Active Sector Association – VDV in Dialogue with Politics and Economy
About 600 companies performing public passenger transport and rail freight transport in Germany are organised in the “Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen” (VDV = Association of German Transport Companies). The VDV advises and supports its member companies and politicians, supports the exchange of experience and know-how between the members and prepares technical, operational, legal and economic principles.
The VDV also represents the interests of its member companies towards parliaments, authorities, industry and other institutions. Therefore, the VDV has offices in Brussels (European office) and Berlin (capital office) besides its head office in Cologne.
The regional interests of the member companies are defended by nine regional groups. Moreover, sixgeneral committees and 19 expert committees are dealing with the special challenges of the sector. More than 400 experts in very different fields do voluntary work in these committees, which results in rules (VDV Recommendations and VDV Reports).
The VDV has existed in its present form since the beginning of 1991 as the Association of Public Transport Companies (VÖV), the Federal Association of German Railways, Motorized Traffic and Funicular Railways (BDE) and the VÖV of the former German Democratic Republic merged to the VDV. The history of the VDV began with the foundation of the Association of Prussian Railways in 1846 and the foundation of the Association of German Tramway and Light Railway Administrations in 1895.
Intensive Voluntary Involvement and Sound Expert Knowledge
The VDV advises its member companies at regional and national level and offers a platform for the exchange of experience and know-how. About 600 members from the fields of public passenger transport and rail freight transport are organised in the VDV in nine regional groups and five divisions: BUS, TRAM, passenger transport with railways (PTR), rail freight transport (RFT) as well as association and principal organisations (A/P).
The official bodies of the VDV are the members’ meeting, the meetings of the regional groups, the presidency, the boards of management and the general management. These bodies are supported by the voluntary work of 400 experts from the member companies, who discuss and deal strategically with matters of importance to the sector in six general committees and 19 expert committees.
Presidency
The presidency of the VDV consists of the president, the chairmen of the boards of management (of the five divisions), who are vice-presidents, the chairmen of the regional groups, the chairmen of the general committees, the general manager as well as further representatives from the fields of bus and railway. At present, the presidency consists of 34 representatives from the five divisions.
6 general committees:
- Planning
- Legal Matters
- Economy
- Marketing and Communication
- Personnel Management
- Price Formation and Sale
20 expert committees:
- Rail construction
- Operation
- Depots and workshops
- Orderer market
- Railway operation
- Railway vehicles
- Railways of Public Ports
- Electrical power installations
- Freight transport
- Customer service, information and dialogue
- Telematics and Information Systems
- Technical railway infrastructure matters
- Non-technical railway infrastructure matters
- Urban rail rolling stock
- Motoring
- Transport association issues
- Industrial railways
- Competitive questions conc. railway passenger transport
- Committee for municipal company affairs
- Committee for Control-Command and Signalling, Railway
Advisory Board of the VDV
The advisory board meets once a year in Berlin and has more than 40 members, who are representatives of the highest transport authorities of the federal government and the German states, the local central associations, the transport and trade associations, the trade unions and science. This board aims at strengthening the contacts between science, transport, politics and administration.
