Baden-Württemberg-Tarif GmbH

What Baden-Württemberg-Tarif GmbH does

Baden-Württemberg-Tarif GmbH is a Stuttgart-based GmbH founded in 2018 that manages the bwtarif, the unified statewide tariff for cross-boundary public transport across all 19 Verkehrsverbünde in Baden-Württemberg. Operating under a statutory mandate from the ÖPNV-Gesetz Baden-Württemberg (§9 Abs. 3), it is jointly owned by the state of Baden-Württemberg, the Verband Region Stuttgart, and a 51% block held by rail transport companies including Deutsche Bahn, Arverio Avi Baden-Württemberg, BOB, AVG, rnv, sweg, and SBB Regionalverkehr. Its main function is to design, coordinate, and further develop the cross-zone tariff, distribute tickets, allocate revenue among partners, and provide marketing and licensing services.

The company's product and technology stack centers on an e-ticketing platform that supports the smartphone-based CiCo-BW (Check-in/Check-out Baden-Württemberg) system with check-in/check-out, check-in/be-out, and be-in/be-out functionality, alongside customer and partner portals (bwtarifCloud, bwtarifPortal, Statistik) and an Open-House e-ticket licensing framework. Ticket products include the bwtarif single and combination tickets, the Baden-Württemberg-Ticket (Landes-Ticket), the Schüler-Ferien-Ticket for under-23 travelers, and the nationwide Deutschland-Ticket, for which BW-Tarif GmbH operates the state clearinghouse that allocates revenues to tariff organizations in the state.

Revenue derives from transaction-based fees on bwtarif ticket sales, licensing royalties from e-ticket distribution partners, and clearing services for the Deutschland-Ticket, distributed through railway vending machines, service centers, bahn.de, the DB Navigator app, and the CiCo-BW app. With only around 6-10 employees and a small headcount managing a statewide coordination mandate, the company operates as a regulated, publicly backed platform entity rather than a high-volume commercial operator.

Name

Baden-Württemberg-Tarif GmbH

Legal name

Baden-Württemberg-Tarif GmbH

Website

https://bwtarif.gmbh

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Baden-Württemberg-Tarif GmbH is a Stuttgart-based public-sector-backed entity that designs and manages the unified bwtarif cross-zone ticketing system across all 19 transport associations in Baden-Württemberg for individual passengers and partner rail operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Transport Tariff Management

NAICS

Support Activities for Rail Transportation (488210), Support Activities for Transportation (488)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Fare Policy, Rules Engine & Tariff Management (THAIAMAG)

Keywords

• Public transport tariff
• Regional ticketing system
• E-ticketing platform
• State clearing house
• Unified transit tariff

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public transport ticket sales: Revenue from fare collection across regional and local rail services (SPNV), S-Bahn, regional buses, and selected long-distance routes in Baden-Württemberg and neighboring states. Single tickets, day tickets, and combination tickets sold through multiple channels.
2. Partner services and licensing: Services provided to bwtarif partners including tariff design, distribution organization, revenue allocation, and marketing. E-ticket distribution licenses granted through open-house procedure.
3. Deutschland-Ticket clearing: State clearing house function for Germany-wide ticket, allocating ticket revenues to tariff organizations in Baden-Württemberg

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Baden-Württemberg-Tarif GmbH manages the unified statewide bwtarif tariff system that automatically applies to single journeys crossing multiple regional transport associations in Baden-Württemberg, covering regional rail, S-Bahn, regional buses, and selected cross-border routes. Its offering includes ticket products such as the Baden-Württemberg-Ticket, day and combination tickets, the Schüler-Ferien-Ticket, and the nationwide Deutschland-Ticket, distributed through ticket machines, online channels, the DB Navigator app, and the proprietary CiCoBW check-in/check-out system. The company also provides tariff design, distribution organization, revenue allocation, and marketing services to its transport partners, and operates the state clearing house for the Deutschland-Ticket.

