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VBN (Verkehrsverbund Bremen/Niedersachsen)

VBN is the transit authority for the Bremen/Niedersachsen region in northern Germany.

Coverage Area

  • Bremen (city and suburbs)
  • Bremerhaven
  • Surrounding Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) counties (e.g. Delmenhorst, Verden, Rotenburg)

Two Provider Variants

VBN is available as two separate selectable providers, both using the same API key:

Provider Endpoint Protocol
VBN OTP http://gtfsr.vbn.de/api/ OpenTripPlanner REST
VBN TRIAS https://fahrplaner.vbn.de/triasproxy/ TRIAS XML (VDV 431-2)

Choose the variant that matches your API key:

  • OTP key (labelled "OTP-API-Key" in the VBN welcome e-mail) → select VBN OTP
  • TRIAS key → select VBN TRIAS

API Details

Property VBN OTP VBN TRIAS
API Key Required (free) Required (free)
Timezone Europe/Berlin Europe/Berlin
Quota 3,000 transactions/day 3,000 transactions/day
Real-time Yes Yes
Platform info No Yes
Agency/Operator Yes No
Stop alerts Yes No

API Key

Getting an API Key

  1. Send an e-mail to api@vbn.de
  2. Briefly describe your use case (e.g. "Home Assistant integration for personal use")
  3. You will receive an API key by e-mail — VBN may issue separate OTP and TRIAS keys
  4. Enter the key during integration setup

Note

The API key is free for non-commercial use. Departure board queries count as 1/5 of a transaction each, so the daily quota of 3,000 transactions effectively covers ~15,000 departure lookups per day.

Tip

Activation may take a few business days after your e-mail request.

Authentication

The API key is sent as a plain HTTP Authorization header (no Bearer prefix):

Authorization: <your-api-key>

Transport Types

VBN OTP (OpenTripPlanner GTFS modes)

OTP Mode Unified Type Description
RAIL train Regional trains
TRAM tram Tram/Straßenbahn (Bremen)
BUS bus City and regional bus
COACH bus Express/regional bus
SUBWAY subway Metro/U-Bahn
FERRY ferry Ferry (Weser-Fähre)

VBN TRIAS (TRIAS PtMode strings)

PtMode Unified Type Description
rail / urbanRail train Regional trains, S-Bahn
metro subway Metro/U-Bahn
tram tram Tram/Straßenbahn (Bremen)
bus / coach bus City and regional bus
water ferry Ferry (Weser-Fähre)

Features by Variant

VBN OTP

  • Stop search: Geocodes your search term via Nominatim (OpenStreetMap), then finds nearby OTP stops within 500 m
  • Agency/Operator: Shown in the agency departure attribute (e.g. "Bremer Straßenbahn AG")
  • Stop alerts: Active service alerts for the stop are attached as notices to all departures
  • Trip planner: Supported — plan A-to-B connections via the OTP /plan endpoint

VBN TRIAS

  • Stop search: Native TRIAS LocationInformationRequest — returns direct name matches
  • Platform info: Platform/track numbers included when provided by VBN
  • Trip planner: Not supported (TRIAS XML trip planning not implemented)

Trip Planner (VBN OTP only)

VBN OTP supports the built-in trip planner. Select Verbindungssuche / Trip Planner (A → B) as entry type during setup.

The integration uses the OTP /plan endpoint with TRANSIT,WALK mode. It resolves stop coordinates automatically from the OTP stop index — no manual coordinate entry needed.

# Service call example
service: openpublictransport.plan_trip
data:
  provider: vbn_otp
  origin: Bremen Hauptbahnhof
  origin_city: Bremen
  destination: Bremen Domsheide
  destination_city: Bremen

The trip sensor shows the next connection as state and exposes legs, transfer_risk, and up to 3 alternative journeys as attributes.

Configuration

Setup Steps

  1. Select VBN OTP or VBN TRIAS as provider
  2. Enter your API key (from your VBN welcome e-mail)
  3. Search for your stop (e.g. "Bremen Hauptbahnhof")
  4. Select the stop from the results list
  5. Configure the number of departures and transport type filters

Example Stops

  • Bremen Hauptbahnhof
  • Bremerhaven Hauptbahnhof
  • Bremen Domsheide
  • Bremen Hauptbahnhof/ZOB
  • Osnabrück Hauptbahnhof

Troubleshooting

HTTP 401 / API Key Issues

If the integration shows a 401 error after stop selection:

  1. Verify the API key was entered correctly (copy-paste from the VBN e-mail)
  2. Confirm you selected the correct variant (OTP key → VBN OTP, TRIAS key → VBN TRIAS)
  3. Check that your daily quota has not been exceeded (3,000 transactions/day)
  4. Confirm the key has been activated by VBN — this can take a few business days

No Departures Found

  1. Re-run the stop search to verify the stop ID is correct
  2. Check that the stop has active services at this time of day
  3. Enable debug logging to inspect raw API responses:
logger:
  logs:
    custom_components.openpublictransport: debug

VBN OTP: Stop Search Returns No Results

OTP has no native name-based stop search. The integration geocodes your search term via Nominatim (OpenStreetMap) and finds stops within 500 m. If no results appear:

  • Use a more specific address (e.g. "Bremen Hauptbahnhof, Bremen" instead of just "Hauptbahnhof")
  • The stop may be outside the 500 m search radius — try a more precise location name