Planungsgesellschaft Nahverkehr Osnabrück

Planungsgesellschaft Nahverkehr Osnabrück GmbH (PlaNOS) is the public transport planning company for the city and district of Osnabrück in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a joint subsidiary of the two local authorities, which under the Lower Saxony Public Transport Act (NNVG) are the competent authorities (Aufgabenträger) for local public passenger transport. PlaNOS does not operate mobility services itself; its role is to plan, develop and coordinate the overall public transport system so that buses, on-demand services, mobility stations and digital applications work together as an integrated whole. The company is based at Alte Poststraße 9 in Osnabrück. Its work covers product planning and development for bus services, on-demand transport, mobility stations and digital booking and information applications. It develops guidelines and concepts for how public transport and complementary services should evolve across the city and the surrounding district, and it accompanies the implementation of these measures in close cooperation with municipalities, transport operators and other partners. PlaNOS describes five core principles for future mobility development: thinking of mobility as an overall system; strengthening public transport as the backbone; creating attractive, fast and reliable connections; thinking of city and region together; and linking mobility services and making them digitally accessible. The company has published the adopted 5th Local Transport Plan (5. Nahverkehrsplan) for the period 2026 to 2030. Governance is supported by several advisory boards: a municipal advisory board, a political advisory board, an advisory board of transport companies and a passenger advisory board. The passenger advisory board, founded in 1999, represents passenger interests and today works in two bodies, one for passengers and one for interest organisations. As a publicly owned planning entity rather than a transport operator, PlaNOS is best understood as an institutional brand for regional mobility planning in the Osnabrück area.

Planungsgesellschaft Nahverkehr Osnabrück GmbH (PlaNOS) was established as the planning company for public transport in the city and district of Osnabrück. Under the Lower Saxony Public Transport Act (NNVG), the city and the district are the competent authorities (Aufgabenträger) for local public passenger transport and are responsible for planning and developing services. PlaNOS was founded to carry out these tasks on their behalf, and it is a joint subsidiary of the two authorities. From its base at Alte Poststraße 9 in Osnabrück, PlaNOS has taken on the role of planning and coordinating the region's public transport system rather than operating services. Its remit covers concepts, coordination of measures and support for the implementation of mobility offerings, developed in cooperation with municipalities, transport companies and other partners. Over time its scope has expanded from classic bus planning to include on-demand transport, mobility stations and digital applications, reflecting a broader understanding of mobility as an integrated system. The passenger advisory board (Fahrgastbeirat) associated with the region's public transport was founded in 1999 and today operates in two bodies: Fahrgastbeirat I as the body of passengers and Fahrgastbeirat II as the body of interest representatives. PlaNOS's work is accompanied by several advisory boards covering municipalities, politics, transport companies and passengers. A significant recent milestone is the adoption of the 5th Local Transport Plan (5. Nahverkehrsplan), valid from 2026 to 2030, which sets out the framework for public transport development in the region. PlaNOS also publishes future visions and five core principles guiding the development of mobility in the city and district, emphasising an integrated system, public transport as the backbone, attractive connections, joint consideration of city and region, and digital accessibility.

• 2026

  5th Local Transport Plan (5. Nahverkehrsplan) adopted, valid 2026–2030

• 1999

  Passenger advisory board (Fahrgastbeirat) founded

Publicly owned planning company that designs and coordinates the public transport system for the Osnabrück region, without operating services itself.

• 5. Nahverkehrsplan 2026–2030

  Adopted local transport plan setting the framework for public transport development in the city and district of Osnabrück.

• On-demand transport concepts

  Planning and development of flexible on-demand mobility services complementing the bus network.

• Mobility stations (Mobilstationen)

  Planning of interchange points that link different mobility services.

• Digital mobility applications

  Development of digital booking and information applications for public transport.

1. 1PlaNOS | Öffentliche Mobilität für Osnabrück und Umlandplanos-info.de
2. 2Über uns | PlaNOSplanos-info.de
3. 3Zukunftsvisionen | PlaNOSplanos-info.de
4. 4Unsere Organisation | PlaNOSplanos-info.de
5. 5Planungsgesellschaft Nahverkehr Osnabrückwikidata.org