düsseldorf and surrounding municipalities (Ratingen, Hilden, Mettmann district) under the VRR (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr) and NRW tariff frameworks. The company's core product portfolio centers on tiered ticketing — from pay-as-you-go EinzelTicket, 4erTicket, and 24-StundenTicket through to subscription products including Ticket2000 (€104.90-€241.60/month by zone), SchokoTicket (€47.25/month for students), SozialTicket (€43.80/month for welfare recipients), and the nationwide Deutschlandticket (€58-€63/month). Distribution is hybrid: five physical Customer Centres, an extensive sales partner network (kiosks, lottery offices, tobacconists), ticket machines at stops, on-board bus driver sales, and digital channels (Rheinbahn App, online shop).

The technology layer consists of the Rheinbahn App for journey planning and ticket purchasing and the redy App, a multi-modal mobility-as-a-service platform aggregating public transport with car sharing (Miles), e-scooters (Lime, Dott, voi.), rental bikes (nextbike), and taxis (TAXI Düsseldorf) under a single account. The eezy.nrw check-in/check-out fare system calculates fares based on crow-fly distance with daily caps of €25 (VRR) or €30 (NRW), and the B+R Bicycle Garages (14 facilities in Düsseldorf and Meerbusch) are bookable through redy. The NRW Mobility Guarantee provides €30-€60 taxi reimbursement for delays exceeding 20 minutes.

Revenue mechanics combine transactional ticket sales (one-time fares), recurring subscriptions (Deutschlandticket, Ticket2000, SchokoTicket, corporate programs), and likely commissions from third-party mobility providers transacted via the redy app. GTM is a hybrid of self-serve digital (apps, online shop, ticket machines) and assisted channels (Customer Centres, sales partners, on-board sales), augmented by an enterprise field sales team managing ~300 direct corporate accounts out of 1,000+ participating companies. Customer segments span frequent commuters, occasional travellers, students, social benefit recipients, and corporate/employer accounts.

Name

Rheinbahn

Legal name

Rheinbahn AG

Website

https://rheinbahn.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Rheinbahn AG operates bus, tram, and rail public transport in Düsseldorf and surrounding areas under the VRR and NRW tariff frameworks, offering subscription tickets (Deutschlandticket, Ticket2000), student and social tickets, and the redy multi-modal mobility app aggregating public transport with car sharing, e-scooters, bikes, and taxis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Transportation Services

NAICS

Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation (48599)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Transportation Reservations (Car Service, Limo, Shuttle) (HSACALAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rail & Intercity Bus Booking Engines (THALADAD)

Keywords

• Public transportation services
• Bus and tram operations
• Mobility-as-a-service
• Public transit ticketing
• Multi-modal mobility

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales - Individual Tickets: Revenue from sale of single-use tickets including EinzelTicket (single rides), 4erTicket (4-trip tickets), 24-StundenTicket (24-hour passes), and various NRW-wide tickets. These are one-time purchases valid for specific journeys or time periods, sold through apps, machines, Customer Centres, and sales partners.
2. Subscription Products - Monthly/Annual: Recurring revenue from subscription products including Deutschlandticket (€58-63/month), Ticket2000, SchokoTicket, SozialTicket, and Deutschlandticket Schule. These monthly subscription products provide predictable recurring revenue from frequent travellers, students, and social benefit recipients.
3. Mobility-as-a-Service Platform Fees: Revenue generated through the redy app from third-party mobility providers (Miles car sharing, Lime, Dott, voi. e-scooters, nextbike, TAXI Düsseldorf). While not explicitly stated, the platform likely earns commissions or fees on transactions facilitated through the integrated providers.
4. Supplementary and Add-on Tickets: Revenue from ZusatzTicket (additional tickets for extending fare zones or using first class), FahrradTicket (bicycle tickets), and EinfachWeiterTicket (supplementary tickets for NRW-wide travel on subscription holders). These add-on products increase revenue per customer journey.
5. Corporate/Company Ticket Programs: Revenue from employer-sponsored company tickets sold to businesses. Over 1,000 companies participate, with approximately 300 under direct key account management. Employers subsidize employee season tickets as a benefit, creating bulk revenue streams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rheinbahn AG operates public bus, tram, and rail transportation services in Düsseldorf and surrounding areas within the VRR (Rhine-Ruhr Public Transport Association) and NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia) regions. The company sells a portfolio of ticket products including subscription passes (Deutschlandticket, Ticket2000, SchokoTicket), single-ride and multi-trip tickets, social discount tickets, and add-on products, complemented by digital journey planning apps and a multi-modal mobility platform aggregating car sharing, e-scooters, bikes, and taxis.

