Stadtwerke-Verkehrsgesellschaft Wilhelmshaven

Stadtwerke-Verkehrsgesellschaft Wilhelmshaven GmbH (SWVV) is the municipal public transport operator for the city of Wilhelmshaven in Lower Saxony, Germany. It runs the city's urban bus network — seven bus lines according to its own website — and is also responsible for the port operations of part of the Wilhelmshaven harbours. The company is part of the Stadtwerke Wilhelmshaven group and is ultimately owned by the City of Wilhelmshaven. The company traces its origins to 1937, when Verkehrsgesellschaft Wilhelmshaven mbH was founded as the successor to the Wilhelmshaven-Rüstringer tramway. After the Second World War the transport operation was reorganised as a municipal undertaking and integrated into the Stadtwerke. Trolleybus operation, opened in 1943, was discontinued in 1960, after which the company concentrated on diesel buses. Over the decades it modernised its fleet, introduced low-floor buses from 1986, completed one-man operation in 1970, and redeveloped its network and central bus station (ZOB) at Wilhelmshaven's main railway station. Today SWVV positions itself as an affordable local public transport provider. Its website notes that Wilhelmshaven ranked fourth among 100 German cities in a comparison of bus fares. The company operates a mobile timetable app, publishes its route network and fares online, and has invested in climate-friendly mobility, including new battery buses supported by NBank and European Social Fund Plus funding. It also maintains an information centre at the ZOB and communicates service disruptions and diversions to passengers. As a municipal transport undertaking, SWVV is not listed on a stock exchange. It operates within the Verkehrsverbund Ems-Jade (VEJ) fare and transport association and serves both residents and visitors, including routes toward the JadeWeserPort container harbour.

The Stadtwerke-Verkehrsgesellschaft Wilhelmshaven traces its origins to 1937, when Verkehrsgesellschaft Wilhelmshaven mbH was founded as the successor company to the Wilhelmshaven-Rüstringer tramway. During the Second World War, trolleybus (Obus) operation was opened on 1 October 1943. Because no new trolleybuses from German production were available, seven trolleybuses requisitioned in Liège under the Reichsleistungsgesetz were transferred to Wilhelmshaven. On 30 March 1945, both tram and trolleybus operations were suspended due to war damage. While tram service was permanently discontinued, trolleybus operation resumed in 1946 after five new trolleybuses had been procured, since the Liège vehicles had been returned. After the occupation of Wilhelmshaven on 6 May 1945, the British occupation authority took over supervision of bus and trolleybus traffic until 31 March 1947. The British initially regarded the transport company as a spoil of war and rejected the city's applications to transfer all shares. The city therefore decided to lease the transport company, which remained practically only as a limited liability company. Almost two years after the end of the war, on 1 April 1947, the Verkehrsbetrieb Wilhelmshaven was founded as a municipal undertaking and integrated into the Stadtwerke. It took over the facilities and vehicles of Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH and leased the omnibus hall on Admiral-Klatt-Straße. The acquired vehicles were barely operational until the 1948 currency reform. Because rubber tyres were scarce, many buses had to be leased to outside private operators who could better procure new tyres. In 1949, ten inherited Fiat trolleybuses had to be returned to Italy as restitution despite protests from the population and the British; ten new Henschel trolleybuses were procured as replacements. In the same year, the transport company introduced excursion trips to Hamburg, Hanover and Berlin. From 1949 to 1952, the company began expanding bus and trolleybus lines, modernising its fleet and optimising timetables. On 28 April 1952, with the approval of the federal government, the entire share of the limited company was transferred free of charge to the city by the Lower Saxony finance minister. In 1957, the central bus station (ZOB) was moved from Marktstraße near the former main post office to in front of the main railway station. After the closure of the Pekol trolleybus line to Jever in 1954, the municipal trolleybus operation in Wilhelmshaven was discontinued on 30 October 1960, because from July 1960 the carriage of passengers with passenger trailers was prohibited. New buses had to be procured. In addition, the transport company had to take over the traffic of the Wilhelmshaven suburban railway, which was closed in 1961. A new bus network was therefore created. In 1970, the introduction of one-man operation was completed, so that no conductors sold tickets on buses anymore. A significant advance was achieved in 1986 with the purchase of the first disabled-friendly low-floor buses from Neoplan; since then only low-floor buses have been procured. In 1991, the bus lines to Fedderwarden and the Industriegebiet-West were discontinued. From the mid-1990s, further low-floor buses from Neoplan were procured, including some articulated buses. On 4 September 1997, the long-hoped-for new main railway station building was inaugurated. It integrated a shopping centre, the "Nordseepassage", and a new bus station with canopies similar to those at the railway station. The Verkehrsverbund Ems-Jade (VEJ) was founded. In summer 2000, alongside the Expo in Hanover, the supplementary programme "Expo am Meer" took place in Wilhelmshaven, to which visitors were transported with borrowed buses because the transport company's fleet was insufficient for the passenger volume. On 18 November 2003, the first passenger forum took place. A Neoplan "Centroliner" was acquired as a demonstration vehicle in Bavaria. Another milestone in Wilhelmshaven's transport history was the new route network of 1 May 2004, which significantly improved the connection of Fedderwardergroden to the city centre. Among other things, this led to the retirement of the first low-floor buses from 1986. Since 2004, priority switching for buses has been installed at busy intersections. During 2005, several stops were equipped with new bus platforms. In October 2005, two used Mercedes-Benz articulated buses were bought from Berlin. Due to changed demand, passengers have a new route alignment and a call-collect taxi available. In October 2006, two used Neoplan articulated buses were bought from Baden-Baden, for which an older N 4018 articulated bus and an N 4014 city bus were sold. Due to higher passenger volumes, two Mercedes-Benz O 530 G Citaro articulated buses were procured at the end of November 2007. Since 31 May 2008, hourly services of bus line 6 run from the Voslapp-Süd terminus of lines 1 and 6 onward to the JadeWeserPort container harbour then under construction. A new bus platform was set up near the terminus for bus trips toward JadeWeserPort, where normal services otherwise do not stop but end and turn around on the premises of the Marktkauf branch. The line extension is mainly for tourists visiting the infobox and admiring the construction work. Since autumn 2008, lines 3 and 4 have also been extended.

