OWL Verkehr GmbH

What OWL Verkehr GmbH does

OWL Verkehr GmbH is a private German limited liability company headquartered in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, operating as the customer-facing coordination and marketing entity for the TeutoOWL public transport network. The network covers the city of Bielefeld and four surrounding districts — Minden-Lübbecke, Herford, Lippe, and Gütersloh — within the broader WestfalenTarif and NRW-Tarif regulatory frameworks. The company employs approximately 20 staff and serves consumers, commuters, students, welfare recipients, and event-goers through a combination of digital, in-person, and on-vehicle sales channels. Founded in 2004, OWL Verkehr has no disclosed parent company or external ownership.

The company's core technology platform is the OWLmobil mobile app (iOS/Android), which integrates journey planning, real-time departure data from multiple partner operators (moBiel, VBE, go.on, NordWestBahn, Eurobahn, BVO, RLG), ticketing, and personalised traffic alerts. Core products include the nationwide Deutschlandticket (€58/month in 2025, rising to €63/month from January 2026), the reduced-price Deutschlandticket sozial (€53/month) for welfare recipients, the KlimaAbo and FahrradAbo subscriptions, regional day tickets, and the eezy.nrw GPS-based electronic tariff that prices by air-line distance (€1.50 base + €0.29/km, capped at €26.75/24h). Service features include the Mobilitätsgarantie NRW delay compensation scheme, the KombiTicket bundled event-and-transit product, demand-responsive Anruf-Sammel-Taxi services, night buses, and barrier-free travel support.

Revenue is generated through a combination of one-time ticket sales, monthly subscriptions billed via SEPA direct debit, and partnership-based event transit fees. Distribution is multi-channel: the OWLmobil App and online shop serve digital self-serve customers, while four in-person Mobilitätsberatungen in Bielefeld, Detmold, Herford, and Minden handle assisted sales, Abo sign-ups, and customer card processing. On-bus sales, ticket vending machines, and KombiTicket integrations with DSC Arminia Bielefeld and OWL Arena extend reach. Pricing and tariff structures are largely set within the regulated WestfalenTarif and NRW-Tarif frameworks, limiting commercial pricing flexibility but providing a protected service territory.

Name

OWL Verkehr GmbH

Legal name

OWL Verkehr GmbH

Website

https://owlverkehr.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OWL Verkehr GmbH is a Bielefeld-based coordination entity for the TeutoOWL public transport network in North Rhine-Westphalia, operating the OWLmobil App, Deutschlandticket, eezy.nrw electronic tariff, and KombiTicket event partnerships across ~20 employees for commuters, students, welfare recipients, and event-goers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Transit Services

NAICS

Charter Bus Industry (485510)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Intercity Bus Franchises/Concessionaires (Public Service Contracts) (THAIADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Intercity Bus Feeder & First/Last-Mile Connector Operators (Scheduled) (THAIADAJ), Rural & Small-Town Intercity Scheduled Bus Operators (THAIADAF)

Keywords

• Public transit ticketing
• Regional journey planning
• Transit subscription services
• Bicycle transit products
• Mobility advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bielefeld

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales (Einzelfahrkarten & TagesTickets): One-time and day-ticket sales across the TeutoOWL network. Tickets available via app, online shop, ticket machines, on-bus, and customer centres. Revenue per ride based on tariff zones and distance.
2. Deutschlandticket & Deutschlandticket sozial Subscriptions: Monthly subscription tickets (Deutschlandticket at 58–63 EUR/month; Deutschlandticket sozial at 53 EUR/month for welfare recipients). Sold via app, online, and customer centres with SEPA direct debit. No minimum contract term for Deutschlandticket sozial; monthly cancellation by the 10th.
3. Abo Products (KlimaAbo, FahrradAbo, 30 TageTicket Fahrrad, etc.): Monthly subscription products including KlimaAbo (for cyclists in Gütersloh, Herford, Minden-Lübbecke), FahrradAbo (19.20 EUR/month city/network), and various student and job commuter tickets. Billed monthly via SEPA with minimum 12-month terms for some products.
4. Niedersachsentarif & Cross-Network Tickets: Sales of inter-regional tickets (Niedersachsen-Ticket 27–52 EUR; Spar-Ticket; NRW-Tarif) enabling cross-border travel beyond TeutoOWL into Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg, and throughout NRW.
5. KombiTicket (Event-integrated ticketing): Partnership-based product where event admission tickets include transit fare. OWL Verkehr receives a negotiated per-ticket transit component from event organisers (e.g., DSC Arminia Bielefeld, OWL Arena). Revenue is blended into ticket pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OWL Verkehr GmbH is the contracted customer-facing coordination and marketing entity for public transit in the TeutoOWL network (city of Bielefeld plus the districts of Minden-Lübbecke, Herford, Lippe and Gütersloh) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It sells and services the WestfalenTarif, NRW-Tarif, and nationwide Deutschlandticket product portfolio across digital (OWLmobil App, online shop), physical (four Mobilitätsberatungen, ticket machines, on-bus) and event-partnership channels, and integrates journey-planning, real-time data and ticketing for multiple regional operators.

