Omnibus-Verkehr Ruoff

Omnibus-Verkehr Ruoff GmbH (OVR) is a German bus transport company headquartered in Waiblingen, Baden-Württemberg. It operates scheduled bus services and is part of the international Transdev group through Transdev GmbH. The company traces its origins to 23 August 1926, when Richard Ruoff registered a Ford truck with the Waiblingen district office, fitted it with benches and began a public bus line between Korb and Waiblingen station. That modest beginning grew into one of the region's better-known bus businesses, and by 1932 the fleet already numbered twelve buses. In its early decades Ruoff was also a pioneer of coach tourism, running trips to destinations such as Paris and Venice, which spread the Ruoff name through the industry. After financial difficulties in the late 1980s, the Württembergische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (WEG) took the lead in 1990 and helped stabilise the business, which was refocused on scheduled services. In 2000 WEG and its subsidiaries, including OVR and WEG-KVG, were acquired by Connex, later Veolia Verkehr and today Transdev GmbH. In 2008 OVR absorbed its sister company WEG-Kraftverkehrs-GmbH, and the WEG brand was gradually replaced by OVR in public-facing operations until 2012. Today OVR runs mainly scheduled routes in the Rems-Murr-Kreis, the Ludwigsburg district, the Heilbronn district and the Zollernalbkreis. Its focal points include urban services in Waiblingen and Albstadt and regional services in the northern Rems-Murr-Kreis, the Strohgäu and the Kocher valley. The company maintains several operating locations, including Waiblingen (its main site with a depot in Beinstein), Backnang, Albstadt, Hemmingen and Neuenstadt am Kocher, and it also serves Güglingen and Bonfeld/Bad Rappenau following the takeover of the Zabergäu route bundle in 2020. OVR employs drivers, workshop staff and apprentices, and it continues to modernise through projects such as real-time passenger information and automated driving trials in Waiblingen.

The history of Omnibus-Verkehr Ruoff begins on 23 August 1926, when Richard Ruoff registered a Ford truck with the Oberamt Waiblingen. The truck's load bed was fitted with benches and used to open a public bus line between Korb and Waiblingen station. This marked the birth of the Ruoff transport business. Soon afterwards the truck was replaced by a small bus that passengers nicknamed the "Laubfrosch" (tree frog) because of its green colour and shape. In 1928 the Württembergische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (WEG) began offering its own bus services, from which the later WEG-Kraftverkehrs-GmbH emerged. At that time Ruoff was one of the first companies to operate coach tourism on a large scale; by 1932 it already had a fleet of twelve buses, with destinations such as Paris and Venice on the programme, making the Ruoff name known throughout the industry. In 1955 the WEG-Kraftverkehrs-GmbH (WEG-KVG) was founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of WEG, bundling all of the Württembergische Eisenbahn's bus operations. Initially the WEG-KVG buses served as feeder lines to WEG trains, but more and more routes were added around the respective operating locations. By the late 1980s the OVR was in financial difficulty, largely because of tough competition in coach tourism. In 1990 the Württembergische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft took the lead at OVR and worked to put it back on its feet. OVR recovered and concentrated on scheduled services. In 2000 WEG and its subsidiaries OVR and WEG-KVG were acquired by Connex, later Veolia Verkehr and today Transdev GmbH. In 2008 OVR took over its sister company WEG-Kraftverkehrs-GmbH, growing the business further; operations at the former WEG-KVG locations continued under the WEG brand until 2012, when the public-facing identity was gradually switched to OVR. OVR's network today centres on the Rems-Murr-Kreis, the Ludwigsburg district, the Heilbronn district and the Zollernalbkreis, with focal points in the urban services of Waiblingen and Albstadt and regional services in the northern Rems-Murr-Kreis, the Strohgäu and the Kocher valley. The company operates from several locations. At its main site in Waiblingen it has a depot in the Beinstein district, where 32 buses are parked on a 17,659-square-metre site; the workshop there serves as the central workshop for the Waiblingen, Backnang and Hemmingen locations as well as for the sister company Württembergische Bus-Gesellschaft (WBG), maintaining around 90 buses. A bus wash with greywater treatment keeps the vehicles clean. The depot has also been used by other operators, including Eisemann for buses deployed on OVR's behalf in the Waiblingen area, and by the Esslingen bus company Fischle from January 2019 to June 2025 when it operated Waiblingen bus routes. In Backnang, OVR has used a depot on a 7,211-square-metre site since December 2003, employing just under 40 staff and deploying 27 buses. Under route tenders by the Rems-Murr-Kreis, OVR had to hand the Backnang urban service to FMO on 1 January 2019, but from 1 August 2019 it operated route bundle 13 in the Backnang/Sulzbach/Murrhardt area together with subcontractor Eisemann. Following further tenders, OVR regained the Backnang urban service from FMO on 1 January 2025. In Albstadt (formerly WEG), OVR runs the "Albstadtbus" in the Talgang area with ten buses; the model is very successful and has seen strong passenger growth. From the Hemmingen operation (formerly WEG), the Strohgäu, the Vaihingen an der Enz area and the large district town of Leonberg are served; in 2005 a new administration building was added to the existing workshop and the fuel station was renewed. From Neuenstadt am Kocher (formerly WEG), the "Kochershuttle" runs every half hour, a fast bus linking Neuenstadt am Kocher with Heilbronn in 27 minutes, with interchange to other Kocher valley routes at Neuenstadt Lindenplatz. Since July 2007 an hourly connection from Neuenstadt to Öhringen has been provided by the Frankenexpress, operated jointly with Nahverkehr Hohenlohe. At the end of December 2007 a new depot was occupied in the Neuenstadt GIK industrial area, similar in design to the Backnang depot with buses parked under a carport. The Neuenstadt operation also offers bus rental and a small programme of tourist trips. On 1 August 2020 OVR took over the Zabergäu route bundle from the insolvent bus company Rexer, including the branch in the Güglingen district of Frauenzimmern with vehicles and employees. The company also serves Bonfeld/Bad Rappenau. OVR continues to invest in modern services, including real-time passenger information and automated driving trials in Waiblingen.