• 2008

  Hourly services of bus line 6 extended to the JadeWeserPort container harbour from 31 May.

• 2004

  New route network introduced on 1 May, improving connection of Fedderwardergroden to the city centre.

• 1997

  New main railway station building with integrated bus station inaugurated on 4 September; Verkehrsverbund Ems-Jade (VEJ) founded.

• 1986

  First disabled-friendly low-floor buses from Neoplan purchased.

• 1970

  Introduction of one-man operation completed.

• 1960

  Municipal trolleybus operation discontinued on 30 October.

• 1957

  Central bus station (ZOB) moved to in front of the main railway station.

• 1952

  Entire share of the limited company transferred free of charge to the city on 28 April.

• 1947

  Verkehrsbetrieb Wilhelmshaven founded as a municipal undertaking on 1 April and integrated into the Stadtwerke.

• 1946

  Trolleybus operation resumed.

• 1945

  Tram and trolleybus operations suspended on 30 March due to war damage.

• 1943

  Trolleybus operation opened on 1 October.

• 1937

  Verkehrsgesellschaft Wilhelmshaven mbH founded as successor to the Wilhelmshaven-Rüstringer tramway.

Affordable municipal public transport and port services provider for Wilhelmshaven.

• Urban bus services

  Seven bus lines operating in Wilhelmshaven.

• Mobile timetable app

  App for quick timetable lookup and connection information.

• Fare and ticket products

  Range of fares and tickets for different passenger needs.

• Port operations services

  Responsibility for port operations of part of the Wilhelmshaven harbours.

1. 1Startseite | SWWVswwv.de
2. 2Stadtwerke-Verkehrsgesellschaft Wilhelmshavende.wikipedia.org
3. 3Stadtwerke-Verkehrsgesellschaft Wilhelmshavenwikidata.org