Verkehrsgesellschaft Mittelhessen

Verkehrsgesellschaft Mittelhessen GmbH (VM) was a German public transport company headquartered in Neu-Anspach, Hesse. It was founded in December 2003 as a cooperative venture of five private bus operators from the Middle Hesse region: Bender Reisen GmbH (Ehringshausen-Kölschhausen), Busunternehmen Albert Hölzenbein (Runkel-Dehrn), Omnibusbetrieb Kreutz GmbH (Haiger), Verkehrsbetrieb Medenbach GmbH (Weilburg-Hirschhausen), and Gebr. Schermuly Busunternehmen GmbH & Co. KG (Mengerskirchen). These mid-sized companies joined forces to compete for public transport contracts in the emerging competitive tendering market. From 2004 onward, VM bid for bus service contracts in the Middle Hesse districts of Lahn-Dill, Marburg-Biedenkopf, and Limburg-Weilburg, winning numerous route bundles previously operated by DB subsidiaries Verkehrsgesellschaft Untermain (VU) and Regionalverkehr Kurhessen (RKH). In 2006, the joint venture was acquired by the Essen-based transport group Abellio GmbH. The former mid-sized shareholders transferred their complete local transport operations to VM and thereafter only ran their travel and excursion businesses independently. Hölzenbein withdrew completely from the company after the sale. Peter Medenbach, who had already led the joint venture before the Abellio acquisition, remained managing director. In 2008, VM won a route bundle in the Hochtaunuskreis and the city bus services in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe and Oberursel (Taunus). It also obtained the Friedberg route bundle in the Wetteraukreis, the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund route bundle "RTK-Grundnetz Wiesbaden Nord," and the "Rotenburg/Bebra" route bundle in the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund. On 1 July 2008, Andreas Vetter was hired as a second managing director for integration, restructuring, operations, workshops, and locations. In autumn 2012, Dorothee Röckinghausen and Wolfgang Orth formed the new VM management. On 1 May 2014, Jürgen von Glischinski succeeded Dorothee Röckinghausen in the management. On 1 November 2013, Transport Capital AG acquired VM. Operationally, VM faced challenges. On 12 December 2010, it returned its routes in the Limburg-Weilburg district and the Lahn-Dill district because quality requirements could no longer be maintained at the price level. Due to these route returns, many buses were freed up; Kraftverkehrsgesellschaft Dreiländereck, then also an Abellio subsidiary, bought some in 2010, and Taeter Aachen bought some in 2015. From early 2015, massive passenger complaints accumulated at the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) and affected cities and municipalities, particularly concerning line 271 (Idstein – Wiesbaden), where insufficient seating and capacity of solo buses were criticized. From December 2016, a new operator with a changed route in Idstein would allow articulated buses, presumably improving the situation. In November 2015, VM terminated contracts with Bad Homburg vor der Höhe and Oberursel; in December 2015, the routes went to another operator. In June 2016, VM announced it would return the Friedberg route bundle as of 11 December 2016. The company was dissolved on 4 January 2017.

Verkehrsgesellschaft Mittelhessen GmbH (VM) was founded in December 2003 as a joint venture of five private bus operators from the Middle Hesse region: Bender Reisen GmbH (Ehringshausen-Kölschhausen), Busunternehmen Albert Hölzenbein (Runkel-Dehrn), Omnibusbetrieb Kreutz GmbH (Haiger), Verkehrsbetrieb Medenbach GmbH (Weilburg-Hirschhausen), and Gebr. Schermuly Busunternehmen GmbH & Co. KG (Mengerskirchen). The company was headquartered in Neu-Anspach and aimed to compete in the future market for public transport services. Starting in 2004, VM bid for bus service contracts in the Middle Hesse districts of Lahn-Dill, Marburg-Biedenkopf, and Limburg-Weilburg, winning numerous route bundles previously operated by DB subsidiaries Verkehrsgesellschaft Untermain (VU) and Regionalverkehr Kurhessen (RKH). In 2006, the joint venture was acquired by the Essen-based transport group Abellio GmbH. The former mid-sized shareholders transferred their complete local transport operations to VM and thereafter only ran their travel and excursion businesses independently. Hölzenbein withdrew completely from the company after the sale. Peter Medenbach, who had already led the joint venture before the Abellio acquisition, remained managing director. In 2008, VM won a route bundle in the Hochtaunuskreis and the city bus services in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe and Oberursel (Taunus). It also obtained the Friedberg route bundle in the Wetteraukreis, the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund route bundle "RTK-Grundnetz Wiesbaden Nord," and the "Rotenburg/Bebra" route bundle in the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund. On 1 July 2008, Andreas Vetter was hired as a second managing director for integration, restructuring, operations, workshops, and locations. On 12 December 2010, VM returned its routes in the Limburg-Weilburg district and the Lahn-Dill district because quality requirements could no longer be maintained at the price level. Due to these route returns, many buses were freed up; Kraftverkehrsgesellschaft Dreiländereck, then also an Abellio subsidiary, bought some in 2010, and Taeter Aachen bought some in 2015. In autumn 2012, Dorothee Röckinghausen and Wolfgang Orth formed the new VM management. On 1 November 2013, Transport Capital AG acquired VM. On 1 May 2014, Jürgen von Glischinski succeeded Dorothee Röckinghausen in the management. From early 2015, massive passenger complaints accumulated at the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) and affected cities and municipalities, particularly concerning line 271 (Idstein – Wiesbaden), where insufficient seating and capacity of solo buses were criticized. From December 2016, a new operator with a changed route in Idstein would allow articulated buses, presumably improving the situation. In November 2015, VM terminated contracts with Bad Homburg vor der Höhe and Oberursel; in December 2015, the routes went to another operator. In June 2016, VM announced it would return the Friedberg route bundle as of 11 December 2016. The company was dissolved on 4 January 2017.

• 2017

  Company dissolved on 4 January.

• 2016

  Announced return of Friedberg route bundle in June; routes to new operator in December.

• 2015

  Massive passenger complaints; terminated contracts with Bad Homburg and Oberursel in November.

• 2014

  Jürgen von Glischinski succeeded Dorothee Röckinghausen in management on 1 May.

• 2013

  Transport Capital AG acquired VM on 1 November.

• 2012

  Dorothee Röckinghausen and Wolfgang Orth formed new management in autumn.

• 2010

  Returned routes in Limburg-Weilburg and Lahn-Dill districts on 12 December.

• 2008

  Won route bundle in Hochtaunuskreis and city bus services in Bad Homburg and Oberursel; Andreas Vetter hired as second managing director.

• 2006

  Acquired by Abellio GmbH.

• 2004

  Began bidding for bus service contracts in Middle Hesse.

• 2003

  Founded in December as a joint venture of five private bus operators.

Regional public transport operator focused on competitively tendered bus services in Hesse, Germany.

• Public bus transport services

• City bus services

• Regional bus routes

1. 1Verkehrsgesellschaft Mittelhessenvm-gmbh.net
2. 2Verkehrsgesellschaft Mittelhessenwikidata.org
3. 3Verkehrsgesellschaft Mittelhessende.wikipedia.org