A Deutschlandticket chip card from the HVV.
A BVG advert advertising the Deutschlandticket using the Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie.

The Deutschlandticket (lit. 'Germany ticket') often shorted to the D-Ticket, also known as the 49-Euro-Ticket, is a subscription public transport ticket for all local public transport, valid in the whole of Germany, that costs 49 euros per month. The Scholz cabinet introduced it in May 2023 as a permanent successor to the 9-Euro-Ticket which had been offered in Summer 2022. The German federation (Bund) and the federal states (Länder) initially participate in the financing with 1.5 billion euros per year until 2025.[1]

Ticket conditions

Validity

The ticket is valid on all local and regional buses, trams, metros, S-Bahn trains, and local and regional trains (RB/RE) across the whole of Germany, except on some RE trains operated by DB Fernverkehr.

It is usually valid on international eligible trains from/to end stations in a neighbour country, if operated by a German operator.[2] Deutschlandticket holders can also go to a number of border tariff stations outside Germany using their passes including; Tønder (Tønder Bahnhof) in Denmark, Wissembourg (Gare de Wissembourg) in France, Basel in Switzerland and Świnoujście (Świnoujście Centrum) in Poland.[3]

It is not valid on long-distance trains (such as Intercity Express (ICE), Intercity (IC) and Eurocity (EC) trains operated by Deutsche Bahn) and on long-distance bus coaches (such as those operated by Flixbus).[4][5]

The ticket is only valid for transportation in second class. Often it is possible to buy upgrades to first class (if available) from the concerned operator. Children under 6 years old travel for free, but older children need their own ticket.[6] The Deutschlandticket does not include transportation for pets or for bicycles in cases where they require a separate ticket.[6]

Sales

The Deutschlandticket is sold as a monthly subscription at a cost of 49 euros per month. The ticket is valid for a calendar month, and is automatically renewed, with payment taken by SEPA direct debit from the user's bank account or by credit card. The subscription can be cancelled by the 10th day of each month.[7] Users wishing to purchase a new subscription for the current month on the 11th day of the month or later must pay for at least the current and the following calendar month.[8]

The Deutschlandticket is sold by participating local transit authorities. It is issued as a digital ticket via mobile apps offered by local transit authorities.[9] It can also be issued on a chip smartcard using the "eTicket Deutschland" standard. Employers can subsidise the ticket for their employees, and university students can upgrade their "Semesterticket" to a Deutschlandticket.[9] Some communities have additionally subsided the ticket for those on low income, senior citizens and apprentices. The city of Tübingen has gone as far as subsidising the ticket to every resident, so they can get it for 34 euros per month.[10] While in the city of Stuttgart, the local council has offered the Deutschlandticket to its employees as an employee benefit.[11]

The BahnCard 100, a rail card offered by Deutsche Bahn allowing unlimited travel on its trains, includes a Deutschlandticket at no additional charge.[12]

History

After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, energy prices in Germany rose significantly. In response, the government introduced the heavily subsidized 9-Euro-Ticket, which allowed unlimited use of public local transportation across Germany at a cost of 9 euros per calendar month. It was available for June, July, and August 2022.[13] After the end of this 3-month period, politicians called for a permanent successor ticket that would offer similar simplicity,[14] though there was debate about its price.[15]

At the end of November 2022, transport ministers reaffirmed the commitment to the monthly ticket for 49 euros, and it was planned to start in April 2023, as an earlier start already in January was considered too early for implementation.[16] But the start has been delayed further by one month as there was still opposition from the local and regional transportation services like the Munich MVV that wanted more refunding from the federal and the state governments.[17]

On 31 March 2023, the Bundesrat approved the bill passed by the Bundestag for a nationwide ticket for local and regional public transportation at a monthly price of 49 euros.[18] The monthly tickets started in May 2023, but can only be purchased by subscription. There are no paper tickets for the subscription – with the possible exception at the start-up phase;[19] the users have to authenticate digitally (either via smartphone app or chip card).[20]