Product overview

Rheinbahn AG is a public transportation operator serving Düsseldorf and surrounding areas within the VRR (Rhine-Ruhr Public Transport Association) and NRW regions. The company's offering consists of a comprehensive portfolio of ticket products and digital services. Ticket products include the Deutschlandticket family (standard Deutschlandticket at €63/month, Deutschlandticket Sozial for €48/month, and Deutschlandticket Schule for students at €43/month), subscription tickets (Ticket2000, SchokoTicket for students, SozialTicket for social benefit recipients), single-ride and short-duration tickets (EinzelTicket, 4erTicket, 24-StundenTicket), and NRW-wide tickets (EinfachWeiterTicket, NRW Tickets). Digital services include the Rheinbahn App for journey planning and ticketing, the redy App as a multimodal mobility platform integrating public transport with car sharing (Miles), e-scooters (Dott, Lime, voi.), bike sharing (nextbike), and taxi services (TAXI Düsseldorf), the eezy.nrw check-in/check-out fare system, and B+R Bicycle Garages bookable via the redy app. Additional services include the Mobility Guarantee for delay compensation, Customer Centres for in-person support, and a Lost and Found service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• redy: One app combining various mobility providers including public transport, car sharing, bike sharing, e-scooters, and cab services
• eezy.nrw
• Deutschlandticket
• Deutschlandticket Sozial
• Deutschlandticket Schule
• Ticket2000
• SchokoTicket
• SozialTicket
• B+R Bicycle Garages
• EinfachWeiterTicket NRW

Products and services

• Deutschlandticket Monthly subscription ticket valid throughout Germany on all local buses and trains for €63 per month (€58 from January 2026), cancellable monthly, available digitally or as chip card. Targeted at frequent travellers needing nationwide mobility.
• Ticket2000 Season ticket subscription for frequent travelers in the VRR area with unlimited use, free evening and weekend travel, companion benefits, and mobility guarantee. Available as monthly ticket, subscription, or 9 a.m. variant. Prices from €77.90/month.
• SchokoTicket Annual subscription ticket for students under 25 years of age attending general education schools, valid around the clock in the VRR area for €47.25 per month for direct payers.
• Deutschlandticket Sozial Reduced-rate version of the Deutschlandticket costing €48 per month (€53 from January 2026), available for recipients of social benefits with proof of entitlement (Bürgergeld, SGB XII, asylum seeker benefits, war victims benefits, or housing benefit).
• Deutschlandticket Schule Student version of the Deutschlandticket priced at €43 per month for students up to age 25 at schools whose carrier has switched, with reduced prices for families entitled to travel cost coverage.
• SozialTicket Discounted ticket for social benefit recipients at €43.80 per month (subscription) or €49.90 (individual purchase), valid within the district of residence or autonomous city.
• EinzelTicket Single-ride ticket valid for one person for a single journey with unlimited transfers. Prices from €3.80 (Zone A adult) to €19.80 (Zone C adult).
• 4erTicket Multi-trip ticket for four single rides, usable by one person or distributed among multiple people. Prices from €15.20 (Zone A) to €79.20 (Zone C).
• 24-StundenTicket 24-hour pass allowing unlimited travel within the selected tariff zone for up to 5 people. Prices from €7.60 (Zone A, 1 person) to €38.40 (Zone C, 1 person).
• Zusatz- und Fahrradticket Additional ticket for extending ticket validity (zone extension, 1st class, companion travel) and bicycle ticket for transporting bikes for 24 hours throughout VRR at €4.60 each.
• EinfachWeiterTicket NRW Supplementary ticket for season ticket holders enabling travel throughout NRW across various transport networks. Valid for 6 hours from purchase. Prices €8.60 (2nd class adult) to €12.90 (1st class adult).
• NRW Tickets Collection of tickets for travel throughout North Rhine-Westphalia including EinzelTicket NRW (€25.80), 24hTicket NRW Single (€39.80), 24hTicket NRW 5 People (€59.80), and FerienTicket NRW.
• Company Ticket Corporate ticket program for companies with 30+ employees, offering subsidized public transport tickets with Rheinbahn subsidy participation. Over 1,000 companies already participate, managed through dedicated key account managers.
• Rheinbahn App Main mobile application for journey planning, ticket purchasing, and subscription management throughout the VRR region and beyond, with digital subscription management (Abo per App) functionality.
• redy App Mobility app combining various transport providers (public transport, car sharing, bike sharing, e-scooters, taxis) in one account with booking and payment via a single platform. Integrates Miles, Lime, Dott, voi., nextbike, and TAXI Düsseldorf.
• eezy.nrw Check-in/check-out fare system for NRW allowing travelers to simply check in at the start and check out at the end of their journey, with pricing based on crow-fly distance. Maximum €25/day in VRR area or €30/day in NRW.
• B+R Bicycle Garages Secure, locked, roofed and video-monitored bicycle parking facilities at stops in Düsseldorf and Meerbusch, bookable via the redy app. Approximately 14 garages at 11 locations, each holding 20 bicycles. Prices from €1/24 hours to €40/90 days.
• Customer Centres Physical customer service locations in Düsseldorf (Hauptbahnhof, Heinrich-Heine-Allee), Ratingen, Hilden, and Mettmann offering fare information, journey planning, app support, and ticket services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mobility guarantee covers taxi costs up to €30 (5 a.m.-8 p.m.) or €60 (8 p.m.-5 a.m.) for delays over 20 minutes on local transport
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Miles (MILES car sharing)coreTechnology or IntegrationMiles rental vans integrated into the redy app, available in Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Cologne, and Bonn. Vehicles can be parked anywhere in these cities regardless of rental location. Redy users can book Miles vehicles directly through the app for one-way car sharing.
• Lime (e-scooters and e-bikes)coreTechnology or IntegrationLime e-scooters and e-bikes available in Düsseldorf, Neuss, Meerbusch, and Hilden, integrated into the redy app. Allows users to rent electric scooters and bikes for emission-free travel, particularly useful for first/last mile connections.
• Dott (e-bikes and e-scooters)coreTechnology or IntegrationDott e-bikes and e-scooters newly integrated into the redy app, enabling users to access these micro-mobility options directly through the platform.
• nextbike (Rental Bikes)coreTechnology or Integrationnextbike rental bikes accessible via the redy app, allowing users to cover the last kilometre from bus stops to final destinations. Bikes can be picked up and returned at various stations throughout the service area.
• VRR (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRheinbahn operates as a member of the VRR transport association, which establishes tariff zones, fare categories (A, B, C), and coordinates public transport across the Rhine-Ruhr region. Ticket products like Ticket2000, 4erTicket, and single tickets operate under VRR tariffs.
• VRS (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRheinbahn customer centres provide advice on VRS tariffs in addition to VRR and NRW tariffs, allowing cross-network travel and ticket purchases for the Rhein-Sieg transport association area.
• NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia) State TariffcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProducts like eezy.nrw and EinfachWeiterTicket operate under the NRW state-wide tariff framework, enabling travel across multiple transport networks throughout North Rhine-Westphalia.
• NRW Mobility Guarantee (Mobilitätsgarantie NRW)coreOthersNRW state-wide mobility guarantee program providing reimbursement for alternative transport (taxi, sharing services, long-distance trains) when local public transport is delayed by 20+ minutes. Rheinbahn participates, reimbursing up to €30-60 for taxis depending on time of day, and full long-distance train costs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Deutsche Bahn (DB Regio / DB Vertrieb): National rail incumbent with significant regional bus operations and the dominant Deutschlandticket distribution channel via DB Navigator — broad incumbent offering overlapping products and target customers across Germany.
• FREE NOW: Multi-modal mobility platform aggregating taxis, e-scooters, car sharing and public transport across Europe; competes with redy as a MaaS aggregator and overlaps with Rheinbahn's TAXI Düsseldorf integration.

