Verkehrsgesellschaft Ennepe-Ruhr

Verkehrsgesellschaft Ennepe-Ruhr mbH (VER) is a municipal public transport company serving the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a member of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) transport association. The company traces its origins to the early 20th-century tramways that connected the towns of Gevelsberg, Milspe, Voerde and Schwelm, and today operates an extensive bus network across the district. The company's history began in May 1895 with initial discussions about linking local communities to the tram networks of Barmen and Hagen. On 13 July 1906, representatives of Gevelsberg, Mühlinghausen and Voerde agreed to establish the Straßenbahngesellschaft Gevelsberg-Milspe-Voerde. The first 9.31 km section opened on 24 February 1907, operated with 8 motor cars and 4 trailers, and carried 1.16 million passengers by 31 March 1908. The network expanded with a further 2.58 km in 1909. After World War I, passenger numbers fell sharply, and a separate operating company was founded on 1 September 1933. Tram operations were suspended on 13 April 1945 and resumed on 4 June 1945. In 1955 the decision was taken to close the tramway, and the last tram ran on 31 March 1956, replaced by buses. In 1965 the company received its current name, Verkehrsgesellschaft Ennepe-Ruhr. Today VER serves four towns and two districts (kreise) and is owned by Beteiligungsgesellschaft Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis (64%), BOGESTRA AG (30%) and the town of Ennepetal (6%). In 2002 the company operated over five million bus kilometres. Since November 2017 it has been a member of the Kooperation östliches Ruhrgebiet (KÖR), cooperating with neighbouring operators such as Bogestra, Vestische, DSW21, HCR and Hagener Straßenbahn. In summer 2022 VER introduced an on-demand shuttle service called FluxFux, complementing its regular bus lines. The company also runs customer centres in Ennepetal, Schwelm and Gevelsberg, a bus school for children since 2003, and a free bus companion service. It offers tickets including the DeutschlandTicket and the Schülerticket for the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, and promotes campaigns such as #mehrAchtung for respect towards bus drivers.

The history of public transport in the Ennepe-Ruhr district began on 10 May 1895, when the mayor of Gevelsberg and representatives of the communities in the Schwelm district met with representatives of Schuckert & Co. and decided to establish a tram company between the networks of Hagen and Barmen. On 28 October 1895 it was decided that the communities should proceed independently, as the operations from the two cities had already advanced into the district. On 7 May 1897 the town of Gevelsberg held negotiations with Siemens & Halske about building a tram line between Gevelsberg and Milspe. Eventually, on 5 August 1897, the Hagener Straßenbahn AG received the concession to build and operate the line from Hagen via Gevelsberg and Milspe to Schwelm. However, by April 1900 only the section to Haspe was in operation. At the same time, the Barmer Straßenbahn built a line to Milspe and opened it on 24 August 1897. On 13 July 1906, representatives of the communities of Gevelsberg, Mühlinghausen and Voerde met and decided to found the Straßenbahngesellschaft Gevelsberg-Milspe-Voerde. Shares were distributed according to the proportion of the planned route on each municipality's territory: Gevelsberg 46.6%, Milspe 22.6% and Voerde 30.8%. The first section, 9.31 kilometres long, opened on 24 February 1907. A further section of 2.58 kilometres was added on 19 May 1909. Due to the difficult topography, the line had numerous steep gradients. During World War I, the company suffered from staff shortages and material scarcity, as did other operators. Planned expansions, such as the takeover and electrification of the Haspe–Voerde–Breckerfeld light railway, were cancelled. Instead, the transport of goods and foodstuffs increased. After the war, passenger numbers fell from 2.9 million to 1.2 million in 1923. After recovering to 2.5 million in 1929, they fell again to 1.22 million by 1933 due to high unemployment during the Great Depression. Because of these difficulties, an operating company was founded on 1 September 1933. After World War II, in which the railway suffered only minor damage, operations were suspended on 13 April 1945 shortly before the arrival of the Allied forces. They resumed on 4 June 1945. As the railway became increasingly exposed to growing road traffic due to numerous tracks in side positions of the streets, incidents occurred repeatedly. Especially on Bundesstraße 7, running boards and handrails were torn off by trucks. After the concession was to be extended only on the condition that the railway be relocated to its own track body, the closure of tram operations was decided on 3 February and 8 June 1955. On 31 March 1956, the last tram line was converted to bus operation. In 1965 the company received its current name, Verkehrsgesellschaft Ennepe-Ruhr. The company today serves four towns and two districts. In 2002 it operated over five million bus kilometres. In 2015 the district council decided to counter VER's rising deficit through closer cooperation with neighbouring transport companies. Negotiations were held with Bogestra to explore possibilities. As a result, in 2016 it was announced that Bogestra and VER intended to found a joint subsidiary. VER would have remained in existence to continue using the tax offsetting scheme (steuerlicher Querverbund) but would have been reduced to an empty shell. This plan could not be implemented, so Bogestra was to become a minority shareholder of VER instead. This was intended to avoid costs arising in the Ennepe-Ruhr district being borne by Bogestra's owners Gelsenkirchen and Bochum. Central tasks could and should be taken over by Bogestra. Cooperation began with the joint purchase of fuel. Since November 2017, VER has been a member of the Kooperation östliches Ruhrgebiet (KÖR) and works with neighbouring companies Bogestra, Vestische, DSW21, HCR and Hagener Straßenbahn. In summer 2022, VER introduced the on-demand service FluxFux, an on-demand bus service that complements public transport and operates as a shuttle for several passengers in certain areas of the VER network. The company continues to modernise its services, offering digital ticketing through the VER eTarif app and the DeutschlandTicket, and running customer centres in Ennepetal, Schwelm and Gevelsberg.