The ticket price is to be adjusted to inflation each year, although the 49 euro price is intended to be fixed for at least the first two years of operation of the ticket.[21]

On 31 July, three months after the introduction of the Deutschlandticket, the transport ministry reported that 11 million people have subscribed to the ticket. They announced that of out of this; 5 million are from existing subscribers to monthly transport passes, 5 million are new subscribers from existing public transport ticket holders and one million are brand new users of public transport.[22] On the 13 September, the Hamburg transport agency reported that itself has sold over a million subscriptions.[23]

Since the summer of 2023, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) has been arguing with the federal states about the financing of the ticket. The financing of the ticket is unclear. Both sides have so far contributed 1.5 billion euros annually. If there is not enough money, the federal and state governments currently share the additional costs. The federal government rejects further financial commitments from 2024.[24]

The Stendal district decided at the beginning of December 2023 that the ticket will no longer be valid on its buses from January 1, 2024. This would have meant that the Deutschlandticket would no longer be valid across the board.[25] However, the district council reverted this decision two weeks later and the Deutschlandticket remains a valid ticket in the Stendal district.[26]

Interest outside Germany

Due to popularity and interest in the Deutschlandticket in Germany, other countries gained an interest in doing a similar scheme in their country.

Portugal

On 30 June 2023, influenced by Deutschlandticket, the eco-socialist LIVRE party proposed a monthly rail pass for the regional trains by the state-owned rail operator Comboios de Portugal in the country's annual budget.[27] The proposal passed through parliament, and the Portuguese government said it was introducing from the 1 August 2023, a 49 euros per month regional rail pass called the Passe Ferroviário Nacional (National Train Pass).[28][29] It would allow unlimited travel on all regional trains , known as comboios regionais apart from the tourist trains like the Comboio Histórico do Douro, and suburban rail services in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra.[30]

Critics like have said the rules and exclusions of the pass, there are virtually no regional rail services in the middle of the country and frequent strikes by rail workers makes the pass worthless.[31]

France

On 9 June 2023, the minister Volker Wissing said in an interview with Berliner Morganpost, that he was talking to his French counterpart Clément Beaune about the scheme in a meeting between the two ministers during a discussion about a Franco-German student travel scheme.[32]

In an interview with French YouTuber Hugo Travers on 4 September 2023, French president Emmanuel Macron said his government is looking at a French equivalent of the Deutschlandticket.[33][34] Later that week on the 7 September, on France 2's breakfast programme Télématin, Beaune said the transport ministry is provisionally working on a similar scheme called "Pass Rail" which would come in the summer of 2024.[35][36] The ticket would allow unlimited travel throughout France on the country's regional trains, the TERs and the regular Intercités for 49 euros per month. Beaune said the government is talking to local authorities about including local bus and trams as well.

Reactions to the proposal by others were mixed, the region of Grand Est is supportive saying that it is good idea,[37] while the region of Hauts-de-France was critical particularly over costs, pointing out that his region already subsidises its TER to the tune of 530 million euros.[38] The president of the Île-de-France region Valérie Pécresse said in an interview on France 3 Paris Île-de-France, that cost of such for the scheme would be around 1.8 billion euros for her region, which is unaffordable.[39] Wissing has said he would to interlink the two schemes, so that persons could use either pass in each other countries.[40]