Direct peers

• Hamburger Hochbahn: Hamburg's municipal transit operator running buses, U-Bahn and ferries with a comparable hybrid (app + station + sales partner) distribution mix, including their hvv switchh MaaS-like aggregation model — directly comparable in operating model and customer segments.
• BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe): Berlin's public transit operator (bus, tram, U-Bahn, ferries) — the most direct analogue to Rheinbahn in product offering (urban bus/tram/rail), target market (regional commuters) and digital ticketing/business model, just at a much larger scale.
• MVG (Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft): Munich's transit operator providing bus, tram and U-Bahn service with multi-modal ticketing via MVG and MVV — directly comparable city-transit business model and Düsseldorf-like regional role.
• KVB (Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe): Cologne's municipal bus/rail operator sharing the NRW tariff landscape with Rheinbahn via VRR; directly comparable in customer base (NRW commuters), product offerings and ticketing technology.

Regional players

• VRS (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg): Adjacent Rhein-Sieg transport association whose tariffs are already sold/advertised from Rheinbahn Customer Centres — a natural peer on tariff frameworks and ticket distribution in the neighboring region.

Emerging players

• Miles Mobility: Car-sharing operator directly integrated into redy across Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Cologne and Bonn — direct product/peer overlap in Düsseldorf micromobility aggregation.
• TIER Mobility: European micro-mobility operator whose e-scooters compete with Lime/Dott/voi. already aggregated in redy — adjacent competitor in the last-mile space Rheinbahn is trying to consolidate.
• nextbike: Germany's leading bike-sharing operator and redy integration partner — comparable as a regional mobility provider whose revenue model overlaps with Rheinbahn's micromobility/MaaS strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dierheinbahn

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Rheinbahn