• Mayor of Gevelsberg and representatives of communities in the Schwelm district meet with Schuckert & Co. to discuss founding a tram company between Hagen and Barmen.

• Representatives of Gevelsberg, Mühlinghausen and Voerde decide to found the Straßenbahngesellschaft Gevelsberg-Milspe-Voerde.

• First 9.31 km tram section opens, operated with 8 motor cars and 4 trailers.

• Additional 2.58 km section opens.

• An operating company is founded due to financial difficulties.

• Tram operations suspended shortly before the arrival of Allied forces.

• Tram operations resume.

• Closure of tram operations decided.

• Last tram line converted to bus operation.

• Company receives its current name, Verkehrsgesellschaft Ennepe-Ruhr.

• VER operates over five million bus kilometres.

• VER begins operating a bus school for children.

• District council decides to seek closer cooperation with neighbouring transport companies to address rising deficit.

• Announcement that Bogestra and VER intended to found a joint subsidiary; plan later modified to Bogestra becoming a minority shareholder.

• VER becomes a member of the Kooperation östliches Ruhrgebiet (KÖR).

• VER introduces the FluxFux on-demand shuttle service.

Regional public transport provider ensuring mobility for residents of the Ennepe-Ruhr district, with a focus on bus services, digital ticketing and on-demand mobility.

• Bus transport services

  Extensive bus network covering the Ennepe-Ruhr district, operated partly by subcontractors.

• FluxFux on-demand service

  On-demand shuttle service introduced in summer 2022, complementing regular public transport in certain areas.

• DeutschlandTicket

  Nationwide public transport flat rate ticket, available for 63 € per month for trainees.

• Schülerticket / SchokoTicket

  School student tickets for the Ennepe-Ruhr district, including mobility guarantee NRW.

• VER eTarif-App

  Mobile app for electronic fare purchase and ticketing.

• VER-App

  Mobile app for timetable information and connection search.

1. 1Deine VERbindung 🚌Verkehrsgesellschaft Ennepe-Ruhr mbHver-kehr.de
2. 2Wir über uns, VER, Ennepetalver-kehr.de
3. 3Über die VER, VER, Ennepetalver-kehr.de
4. 4VERgangenheit, VER, Ennepetalver-kehr.de
5. 5Verkehrsgesellschaft Ennepe-Ruhrwikidata.org
6. 6Verkehrsgesellschaft Ennepe-Ruhrde.wikipedia.org