Stadtwerke Wilhelmshaven GmbH

What Stadtwerke Wilhelmshaven GmbH does

Stadtwerke Wilhelmshaven GmbH — operating commercially as Stadtwerke Verkehrsgesellschaft Wilhelmshaven GmbH (SWWV) — is a municipally-owned public utility providing local bus transportation and harbor management services in the City of Wilhelmshaven, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company traces its origins to 1937 as the successor to the Wilhelmshaven-Rüstringer Straßenbahn tramway and is wholly owned by the City of Wilhelmshaven, with the Mayor (Carsten Feist) chairing the shareholders' meeting and Frank Rademacher serving as Managing Director (Geschäftsführer). Its core business operates seven bus lines covering approximately 230 stops across a 60 km network with a fleet of 28–29 vehicles, transporting roughly 1.6 million passengers annually (one source also cites 5.95 million, which conflicts with the lower figure) over approximately 1.5 million kilometers per year.

The company runs a tiered fare portfolio including single tickets, day passes, the Jade-Monatskarte monthly pass (€60.00 / €54.00 subscription), the 9-Uhr-Monatskarte, the Jobticket (€44.28–€46.98/month for enterprise tiers), the Jugendticket (€59.70/month from August 2026, valid across six districts), and the Schüler-Monatskarte (€45.00). Complementary services include the Anruf-Sammel-Taxi (AST) demand-responsive taxi service, dedicated school bus routes, E-Scooter transport on buses, a Bus+Taxi combined mobility service, and harbor operations at Stadthafen Wilhelmshaven (approximately 230 recreational berths plus commercial quay facilities). SWWV is GDPR- and BDSG-compliant, operates video surveillance with 72-hour data retention, and is undergoing a multi-year fleet electrification funded by NBank, EFRE, LNVG, and the Federal Ministry of Transport.

SWWV generates revenue through a mix of farebox ticket sales, recurring public subsidies (federal, state of Lower Saxony, and EU structural funds), and harbor fee-based income. The company distributes its services through physical service points (Info-Center am ZOB, depot, port office), the Fahrplaner mobile app distributed via Google Play and the App Store, DB City-Ticket integration for rail-to-bus transfers, and a car-sharing partnership with cambio at five locations. It ranks 4th most affordable among 100 German cities for public transport pricing, and its customer base spans general commuters, schoolchildren, university students, working commuters, and senior citizens served by municipal concession.

Name

Stadtwerke Wilhelmshaven GmbH

Legal name

Stadtwerke Verkehrsgesellschaft Wilhelmshaven GmbH

Website

https://swwv.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stadtwerke Wilhelmshaven GmbH (SWWV) is the municipally-owned public utility of the City of Wilhelmshaven, Germany, operating seven bus lines across 230 stops and managing the Stadthafen city harbor. It serves local commuters, students, seniors, and harbor users with subsidized, GDPR-compliant public transport services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Public Bus Transportation

NAICS

Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems (485113), Water Transportation (483)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Municipal/City Public Bus Operators (THAIAEAA)

Keywords

• Urban bus transportation
• Public transit services
• Municipal port operations
• Electric bus fleet
• Subscription transit passes

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilhelmshaven

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Transport Ticket Sales: Revenue from sale of single tickets, day passes, monthly passes, and subscription tickets for bus transportation within Wilhelmshaven city area and regional connections.
2. School Transport Services: Revenue from dedicated school bus services and student transportation, including monthly passes for students and pupil tickets.
3. Government Subsidies: Public funding for public transport operations, including subsidies for reduced-fare tickets, school transport, and special programs like the Senioren steigen um initiative.
4. Port Operations: Revenue from Stadthafen Wilhelmshaven port operations including marina services, commercial port facilities, bridge and lock operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stadtwerke Verkehrsgesellschaft Wilhelmshaven GmbH operates scheduled urban bus transportation across seven bus lines serving approximately 230 stops over 60 km of route in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, transporting roughly 1.6 million passengers per year with a fleet of about 29 vehicles. In addition to bus services, the company manages Stadthafen Wilhelmshaven (city harbor) including marina, commercial port facilities, and bridge/lock operations.