Product overview

OWL Verkehr GmbH operates as a public transportation management company coordinating bus and rail services across the TeutoOWL network (East Westphalia-Lippe). The company's product portfolio centers on the OWLmobil App as the primary digital platform for ticketing and journey planning. Core ticket products include the nationwide Deutschlandticket and its reduced-price social variant, the regional WestfalenTarif, and various short-term tickets (TagesTicket24). Subscription offerings include the KlimaAbo, JobTickets, and Schülertickets. Bicycle transport products (FahrradAbo, 30 TageTicket Fahrrad, FahrradTagesTicket24) enable combined cycling and public transit journeys. The eezy.nrw electronic tariff offers digital-only, check-in/check-out pricing. Service features include the KombiTicket for events, Anruf-Sammel-Taxi demand-responsive transport, Nachtbuse night buses, and the Mobilitätsgarantie NRW delay compensation scheme. Mobility advisory services at customer centers support ticket selection and journey planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OWLmobil App: Mobile application for journey planning, ticket purchasing, and real-time transit information in the TeutoOWL network
• Netz TeutoOWL

Products and services

• OWLmobil App Mobile application for iOS and Android providing journey planning, real-time departure/arrival information, ticket purchasing (Deutschlandticket, Abo products, eezy.nrw electronic tariff) and personalised traffic-info alerts for the TeutoOWL network.
• Deutschlandticket Nationwide monthly subscription ticket for unlimited 2nd-class travel on all local public transport (buses, trams, S-Bahn, regional trains) across Germany, excluding long-distance services (ICE/IC/EC). Priced at EUR 58/month in 2025, rising to EUR 63/month from January 2026.
• Deutschlandticket sozial Reduced-price version of the Germany-wide transit subscription available exclusively to recipients of Bürgergeld, unemployment benefits, social assistance, housing benefit, asylum-seeker benefits and war-victim pensions at EUR 53/month with valid customer card or Bi-Pass and no minimum contract term.
• KlimaAbo Eco-friendly monthly subscription providing affordable local mobility for the districts of Gütersloh, Herford and Minden-Lübbecke.
• TagesTicket24 24-hour day ticket valid for unlimited rides within a purchased price zone, available for 1 person or 5 persons. Sold via app, online, on-bus and ticket machines.
• JobTickets Employer-subsidised monthly subscription tickets for employees, providing cost-effective commuter benefits across the TeutoOWL network under the JobTicket programme.
• Schülertickets (Student Tickets) Monthly reduced-price tickets for school students providing unlimited rides to and from school within the WestfalenTarif network, ordered via schools and customer centres with Kundenkarte validation.
• Semesterticket Semester ticket for university students included as part of semester fees, providing unlimited local public-transport travel.
• KombiTicket Combined event-admission and public-transport fare product where event tickets (e.g., DSC Arminia Bielefeld home matches, OWL Arena events) also serve as a valid 2nd-class transit pass within the TeutoOWL network for a defined validity window around the event.
• FahrradAbo (Bicycle Subscription) Monthly bicycle-transport subscription enabling unlimited bicycle rides on buses and trains at EUR 19.20/month (city/municipality) or EUR 29.50/month (Westfalen network), with a 12-month minimum term.
• FahrradTagesTicket24 24-hour bicycle-transport ticket for EUR 1.70 (city/municipality) or EUR 3.50 (Westfalen network), valid for unlimited bicycle rides in buses and trains within 24 hours.
• eezy.nrw (Electronic Tariff) Digital-only tariff where users check in/out via the OWLmobil App, paying EUR 1.50 base fare plus EUR 0.29 per started air-line kilometre, capped at EUR 26.75 per 24 hours, valid across Westfalen and all of NRW.
• Niedersachsen-Ticket Group day ticket for unlimited travel on all local trains, buses, trams, and S/U-Bahn in Lower Saxony, Bremen, and Hamburg; priced from EUR 27 (1 person) to EUR 52 (5 persons).
• Anruf-Sammel-Taxi (AST) Demand-responsive shared taxi service operating outside regular bus hours along predefined routes, bookable by phone, providing door-to-door mobility in the TeutoOWL network.
• Nachtbusse (Night Buses) Night-bus network operating in the TeutoOWL region for safe late-night travel with dedicated routes and timetables.

