Promotion of Public Local Passenger Transport

The lump-sum state funding for public local transport in North Rhine-Westphalia supports municipal authorities in accordance with § 3 ÖPNVG NRW in the planning, organization, and financing of public transport. Without the need to submit an application, the annual payments are made automatically in twelve equal monthly installments. The allocation is based 90% on capacity- and quality-weighted operational performance, 9% on population size, and 1% on area. Public institutions such as districts, district-free cities, special-purpose associations, and municipalities belonging to districts are eligible for funding and pass on at least 80% of the funds to transport operators. This ensures a demand-oriented supply for the population without requiring own contributions.

The funding objective includes both investment measures and operating costs in scheduled services, for example, the procurement of modern low-floor buses, sustainable drives, and customer-oriented service offerings. Up to 20% of the allocated funds can be flexibly used for regional mobility projects or complementary transport services. Interest income from the use of funds must be used to increase the lump sum; unused amounts are to be returned after six months. The Arnsberg District Government monitors the proper use of funds and ensures the legal framework through administrative regulations as well as the regular re-determination of lump-sum amounts. In this way, the state of NRW promotes an efficient, high-quality, and comprehensive mobility infrastructure that meets the requirements of climate protection, accessibility, and innovative transport services.