On 27 September, Beaune and the presidents of all the regions, came together in Saint-Malo to begin discussions on financing such scheme, together with general rail finance such track fees and rolling stock. It is hoped that such a subscription would be available by the summer of 2024.[41]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "49-Euro-Ticket: Bund und Länder einigen sich auf Finanzierung". Spiegel Online. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  2. ↑ Mit dem Deutschland-Ticket ins Ausland fahren
  3. ↑ Wüstenberg, Daniel (18 May 2023). "Nach Dänemark, Österreich oder Frankreich: So wird das Deutschlandticket zum Auslandticket" [To Denmark, Austria or France: This is how the Germany ticket becomes a Foreign ticket]. Stern (in German). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  4. ↑ "FAQ - Mein Deutschlandticket kennenlernen". Transdev. 27 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  5. ↑ "Startseite | D-Ticket". www.d-ticket.info (in German). 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  6. 1 2 "The Deutschland-Ticket". www.bahn.com. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  7. ↑ Deutschlandtarifverbund-GmbH (3 April 2023). "Tarifbestimmungen für das Deutschland-Ticket" (PDF).
  8. ↑ Rundfunk, Bayerischer (27 April 2023). "49-Euro-Ticket: Wo man das Deutschlandticket kaufen kann" (in German). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. 1 2 "FAQ zum Deutschlandticket | Bundesregierung". Die Bundesregierung informiert | Startseite (in German). Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  10. ↑ "Deutschlandticket Tübingen - Verkehrsverbund naldo". www.naldo.de. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  11. ↑ "Landeshauptstadt führt kostenfreies Deutschlandticket für ihre Beschäftigten ein" [The state capital is introducing a free Deutschlandticket for its employees.]. Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart (in German). 26 January 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Ab Montag verkauft die DB das Deutschland-Ticket". www.deutschebahn.com (in German). Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  13. ↑ "Germany introduces 3 months of cheap travel – DW – 05/20/2022". dw.com. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  14. ↑ Küstner, Kai. "Wissing wirbt für bundesweit gültige Nahverkehrstickets". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  15. ↑ NACHRICHTEN, n-tv. "Ampel streitet weiter über bundesweites Ticket". n-tv.de (in German). Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "Verkehrsminister tagen zum Deutschlandticket: 49-Euro-Fahrkarte soll zum 1. April kommen". 2 December 2022 (in German). 30 November 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  17. ↑ "49-Euro-Ticket im MVV-Raum nur mit Finanzierungszusage" [49-euro ticket in the MVV area only with funding commitment]. www.br.de (in German). 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  18. ↑ "Letzte Hürde genommen – Auch Bundesrat stimmt für 49-Euro-Ticket" [Last hurdle cleared - Bundesrat also votes in favor of 49-euro ticket]. www.welt.de (in German). 31 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  19. ↑ "49-Euro-Ticket: Für wen sich das Deutschlandticket lohnt" [49-euro ticket: For whom the Deutschlandticket is profitable]. www.adac.de (in German). 31 March 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023. Das Deutschlandticket wird es als Chipkarte oder als Handyticket geben – übergangsweise ist es auch in Papierform mit QR-Code geplant. [The Deutschlandticket will be available as a chip card or a cell phone ticket - for a transitional period, it is also planned in paper form with a QR code.]
  20. ↑ "Bundeskabinett stimmt zu: 49-Euro-Ticket soll als Chipkarte oder per App erhältlich sein" [Federal cabinet approves: 49-euro ticket to be available as chip card or via app]. www.mdr.de (in German). 1 February 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  21. ↑ "So soll das "Deutschlandticket" funktionieren". Tagesschau.de (in German). 3 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  22. ↑ "BMDV - Deutschlandticket: "Ein echter Gamechanger"" [BMDV - Deutschlandticket: "A real game changer"]. Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr (in German). Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  23. ↑ Tjarks, Anjes [@anjes_tjarks] (13 September 2023). "1 Million Abos im hvv - wir haben mit dem #Deutschlandticket eine große Schallmauer durchbrochen. Das ist ein toller Erfolg für #Mobilitätswende und #Klimaschutz. Das Ticket ist aber auch eine wichtige soziale Maßnahme und macht Mobilität im hvv so günstig wie zuletzt 1993" [1 million subscriptions to hvv - we have broken a big sound barrier with the #Deutschlandticket . This is a great success for #Mobilitätswende and #Klimaschutz . But the ticket is also an important social measure and makes mobility in the hvv cheaper than it was last in 1993.] (Tweet) (in German) – via Twitter.
