Krn Kommunalverkehr Rhein-nahe GmbH

What Krn Kommunalverkehr Rhein-nahe GmbH does

KRN Kommunalverkehr Rhein-Nahe GmbH is a fully municipalized public bus company serving the Stadt Bad Kreuznach and the Landkreise Bad Kreuznach and Mainz-Bingen in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Founded in July 2021 and operational from October 17, 2022, the company is owned by Landkreis Bad Kreuznach (48.52%), Landkreis Mainz-Bingen (41.12%), and Stadt Bad Kreuznach (10.36%). It operates 87 bus lines with nearly 2,000 stops, runs more than 14 million scheduled kilometers per year, and carries close to 11 million passengers annually using a fleet of approximately 156 buses driven by 276 drivers (380 employees total).

Revenue is generated through four streams: Deutschland-Ticket and regional ticket subscriptions (monthly revenue of approximately €1.8 million, up 53% over 2.5 years), managed service payments from Land Rheinland-Pfalz for regional lines, ongoing operational subsidies from the three municipal shareholders, and ancillary income from vehicle advertising reaching up to 328,000 residents. The product portfolio centers on bus transport but is extended through the Deutschland-Ticket (digital app and chip card), Schüler-D-Ticket for students, the Radverleih bike rental service (pedelecs, city bikes, cargo bikes) at Bad Kreuznach station, Rufbus on-demand service, Live Mobi-Plan real-time information, and special event services such as the Binger Winzerfest expansion.

The company is executing a €50 million fleet electrification program targeting 60 electric buses by 2027, supported by €7.72 million in federal BMDV funding, a dedicated new electric bus depot under construction in Wörrstadt (13,500 sqm, capacity for 60 vehicles, 120 new jobs), and an additional €1.6 million of Land Rheinland-Pfalz support through October 2032. Diesel buses currently use HVO-Biodiesel, saving an estimated 2,300 tons of CO2 annually. Management is led by Geschäftsführer Uwe Hiltmann, with supervisory board chairmanship rotating between the municipal shareholders on a two-year cycle.

Name

Krn Kommunalverkehr Rhein-nahe GmbH

Legal name

KRN Kommunalverkehr Rhein-Nahe GmbH

Website

https://krn-mobil.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KRN Kommunalverkehr Rhein-Nahe GmbH is a fully municipalized bus operator running 87 regional lines across Bad Kreuznach and two Landkreise in Rhineland-Palatinate, serving nearly 11 million passengers annually with 156 buses and currently electrifying its fleet to 60 E-buses by 2027.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Bus Transportation

NAICS

Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation (48521), Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation (4852), Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems (485113)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional/County Public Bus Operators (THAIAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regional Intercity Bus Operators (Scheduled) (THAIADAB), Park-and-Ride / Express Commuter Bus Operators (TLAFAGAF)

Keywords

• Municipal bus services
• Public transportation
• Regional bus operations
• Electric bus fleet
• Passenger transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Ingelheim am Rhein

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 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: Revenue from sales of Deutschland-Ticket (58 Euro/month), regional tickets, and special event tickets. Monthly revenue reached approximately 1.8 million Euro representing a 53% increase over 2.5 years.
2. Public Transport Contracts: Payment from Land Rheinland-Pfalz for operating regional bus lines including lines 221, 230, 240, 250, 260, 630, 640, and 660. The Land will provide approximately 1.6 million Euro additional funding for E-vehicles until October 2032.
3. Municipal Subsidies: Ongoing operational subsidies from the owning municipalities: Landkreis Bad Kreuznach (48.52%), Landkreis Mainz-Bingen (41.12%), and Stadt Bad Kreuznach (10.36%).
4. Vehicle Advertising: Revenue from advertising on buses covering up to 328,000 inhabitants in the service area. Offers rear surface advertising and full vehicle branding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KRN Kommunalverkehr Rhein-Nahe GmbH operates scheduled public bus transportation across 87 lines and nearly 2,000 stops in the city of Bad Kreuznach and the districts of Bad Kreuznach and Mainz-Bingen, carrying approximately 11 million passengers per year. Services are delivered through a fleet of around 156 buses and 276 drivers, and supplemented by ticketing products (Deutschland-Ticket, Schüler-D-Ticket), a Radverleih bike rental service, Rufbus on-demand transport, special event shuttles, and bus exterior advertising sales.