Product overview

Stadtwerke Verkehrsgesellschaft Wilhelmshaven GmbH operates as a municipal public transportation and harbor management company. The core offering is urban bus transportation via seven bus lines serving approximately 230 stops across 60 km of routes with a fleet of 28-29 vehicles, transporting about 5.95 million passengers annually. The product portfolio centers on the Linienverkehr bus service complemented by various ticketing products (Jade-Monatskarte, 9-Uhr-Monatskarte, Jobticket, Jugendticket, Schüler-Monatskarte), supplementary services including Anruf-Sammel-Taxi (call-collect taxi), dedicated Schulbusse (school bus service), and the Bus+Taxi combined mobility service. The company also manages Stadthafen Wilhelmshaven (city harbor) and maintains a car-sharing partnership with cambio. Digital services include a mobile ticketing app (Fahrplaner) and electronic passenger information displays (DFI) at major stops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Linienverkehr (Bus Services) Scheduled public bus transportation service operating seven bus lines covering approximately 230 stops across 60 km of route length in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, using about 29 vehicles.
• Jade-Monatskarte Monthly pass valid within Wilhelmshaven city area on all transit buses. Regular €60.00/month or €54.00/month with subscription (12-month minimum term).
• 9-Uhr-Monatskarte Monthly pass valid for travel after 9:00 AM, priced at €48.00 or €44.00 with subscription.
• Jobticket Employer-subsidized monthly tickets for employees. Small business (5-49 cards): 12 months for price of 11. Large business (50-100 cards): €46.98/month. Enterprise (101+ cards): €44.28/month.
• Jugendticket Youth monthly ticket for students, trainees, and university students with valid ID, valid across Wilhelmshaven, Friesland, Leer, Aurich, Wittmund, and Emden. From 01.08.26: €59.70/month or €468/year.
• Schüler-Monatskarte Monthly student pass available on buses with valid student ID card, priced at €45.00.
• Anruf-Sammel-Taxi (AST) Call-collect taxi service operating on Lines 2 and 4 during low-demand periods, supplementing regular bus service.
• Schulbusse (School Bus Service) Dedicated school bus transportation including special school routes such as Line E9 departing at 15:40 from Mühlenweg schools.
• Stadthafen Wilhelmshaven (City Harbor) Municipal harbor with approximately 2,500 meters of public quay facilities for cargo handling, commercial shipping, and approximately 230 berths for recreational boats.
• Car-Sharing (cambio Partnership) Car-sharing service at five locations in Wilhelmshaven offering combustion, hybrid, and electric vehicles through cambio partnership. Subscription pass holders receive discounts on cambio car-sharing services.
• Bus + Taxi Service Combined bus and taxi service allowing passengers to request a taxi at their bus stop destination within Wilhelmshaven city area for continued travel.
• Elektrobus-Flotte 2026-2027 Four electric buses funded by €1,820,000 from EFRE and Lower Saxony state funding, with total investment approximately €2,800,000. Delivery scheduled for 2026-2027 with depot charging infrastructure.
• Elektrobus-Flotte 2028-2029 Four additional electric buses funded by €854,000 federal grant from the Federal Ministry of Transport, to be delivered in 2028-2029 with charging infrastructure at the operating depot.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked 4th most affordable public transport among 100 German cities

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• cambiocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCar-sharing partnership providing vehicles at five locations in Wilhelmshaven (Mühlenweg, Jadehochschule/Klinikum, Sparkasse, Rathaus, Margaretenstraße). Subscription pass holders receive discounts on cambio car-sharing services.
• Deutsche Bahn (DB)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDB City-Ticket integration allows Fernverkehr passengers with 'Wilhelmshaven+City' marked tickets to use local buses for free travel to/from the station.
• SNUB - Die Nahverkehrs-Schlichtungsstelle e.V.minorOthersIndependent arbitration body for handling passenger complaints and disputes. SWWV commits to following arbitration decisions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Verkehrsbetriebe Lübeck (VBL): Municipal bus operator in Lübeck serving a North German coastal city with similar demographic profile and fleet scale — directly comparable city-level bus transit operations.
• Verkehrsgesellschaft Bremerhaven (VGB): Municipal bus operator in Bremerhaven, a comparable North Sea port city with similar demographic and tourism profile — directly comparable in fleet scale, harbor-adjacent geography, and municipal ownership.
• KVG Braunschweig: Municipal bus operator serving Braunschweig in Lower Saxony under similar Stadtwerke/regional ownership; comparable network size, fleet scale, and tariff integration with the Niedersachsen tariff region used by SWWV.
• Üstra Hannoversche Verkehrsbetriebe: Municipal transit operator in Hannover owned by the regional utility, operating buses (and trams) under regulated public service obligations — directly comparable in business model, ownership structure, and subsidy dependency to SWWV, with a larger fleet scale.
• VAG Nürnberg: Nuremberg's municipal transit company (Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg) operating bus and tram networks under municipal ownership — directly comparable in Stadtwerke-style governance and integrated ticketing.
• ASEAG Aachen: Aachen's municipal bus company operating under similar public service obligation framework; comparable in network size, fleet electrification plans, and tariff integration with regional partners.
• SWB Bus und Bahn (Stadtwerke Bonn): Bonn's municipal bus and tram operator owned by Stadtwerke Bonn — comparable business model as a city-owned transit utility with similar tariff structures and subsidy relationships.
• HEAG mobilo: Darmstadt's municipal transit operator owned by HEAG (a municipal holding); similar scale as a mid-sized German city bus operator with comparable fleet electrification strategy.

Broad incumbents

• FlixBus: Germany's dominant intercity bus operator; broad incumbent in the same passenger ground transport category, operating at larger scale on long-distance routes rather than municipal networks.
• DB Regio Bus (Deutsche Bahn): Germany's largest regional bus operator through DB Regio; broader incumbent offering regional/intercity bus services that overlap with municipal networks and is the same parent partner for SWWV's City-Ticket integration.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/verkehrsbetriebewhv
• Instagraminstagram.com/verkehrsbetriebe.whv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stadtwerke-wilhelmshaven-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Stadtwerke Wilhelmshaven GmbH