District Day Bautzen decides: Fusion of Zvon and VVO opens up new tariffs!

District Day Bautzen decides: Fusion of Zvon and VVO opens up new tariffs!

Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, Deutschland - Mobility in East Saxony faces a significant change. The district council of Bautzen voted with an overwhelming majority for the fusion of the Zvon (Verkehrsverbund Oberlausitz-Lower Silesia) with the VVO (transport association Oberelbe). This was announced on May 23, 2025, whereby only three votes from the AfD were. This merger is intended to introduce a uniform tariff, which could be a great advantage, especially for commuters and travelers in the region, such as radiolausitz.de reported.

The process of this important step for the traffic landscape of East Saxony has already been determined. The city council Görlitz will decide on the merger on Thursday. Mayor Octavian Ursu has already made concerns that Görlitz could be treated adverse by connecting to the VVO. However, District Administrator Udo Witschas and makes it clear that the offers should remain in Görlitz.

expectations and claims

The BSW has classified the merger as "overdue" and demands increased rail and bus connections for rural regions towards Dresden. The alliance left-green, represented by Alex Theil, noted that the offer must not get worse. There is a clear need for action here, because the citizens want a reliable and well -developed public transport.

There is already a clear timetable for implementing this merger. First, the ZVON association assembly in Bautzen will decide on the connection to the VVO on Friday. A two-thirds vote is considered safe, even if Görlitz may want to block. Provided the district councils of the districts of Meißen, Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Mountains and the city of Dresden also agree, the merger is to be carried out in early 2026. The Saxon government has promised a dowry of four million euros to support the process financially, as well as 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 the cooperation and standardization of the tariffs in East Saxony. Although the Zvon was founded in 1995 and the VVO was launched in 1994, it took a long time until these decisive steps are undertaken towards optimizing and improving regional local transport. The aim is to standardize the tariff structures and use synergies to improve the offers for users.

In Saxony, five transport associations are currently active, which deal with local public transport and regional traffic, such as an overview of Wikipedia . The challenges that can be mastered in the context of such mergers include, among other things, the distribution of income and grants, but also the securing of the staff at the locations of Bautzen and Görlitz.

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