üstra Hannoversche Verkehrsbetriebe AG is the operator of
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...
in the city of
Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. The company is a member of the
Großraum-Verkehr Hannover (GVH) transport association.
From 2003 to 2006, it had
outsourced its operations, but officially resumed as a service provider on January 1, 2007.
History
Üstra was originally the abbreviation for ''Überlandwerke und Straßenbahnen Hannover AG''. The company also provided electricity to private customers as well as operating
bus and
tram
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
services - not only in the city of Hannover but also to the outlying villages and small towns. This field was spun off in 1929 (becoming the ''HASTRA''). In 1960, the company changed its name to ''Hannoversche Verkehrsbetriebe (ÜSTRA) AG'', then to ''ÜSTRA Hannoversche Verkehrsbetriebe AG'' in 1980, changing the word üstra to lowercase in 1996.
The rural tram lines which were mostly singletrack brought coal (from Barsinghausen), milk and farm produce to the city but this business dwindled down with the motorisation in the 1950s and 1960s.
In 2001, ownership of the rail network, tunnels and stations of the
Hanover Stadtbahn was transferred to ''Infrastrukturgesellschaft Region Hannover GmbH''.
Company structure
From 2004 to New Year's Eve 2006, the operative business was handled by
intalliance AG. üstra had transferred more than 1900 employees to intalliance and acted as a
holding company
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...
, having owned significant shares in intalliance AG, the TransTec holdings (providing technical services) and the protective service GmbH (the former
security
Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercion). Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be persons and social groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems, or any other entity or ...
branch of üstra). Its shares in
htp GmbH, a local
telecommunications
Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...
provider, were sold off in 2004.
External links
üstra corporate web siteTram Travels: Üstra Hannoversche Verkehrsbetriebe
Companies based in Hanover
Public transport operators of Germany
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