Card for bus and train

Deutschlandticket only secured for this year

Millions of users of the Deutschlandticket do not know what will happen next year. Funding for the ticket for public transport is only secured until the end of 2025.

The Deutschlandticket has cost 58 euros for one month since January and entitles the holder to travel on all local and regional buses and trains throughout Germany. Around 13.5 million people in Germany now use the ticket, which was introduced in May 2023. 

The federal government provides a subsidy of 1.5 billion euros per year to compensate for the loss of revenue for transport companies. A further 1.5 billion euros comes from the federal states. In order for the ticket to be continued, the so-called Regionalization Act would now have to be amended. According to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), the extra costs are currently well over three billion euros per year. In the previous year, 3.45 billion euros were required in compensation payments.

In order to finance the Deutschlandticket in the long term, the federal and state governments need to commit sufficient funds.

VDV-Präsident Ingo Wortmann

"In order to ensure long-term financing of the Deutschlandticket, the federal and state governments need to commit sufficient funds, including annual dynamization, so that the ticket can remain attractive for passengers," said VDV President Ingo Wortmann. If the ticket were to become 20 euros more expensive per month, some people would cancel it.

Greens want a cheaper ticket
The SPD and the Greens have now called for long-term security. The federal government must contribute at least half of the funding in the long term, said North Rhine-Westphalia's Transport Minister Oliver Krischer (Greens). "The fact is: when we talk about price increases, we cannot completely exclude the general price increase. But they must remain moderate and explainable, because the success of the ticket is also linked to the low price," said Lower Saxony's Transport Minister Olaf Lies (SPD).

The Greens, on the other hand, want the price to be reduced to the original 49 euros per month. The word "Deutschlandticket" does not appear in the CDU and CSU election manifesto.