Passenger advisory board has elected a new chairman
04.09.2025 – In March, the Passenger Advisory Board was reappointed as scheduled. At its second meeting with the new members, the Passenger Advisory Board has now elected Jörg Schwarzwälder as its new chairman. Schwarzwälder represents the city parents' council on the passenger advisory board. The committee elected frequent traveler Sabrina Rühl as his deputy.
The Passenger Advisory Board is committed to the interests of bus and rail passengers in Offenbach and represents an independent link between passengers and the Stadtwerke Offenbach subsidiary NiO Nahverkehr in Offenbach GmbH as the municipal organization responsible for public transport. It consists of half representatives of organizations and associations and half representatives of non-organized public transport users and meets three times a year.
"I hold the seat of the City Parents' Council on the Passenger Advisory Board. Therefore, the topics of school travel safety and mobility for pupils are naturally close to my heart. Overall, our aim as a passenger advisory board is to help shape an attractive service for everyone - regardless of age, language, origin or profession," says Jörg Schwarzwälder.
Jörg Schwarzwälder, Chairman of the Passenger Advisory BoardEveryone should feel invited to use public transport - especially those who have not used it before.
Passenger advisory board is an important driving force
As a representative body and mouthpiece for passengers, the advisory board has a comprehensive right to information, consultation and suggestions. "The Passenger Advisory Board is an important source of inspiration for us," says Anja Georgi, Managing Director of Stadtwerke's Geschäftsfeld Mobilität. "Anyone who regularly travels by bus and train knows best where things are going well and where there is room for improvement. The composition of the panel brings in different perspectives. These experiences and suggestions help us to further develop our local transport services in line with demand."
To ensure that the interests of all passengers are represented, the composition of the Passenger Advisory Board ensures that young adults between the ages of 16 and 30, working and non-working people, senior citizens and occasional and frequent travelers are all represented. The composition of the Passenger Advisory Board is decided by the NiO Supervisory Board.
Contact for higher-level matters
The representatives of the organized interest groups primarily represent the interests of passengers who turn to the organization to which they belong. The non-organized representatives mainly share their experiences and observations. In general, passengers can also turn to the Passenger Advisory Council with their concerns if these do not relate to individual cases but are of a more general nature.
"Anyone with a specific complaint about a journey should contact the complaints management team at Stadtwerke's Geschäftsfeld Mobilität directly," says Jörg Schwarzwälder. "Passengers can also approach us as a passenger advisory board with concerns that affect a specific population group or the residents of an entire district, for example."