RNV was established on 1 October 2004 as a joint subsidiary of the five principal public transport operators that had previously operated in the region: • the
Heidelberg Tramway (
Heidelberger Straßen- und Bergbahn, HSB), • MVV Transport (
MVV Verkehr, the operator of
trams and buses in Mannheim), • the
Upper Rhine Railway Company (
Oberrheinische Eisenbahn, which became part of the MVV Group in the early 2000s and was then known as
MVV OEG), • the operator of the
Rhine-Haardt Railway (
Rhein-Haardt Bahn, RHB) and •
Verkehrsbetriebe Ludwigshafen (the operator of buses and
trams in Ludwigshafen, VBL). RNV is a public sector operation, as its ultimate beneficial owners are local authorities in the region. Since 1 March 2005, RNV provides transport services on behalf of its parent companies. Fares are set by the local passenger transport executive,
Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN). It commenced operations with a 188 kilometre network and 400 vehicles. ==References==