Product overview

KRN Kommunalverkehr Rhein-Nahe GmbH operates as a municipal public transport company offering a comprehensive mobility portfolio centered on regional bus transportation across 87 lines serving Bad Kreuznach, the district of Bad Kreuznach, and the district of Mainz-Bingen. The core offering is supplemented by the Deutschland-Ticket (available via the RNN D-Ticket App or chip card), a bike rental service (Radverleih) with pedelecs and cargo bikes, special event services, and vehicle advertising. The company serves approximately 11 million passengers annually and is undergoing a major electrification initiative to transition its fleet to 60+ electric buses by 2027.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Municipal Bus Transportation Services Scheduled regional public bus transport across 87 lines and nearly 2,000 stops serving the city of Bad Kreuznach and the districts of Bad Kreuznach and Mainz-Bingen, operated with approximately 156 buses and 276 drivers carrying nearly 11 million passengers per year across more than 14 million scheduled kilometers.
• Deutschland-Ticket (D-Ticket) Subscription Subscription-based nationwide public transport ticket for €58/month enabling unlimited travel across Germany's public transport networks, available via the RNN D-Ticket mobile app or as a physical chip card.
• Schüler-D-Ticket (Student Germany Ticket) Discounted version of the Deutschland-Ticket for school students through Grade 10 (Klasse 10), financed by the responsible school authorities; the subscription automatically terminates on July 31 after students complete 10th grade.
• Radverleih (Bike Rental Service) Bike and e-bike rental service at Bad Kreuznach train station offering 11 pedelecs, 10 city bikes, and 3 cargo bikes with 24/7 access via a bike parking garage return, integrated with public transport for multi-modal travel.
• Rufbus (Call Bus / On-Demand Service) On-demand bus service providing flexible passenger transport in less densely populated areas of the KRN service territory, coordinated through the Rhein-Nahe Nahverkehrsverbund (RNN).
• Sonderverkehre (Special Event Bus Services) Temporary additional bus services for special regional events such as the Binger Winzerfest, with extended operating hours (e.g., until 2:00 AM) and additional routes (Lines 601, 230, 233, 234, 235) to accommodate festival passenger demand.
• Fahrzeugwerbung (Vehicle Advertising) B2B advertising service allowing companies to place advertisements on bus exteriors — rear-surface ads and full vehicle wraps — reaching up to 328,000 residents across the KRN service area, sold directly via the sales manager.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 11 million passengers served in 2024 with projected growth in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rhein-Nahe-Nahverkehrsverbund (RNN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2022KRN operates as the transport operator within the RNN regional transport association. RNN manages schedules, tickets, and provides the unified transport network for the Rhein-Nahe region. KRN's services are offered under the RNN brand and integrated into the RNN ticketing system.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Mainzer Mobilität (MVG Mainz): Municipal transit operator for the city of Mainz and adjacent areas, providing bus and tram services. Operates in adjacent territory to KRN's Mainz-Bingen district and serves overlapping regional corridors.
• VGF (Stadtwerke Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main): Frankfurt's municipal transit operator owned by Stadtwerke Frankfurt, providing bus, tram, and U-Bahn services. Directly comparable as a German municipally-owned transit operator with regional bus operations.
• KVB (Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe): Cologne's municipal transit operator providing bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services. Comparable as a publicly-owned German transit operator with regional concession, multi-modal offerings, and similar political ownership dynamics.
• Saarbahn GmbH: Municipal transit operator for the Saarland region operating tram-train and bus services. Comparable as a smaller German municipal/regional transit operator with similar scale and multi-modal offerings.
• Hamburger Hochbahn: Hamburg's municipal transit company operating buses, U-Bahn, and ferries. Highly comparable as a German municipally-owned transit operator with regional bus operations and integrated ticketing/multi-modal platform.
• MVG (Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft): Munich's municipal public transport operator, wholly owned by Stadtwerke München. Operates urban and regional bus, tram, and U-Bahn services. Direct peer as another German municipally-owned bus/transit operator with similar regulatory moat and multi-modal structure.
• rnv (Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH): Regional public transport operator for the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region (Mannheim, Heidelberg, Ludwigshafen). Operates buses, trams, and commuter rail. Direct regional peer to KRN operating in a neighboring Rheinland-Pfalz/Baden-Württemberg service territory.

Broad incumbents

• BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe): Berlin's municipal transit operator — the largest in Germany, providing bus, U-Bahn, tram, and ferry services across the metropolitan region. Comparable as a German municipal public transport operator, though much larger in scale.
• DB Regio Bus: Deutsche Bahn's regional bus division, the largest regional bus operator in Germany. Competes for regional bus concessions across Germany and represents the broader incumbent that KRN's municipal structure helps insulate against.

Regional players

• VRN (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar): Regional transport authority coordinating ticketing and schedules across the Rhine-Neckar region. Adjacent to RNN (KRN's partner transport association), and serves a comparable role in a neighboring German region — useful for benchmarking integrated ticketing and regional governance models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/krn-kommunalverkehr-rhein-nahe-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Krn Kommunalverkehr Rhein-nahe GmbH