Product overview

Baden-Württemberg-Tarif GmbH operates a unified statewide tariff management system (bwtarif) that covers cross-boundary travel across all 19 regional transit associations in Baden-Württemberg. The product portfolio centers on the bwtarif tariff system itself, supported by customer and partner portals (bwtarifCloud, bwtarifPortal, Statistik), the smartphone-based CiCo-BW check-in/check-out technology platform, and various ticket products including the Deutschland-Ticket, Baden-Württemberg-Ticket (day tickets), and Schüler-Ferien-Ticket. The company also manages an E-Ticket licensing system enabling third-party distribution and operates the state clearinghouse for Deutschland-Ticket revenue distribution. Distribution occurs through railway ticket machines, railway service centers, online platforms (bahn.de), the DB Navigator app, and the CiCo-BW system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• bwtarif (Baden-Württemberg-Tarif) Unified statewide tariff system for cross-boundary public transport in Baden-Württemberg, covering regional rail (SPNV), S-Bahn, regional buses, and selected routes in neighboring states. Applies automatically when a passenger's single journey crosses multiple transport association boundaries.
• Deutschland-Ticket Nationwide monthly transit pass for unlimited travel on local and regional public transport throughout Germany, available through the bwtarif system and offered as an employer-subsidized benefit at 34.85 EUR per month.
• Baden-Württemberg-Ticket (Landes-Ticket) Statewide day ticket for unlimited travel on regional trains, S-Bahn, trams, and buses throughout Baden-Württemberg for one day.
• Tages- und Kombitickets (Day and Combination Tickets) Day tickets and combination tickets for cross-boundary travel under the bwtarif system, including city transit at start and destination, sold via ticket machines, online channels, and apps.
• Schüler-Ferien-Ticket Special holiday ticket for young people under 23 years of age, enabling travel on buses and trains throughout Baden-Württemberg during school holidays.
• Check-in/Check-out Baden-Württemberg (CiCoBW) Smartphone-based check-in/check-out technology platform for fare validation across all public transport in Baden-Württemberg, supporting check-in/check-out, check-in/be-out, and be-in/be-out modes.
• E-Ticket Licensing System Licensing framework enabling third-party providers to obtain licenses for selling bwtarif electronic tickets through smartphone apps, online shops, and chip cards via an open-house procedure.
• Landesclearingstelle Baden-Württemberg zum Deutschland-Ticket State clearing house service that manages revenue allocation from the Deutschland-Ticket to tariff organizations throughout Baden-Württemberg.

Quantifiable outcome

• Unified tariff covering all 19 transport associations in Baden-Württemberg
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and supporting.

• HanseComstrategicTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2024Awarded contract to develop and operate the online distribution system for bwtarif tickets, providing web shop and mobile app solutions for public transport ticketing
• Arverio Avi Baden-WürttembergcoreOthersRail transport company shareholder holding equity stake in Baden-Württemberg-Tarif GmbH as part of the 51% transport company ownership structure
• BOB (Bayerische Oberlandbahn)coreOthersRail transport company shareholder in Baden-Württemberg-Tarif GmbH operating services in the regional transport network
• Deutsche Bahn (DB)coreOthersMajor rail transport company shareholder and key operational partner providing railway infrastructure and ticket distribution through bahn.de and DB Navigator
• Verband Region Stuttgart (VRS)coreOthersRegional authority shareholder representing the Stuttgart metropolitan region in the transport tariff organization
• AVG (Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft)supportingOthersTransport company operating rail services in the Alb Valley region, contracted into the bwtarif system
• Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (rnv)supportingOthersTransport company operating in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region, contracted into the bwtarif system
• sweg (Südwestdeutsche Landesverkehrs-GmbH)supportingOthersSouthwest German regional transport company operating rail and bus services, contracted into the bwtarif system
• SBB (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen) Regionalverkehr Baden-WürttembergsupportingOthersSwiss Federal Railways operating cross-border regional services into Baden-Württemberg, contracted into the bwtarif system
• Verkehrsverbund Mittlerer Oberrhein (VM) and other 19 transport associationscoreOthersAll 19 transport associations in Baden-Württemberg contracted into the bwtarif system through partnership agreement, enabling unified cross-zone ticketing
• Strato AGsupportingTechnology or IntegrationWebsite hosting provider for bwtarif.gmbh website, processing visitor data including IP addresses under data processing agreement
• Land Baden-WürttembergcoreOthersState government shareholder and transport authority mandate holder, providing regulatory foundation under ÖPNV-Gesetz §9 Abs. 3 for the unified tariff system

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Peers

• Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB):

Direct peers

• Nahverkehrsservice Sachsen-Anhalt (NASA): Saxony-Anhalt's state-level tariff and mobility coordination body. Direct peer in role and function: regional tariff design, revenue allocation, and coordination across multiple Verkehrsverbünde.
• Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG): Lower Saxony's state-level organization responsible for rail local transport planning and tariff coordination. Similar governance mix of state and transport companies, and comparable mandate to BW-Tarif for tariff and revenue distribution.
• Nahverkehrsservicegesellschaft Thüringen (NVS): Thuringia's state-level organization coordinating local rail and bus services, including tariff design and revenue allocation. Analogous to BW-Tarif at smaller scale, making it the closest like-for-like peer for organizational structure and mandate.
• Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft (BEG): State-owned organization responsible for planning, financing, and managing rail passenger transport (SPNV) in Bavaria. The most direct functional analogue to BW-Tarif: same statutory mandate shape, similar tariff coordination role, and comparable shareholder structure of transport companies and the Free State of Bavaria.
• Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Sachsen (VMS): Saxony's regional tariff authority managing the Verbundtarif Mittelsachsen and coordinating regional ticketing across multiple transport associations. Comparable scope and function to BW-Tarif in a different state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/baden-wuerttemberg-tarif-gmbh

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 Baden-Württemberg-Tarif GmbH