• 2025

  OVR regains the Backnang urban service from FMO following further tenders.

• 2020

  OVR takes over the Zabergäu route bundle from the insolvent bus company Rexer, including the Güglingen branch.

• 2019

  OVR hands the Backnang urban service to FMO under route tenders.

• 2019

  OVR operates route bundle 13 in the Backnang/Sulzbach/Murrhardt area with subcontractor Eisemann.

• 2012

  The public-facing identity at former WEG-KVG locations is gradually switched to OVR.

• 2008

  WEG-Kraftverkehrs-GmbH is merged into Omnibus-Verkehr Ruoff GmbH.

• 2007

  The Frankenexpress provides an hourly connection from Neuenstadt to Öhringen, operated jointly with Nahverkehr Hohenlohe.

• 2007

  A new depot is occupied in the Neuenstadt GIK industrial area.

• 2005

  A new administration building is added to the Hemmingen workshop and the fuel station is renewed.

• 2003

  OVR begins using a depot in Backnang.

• 2000

  WEG and its subsidiaries OVR and WEG-KVG are acquired by Connex, later Veolia Verkehr and today Transdev GmbH.

• 1993

  WEG and WEG-KVG move their headquarters from Stuttgart to Waiblingen-Beinstein on the OVR site.

• 1990

  Württembergische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft takes the lead at the financially troubled OVR and helps stabilise it.

• 1955

  WEG-Kraftverkehrs-GmbH (WEG-KVG) is founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of WEG, bundling its bus operations.

• 1932

  Ruoff already operates a fleet of twelve buses and runs coach tours to destinations such as Paris and Venice.

• 1928

  Württembergische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft begins offering its own bus services, later leading to WEG-Kraftverkehrs-GmbH.

• 1926

  Richard Ruoff registers a Ford truck with the Oberamt Waiblingen and opens a public bus line between Korb and Waiblingen station.

Regional public transport operator within the Transdev group, focused on scheduled bus services in Baden-Württemberg.

• Stadtbus Waiblingen

  Urban bus services in Waiblingen.

• Albstadtbus

  Bus service in the Talgang area of Albstadt, operated with ten buses and reporting strong passenger growth.

• Kochershuttle

  A fast bus linking Neuenstadt am Kocher with Heilbronn in 27 minutes, running every half hour.

• Frankenexpress

  An hourly connection from Neuenstadt to Öhringen, operated jointly with Nahverkehr Hohenlohe since July 2007.

• Bus rental and tourist trips

  Bus rental and a small programme of tourist trips offered from the Neuenstadt operation.

1. 1Omnibus-Verkehr Ruoff – official websiteovr-bus.de
2. 2Geschichte – Omnibus-Verkehr Ruoffovr-bus.de
3. 3Über uns – Omnibus-Verkehr Ruoffovr-bus.de
4. 4Kontakt – Omnibus-Verkehr Ruoffovr-bus.de
5. 5Omnibus-Verkehr Ruoff – Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Omnibus-Verkehr Ruoff – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org