Quantifiable outcome

• eezy.nrw daily cap at 26.75 EUR for unlimited rides within WestfalenTarief region within 24 hours
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WestfalenTarifcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOWL Verkehr operates as the customer-facing brand for the TeutoOWL sub-region within the WestfalenTarif, a multi-operator tariff association covering five sub-regions in Westphalia-Lippe, NRW. The WestfalenTarif provides the regulatory and tariff framework; OWL Verkehr handles marketing, customer service, and ticketing for the TeutoOWL sub-region. Products include WestfalenTarif Abos, 30-day tickets, and integration with eezy Westfalen.
• mobil.nrw (Ministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Verkehr NRW)coreGTM or Marketing Partnermobil.nrw is a joint campaign of the NRW Ministry for Environment, Nature Protection and Transport and all NRW transport companies, Zweckverbände, and Verkehrsverbünde. OWL Verkehr participates in this campaign to market the NRW-Tarif, Mobilitätsgarantie NRW, and statewide public transit. The KCM (Kompetenzcenter Marketing) leads the campaign.
• Verkehrsunternehmen in TeutoOWL (moBiel, VBE, go.on, NordWestBahn, Eurobahn, BVO, RLG)coreTechnology or IntegrationOWL Verkehr coordinates with multiple regional transport operators within the TeutoOWL network to provide integrated journey planning, ticketing, and real-time data. The OWLmobil App integrates real-time departure data from transport companies including moBiel (Bielefeld), VBE (Extertal), go.on (bus-rail), NordWestBahn, Eurobahn, BVO, and RLG. Data feeds are transmitted to the central real-time data hub.
• DSC Arminia BielefeldGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership under which DSC Arminia Bielefeld home match tickets (single-game and season tickets) serve as KombiTickets. Valid 3 hours before kickoff and 3 hours after final whistle across the entire TeutoOWL network, the RB 75 'Haller Willem' route, and the VOS-Plus cross-border area to Osnabrück. This drives significant transit usage on match days.
• OWL ArenacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership under which OWL Arena event tickets serve as KombiTickets for transit. Entry tickets are valid for 4 hours before and after events (full day for day events) across the TeutoOWL network. Provides event attendees with seamless combined transport and entry without additional ticket purchase.
• moBiel GmbH (Bielefeld)coreTechnology or IntegrationmoBiel is the primary transport operator for Bielefeld (bus and Stadtbahn). Its real-time data is integrated into the OWLmobil App. For Deutschlandticket sozial, Bielefeld residents order through moBiel customer centres or the Stiftung Solidarität rather than OWL Verkehr.
• eezy.nrw / WestfalenTarif Digital Tariff PlatformcoreTechnology or Integrationeezy.nrw is the GPS-based electronic tariff covering Westfalen and all of NRW, developed as part of the WestfalenTarif ecosystem. OWL Verkehr offers eezy.nrw through the OWLmobil App. The tariff integrates with all participating transit operators across Westfalen and NRW, enabling seamless cross-operator digital ticketing by air-line distance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Citymapper: Multi-modal journey planning and ticketing app operating across major European cities. Citymapper competes with OWLmobil App for user attention and ticketing volume in the mobility-app layer, despite operating a different business model.
• Moovit: Global mobility-as-a-service and transit-data platform (now part of Intel) offering journey planning and ticketing integrations with public transit authorities. Overlaps with OWLmobil on real-time info and ticketing in the regional app layer.

Broad incumbents

• Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV): Hamburg's regional transit authority and one of Germany's most digitized Verkehrsverbünde. Comparable in core function (regional coordination, app-based ticketing, subscription products) but at significantly larger scale.
• DB Vertrieb GmbH: Deutsche Bahn's national ticket sales and distribution arm — sells the Deutschlandticket and Deutschlandticket sozial nationally through bahn.de and partner channels (including OWL Verkehr). A broad incumbent in the same product and distribution stack, competing for the same end-customer ticket purchase.
• Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund (MVV): Munich's regional transit authority, performing the same coordination, tariff and customer-facing role as OWL Verkehr but for a far larger metropolitan catchment. A useful scale benchmark for where a mature TeutoOWL equivalent could evolve.
• Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR): Large metropolitan transit authority for the Rhein-Ruhr region (NRW). Operates as one of OWL Verkehr's neighboring tariff associations (alongside NRW-Tarif) and shares overlap via the mobil.nrw joint marketing campaign and cross-fare ticketing.

Direct peers

• Nahverkehrsservice Sachsen-Anhalt GmbH (NASA): Sachsen-Anhalt's public transit coordination entity. Like OWL Verkehr, NASA handles marketing, customer service and ticketing coordination for its regional network under tariff-association frameworks, making it one of the closest functional analogues in Germany.
• Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg (NVBW): Baden-Württemberg's coordination body for regional rail and public transit, performing marketing, tariff coordination and customer-facing functions comparable to OWL Verkehr's role in TeutoOWL — another directly comparable German sub-regional coordination peer.
• moBiel GmbH: Public transit operator for Bielefeld (bus and Stadtbahn) and the dominant transport operator within OWL Verkehr's TeutoOWL network. They share the same geography and cooperate as integration/data partners while also competing for direct customer relationships. OWL Verkehr's Bielefeld-area real-time and ticketing data depend heavily on moBiel.
• WestfalenTarif GmbH: The umbrella tariff association covering five Westphalia-Lippe sub-regions (including TeutoOWL). WestfalenTarif provides the regulatory and tariff framework that OWL Verkehr operates within, and jointly develops regional products such as eezy Westfalen — the next level up in the same operating stack.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/owlverkehr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/owl-verkehr-gmbh

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 OWL Verkehr GmbH