The Company

Dynamic services for our customers

As a company with a long-standing tradition, the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) is inextricably linked with the history of Berlin and is an integral part of the city’s cultural identity. Since the wheels started turning, the smooth carriage of Berliners, those who have moved here and visitors to this lively city has been at the heart of what the BVG does, and this, it goes without saying, punctually, systematically and above all reliably.

The Berliner Verkehrs-AG (BVG) was founded on 10 December 1928 on the initiative of the then city councillor for transport, Ernst Reuter. On 1 January 1929, the company commenced operations. It became a public utility of the city of Berlin on 1 January 1938 with the name Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe. The abbreviation “BVG” was so popular in the vernacular, however, that the company has retained it to the present day. Due to the division of Berlin following the Second World War, a separate BVG administration was formed in the eastern half of the city on 1 August 1949, going under the name VEB Kombinat Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVB) from 1 January 1969.
In the course of reunification, BVG (west) and BVB (east) merged on 1 January 1992 as the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG). In 1994, the BVG was reconstituted as a public body.

The BVG network comprises 10 daytime underground lines and 8 weekend night lines, 149 bus routes and 22 daytime tram routes and 9 night lines. Together with external partners, over 10,500 employees currently serve a conurbation of 3.46 million people with a catchment area of some 1,000 km2. Added together, the BVG’s vehicles circle the globe around 5,800 times a year, the equivalent of 18 circumnavigations of the earth every day. Approximately 900 million passengers use these buses and trains every year.

The heart of the city of Berlin beats to the rhythm of the BVG, and this is also where Germany’s largest local transport company has its headquarters: in Berlin-Mitte.

The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) is the engine which gets Berlin moving – and has done for over 80 years. With its dense route network, modern vehicles and competent service, public transport in Berlin also makes an important contribution to quality of life in the city and its surroundings. The BVG has grown into a strong brand with an excellent reputation in Berlin and beyond. With its range of services, the BVG provides excellent mobility for all sections of the population and represents a safe form of transport. At the same time, however, the company is aware of its responsibility to improve air quality, reduce noise and exhaust gases, and strengthen Berlin’s economy. On an international scale, the network density and quality of Berlin’s public transport also occupy leading positions for excellent mobility.