  24. ↑ "Fahrgastverband Pro Bahn warnt vor Ende des 49-Euro-Tickets". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  25. ↑ "Erster Landkreis verlässt Deutschlandticket - weitere fordern Unterstützung". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  26. ↑ mdr.de. "Deutschlandticket in Stendal: Kreistag stimmt für Verbleib | MDR.DE". www.mdr.de (in German). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  27. ↑ Muacho, Paulo (30 June 2023). "Passe Ferroviário Nacional proposto pelo LIVRE avança". LIVRE (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  28. ↑ "Passe Ferroviário Nacional dá acesso a todos os comboios regionais por 49€/mês" [National Rail Pass gives access to all regional trains for €49/month]. www.portugal.gov.pt. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  29. ↑ "Portugal introduces unlimited monthly rail pass for €49". euronews. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  30. ↑ "National Train Pass". Comboios de Portugal. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  31. ↑ ""Muito insuficiente". Novo Passe Ferroviário abrange cerca de 7% dos passageiros da CP - Renascença" [“Completely useless.” New rail pass covers only around 7% of CP passengers.]. Rádio Renascença (in European Portuguese). 8 July 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  32. ↑ "Wissing: Mit dem Deutschlandticket nach Paris" [Wissing: With the Germany ticket to Paris]. Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (in German). 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  33. ↑ "Macron dreams of a French "Deutschland Ticket"". RailTech.com. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  34. ↑ "Interview du Président Emmanuel Macron par Hugo Décrypte". elysee.fr (in French). 3 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  35. ↑ @telematin (7 September 2023). "🔴🗣️ Clément Beaune annonce la mise en place à l'été prochain d'un "Pass Rail pour tous" sur le modèle des Allemands. Il coûtera "autour de 49 € par mois" et permettra de voyager en illimité avec les TER et Intercités. #Les4V @CBeaune" [🔴🗣️ Clément Beaune announces the implementation next summer of a "Pass Rail for all" on the model of the Germans. It will cost "around 49 € per month" and will allow unlimited travel with TER and Intercités. #Les4V @CBeaune] (Tweet) (in French) – via Twitter.
  36. ↑ "France to launch German-style cut-price monthly rail pass". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 7 September 2023. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  37. ↑ "Pass rail à 49 euros : une "bonne idée" mais à "expérimenter progressivement" selon la région Grand Est" [Rail pass at 49 euros: a "good idea" but to be "experimented gradually" says the Grand Est region]. France 3 Grand Est (in French). 7 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  38. ↑ "Macron proposes German-style national rail pass". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  39. ↑ Valérie, Pécresse [@AvecValerie] (9 September 2023). "#PassRail :"Le pass rail à 49€/mois en Île-de-France c'est du pipeau total. En Île-de-France pour financer ce pass, il faudrait trouver 1,8 milliards d'euros. C'est impossible."💬 @vpecress ⤵️" [#PassRail : "The Pass Rail at 49 €/month in Île-de-France is a complete joke. In Île-de-France to finance this pass, we would have to find 1.8 billion euros. That's impossible." 💬 @vpecresse ⤵️] (Tweet) (in French). Retrieved 11 September 2023 – via Twitter.
  40. ↑ v@BMDV (7 September 2023). "Brandenburger Tor, Eiffelturm & nur 1️⃣ Ticket? Frankreich plant 49€-Ticket wie Deutschland! "@emmanuelMacron schlägt #DeutschlandTicket vor – großer Schritt für den klimaneutralen ÖPNV", so @Wissing. Mehr Reisen & Abenteuer. Bald mit 1 Ticket durch 🇩🇪, 🇫🇷 & vielleicht ganz 🇪🇺 ?" [Brandenburg Gate, Eiffel Tower & only 1️⃣ ticket? France plans 49 € ticket like Germany! " @emmanuelMacron proposes #DeutschlandTicket - a big step for climate-neutral public transport," says @Wissing. More travel & adventure. Soon with 1 ticket through 🇩🇪 , 🇫🇷 & maybe all the way 🇪🇺 ?] (Tweet) (in German) – via Twitter.
  41. ↑ Haylock, David (2 October 2023). "France explores monthly public transport pass". International Rail Journal.
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