Bautzen district council decides: merger of ZVON and VVO opens new tariffs!

Bautzen district council decides: merger of ZVON and VVO opens new tariffs!

Mobility in East Saxony is facing a significant upheaval. The Bautzen district council voted with an overwhelming majority in favor of merging the ZVON (Upper Lusatia-Lower Silesia Transport Association) with the VVO (Upper Elbe Transport Association). This was announced on May 23, 2025, with only three votes from the AfD against it. This merger is intended to introduce a uniform tariff, which could be particularly beneficial for commuters and travelers in the region radiolausitz.de reported.

The process of this important step for the transport landscape of East Saxony has already been determined. The Görlitz city council will decide on the merger on Thursday. Mayor Octavian Ursu has already expressed concerns that Görlitz could be treated disadvantageously as a result of joining the VVO. However, District Administrator Udo Witschas disagrees and makes it clear that the offers in Görlitz should remain in place.

Expectations and demands

The BSW has classified the merger as “overdue” and is calling for increased rail and bus connections for rural regions towards Dresden. The Left-Green Alliance, represented by Alex Theile, has also noted that the offer must not get any worse. There is a clear need for action here, because citizens want reliable and well-developed local public transport.

There is already a clear roadmap for implementing this merger. First of all, the ZVON association meeting in Bautzen will decide on Friday whether to join the VVO. A two-thirds vote is considered safe, even if Görlitz might want to block. Provided the district councils of the districts of Meißen, Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains and the city of Dresden also agree, the merger should be completed at the beginning of 2026. The Saxon state government has promised a dowry of four million euros to support the process financially smwa.sachsen.de explained.

A look at the background

The merger of the two transport associations ZVON and VVO is a reaction to years of discussions about cooperation and standardization of tariffs in Eastern Saxony. Although the ZVON was founded in 1995 and the VVO came into being in 1994, it has taken a long time until these decisive steps towards optimizing and improving regional local transport are taken. The aim is to standardize the tariff structures and use synergies to improve the offers for users.

There are currently five transport associations active in Saxony that deal with local public transport and regional transport, as an overview shows Wikipedia shows. The challenges that have to be overcome as part of such mergers include, among other things, the distribution of income and subsidies, but also securing staff at the Bautzen and Görlitz locations.

The complete success of this merger will depend on its implementation and addressing the concerns of various stakeholders in the region. The next decision-makers now have the opportunity to create real added value for the people in East Saxony. It will be exciting to see how developments will develop in the coming months.