Bonner People Shipping

What Bonner People Shipping does

Bonner Personen Schiffahrt (BPS) is a registered cooperative (eingetragene Genossenschaft, e.G.) headquartered at Brassertufer 10 in Bonn, Germany, operating passenger shipping services on the Rhine River continuously since 1929. The company runs a three-vessel fleet — the gallery salon ship Rheinprinzessin (capacity 350, family-operated by Captain Bernhard Vogel), the Filia Rheni event catamaran (capacity 260, operated by the Clemens and Manuela Schmitz family), and the Poseidon event ship (capacity 200, fourth-generation family operation) — with combined maximum capacity of 810 passengers. Since 2018, all vessels run on GTL (Gas-to-Liquids) fuel for reduced emissions and lower lubricant consumption.

BPS generates revenue across four streams: scheduled line services (Linienfahrten) between Cologne and Koblenz with 12+ docking stations; panoramic round trips (Rundfahrten) and themed cruises (Themenfahrten) targeting tourists; full-ship charters for corporate events, conferences, weddings, and private celebrations with onboard catering; and ancillary offerings including a €40/year BPS Card loyalty program and gift vouchers. Onboard dining is operated in partnership with family caterer Schmitz-Bonn, with menu pricing from €7.90 (coffee and cake) to €28.20 (premium gala menus). Distribution combines direct sales (ticket offices, online shop at bonnschiff.de, hotline, onboard) with third-party listings on GetYourGuide for international tourist demand. The company is a founding member of the Weiße Flotte Rhein consortium of Rhine passenger shipping operators.

The cooperative is privately held with no external investors; each vessel is owned and operated by an individual boat-owner family that is a member of the cooperative, while a central BPS office handles sales, service, and operations. Customers include tourists and day trippers (primary), corporate clients, private celebration hosts, and local commuters served via a free RheinShuttle introduced during the North Bridge closure.

Name

Bonner People Shipping

Legal name

Bonner Personen Schiffahrt e.G.

Website

https://bonnschiff.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bonner Personen Schiffahrt is a Bonn-based cooperative operating Rhine River passenger shipping since 1929, running three family-owned vessels to serve tourists, corporate event clients, and private celebrations with scheduled line services, panoramic cruises, themed events, and ship charters between Cologne and Koblenz.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations

Revenue model

1. Passenger Tickets: One-time ticket sales for scheduled line services (Linienfahrten), panoramic tours (Rundfahrten), and themed cruises. Pricing varies by route distance with standard and peak rates. Revenue per passenger based on fare zones.
2. Onboard Dining & Catering: Self-operated onboard restaurants and bars offering à la carte dining, buffets, and beverage packages. Additional catering services for events and celebrations. Menu items include breakfast, lunch, coffee & cake, and full dinner service.
3. Charter Services: Full ship charter for private/corporate events accommodating 50-350 guests. Includes business packages (conference dinners) and premium packages with champagne reception. Pricing based on ship selection, duration, and catering requirements.
4. Gift Vouchers: BPS value vouchers (Wertgutscheine) valid for all BPS offerings, valid until end of third year after purchase. Redeemable at all ticket agencies and onboard ships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

test

Product overview

Bonner Personen Schiffahrt (BPS) is a registered cooperative (eG) operating passenger ship services on the Rhine River since 1929, and is a founding member of the Weiße Flotte Rhein (White Fleet Rhine). The company operates a fleet of three vessels — the Rheinprinzessin (gallery salon ship), Filia Rheni (event catamaran), and Poseidon (event ship) — offering scheduled Linienfahrten (regular services) between Cologne and Koblenz, Rundfahrten (panoramic round trips), Themenfahrten (theme cruises), and private Schiffscharter (charter services) for up to 350 guests. On-board dining is provided through proprietary restaurants serving à la carte and buffet options, with specialized packages for corporate conferences (Tagungsdinner), weddings, and group events. The company also offers a BPS Card loyalty program and gift vouchers. Since 2018, BPS vessels operate on GTL (liquefied natural gas) fuel for reduced emissions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Linienfahrten test

Quantifiable outcome

• BPS Card pays for itself after just 2 trips per year with 50% discount
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Weiße Flotte Rhein (White Fleet Rhine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBPS is a founding member of the Weiße Flotte Rhein consortium, an association of Rhine passenger shipping companies. This partnership provides network benefits and shared standards across the Rhine fleet.
• GetYourGuideminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party tour booking marketplace used for international tourist distribution. Official link provided on BPS website.
• Schmitz-Bonn (Catering Partner)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily-operated catering partner managing onboard dining for Filia Rheni vessel. Provides restaurant services including menu and buffet options for events and regular trips.
• Rheinprinzessin OperationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaptain Bernhard Vogel and family operate the Rheinprinzessin gallery salon ship, offering event services including weddings and special occasions.
• Poseidon Charter OperationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFourth-generation passenger ship operation offering event charter services with self-operated onboard restaurant.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Personenschiffahrt Bigalski: Family-run Rhine passenger shipping company operating ships on the Middle Rhine. Directly comparable to BPS as a small, family-owned operator offering scheduled and charter services on overlapping Rhine routes.
• KD Köln-Düsseldorfer Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt: Germany's largest Rhine passenger shipping company, operating scheduled and charter services between Cologne, Düsseldorf, Koblenz, and Mainz. Directly comparable to BPS in scheduled line services, charter events, and themed cruises on the same Rhine corridor.
• Primus-Linie: Operates multi-day and day-trip Rhine cruises between Cologne and Frankfurt area, including themed fleet voyages. Comparable to BPS's themed cruise and charter product on the same Rhine geography.
• Loreley Schifffahrt: Operator of scheduled and tourist passenger services in the Loreley/Middle Rhine UNESCO region. Complements BPS's Bonn-Koblenz corridor with overlapping scenic cruise product and partner appeal under the Weiße Flotte Rhein banner.
• Weiße Flotte Köln: Cologne-based White Fleet operator, fellow member of the Weiße Flotte Rhein consortium alongside BPS. Offers the same combination of scheduled Rhine cruises, themed events, and ship charters in the same geographic market.
• Binger Schifffahrtsgesellschaft: Bingen-based Rhine passenger shipping operator running scheduled and charter services on the Middle Rhine. Same regulatory environment, customer base (tourists, corporate events), and vessel profile as BPS.
• Personenschiffahrt W.S.D. Düsseldorf-based Rhine passenger shipping company operating traditional day-trip and charter vessels. Comparable to BPS in offering panoramic Rhine cruises and event charters to the same SME and corporate clients.

Regional players

• Main-Schifffahrt (Frankfurt am Main): Frankfurt-based inland waterway passenger operator on the Main river. Same business model (scheduled sightseeing, charter, themed cruises, onboard catering) but operates on a different German inland waterway, limiting direct route competition.

Others

• GetYourGuide: Global online marketplace for tours and activities that distributes BPS tickets to international visitors. Included as an ecosystem/channel peer rather than a direct competitor — BPS is a listed supplier on this platform.

Broad incumbents

• Viking River Cruises: Global river cruise major operating long-distance multi-day itineraries across European rivers including the Rhine. Comparable in vehicle (river passenger ships) and product (Rhine itineraries), but competes at a much larger, multi-night cruise level rather than BPS's day-cruise and charter niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bonnschiff
• Instagraminstagram.com/bonnschiff
• Xx.com/bonnschiff
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bonnschiff

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Bonner People Shipping