Since the introduction of the Deutschlandticket, the number of passengers on regional transport has increased by 18 percent. The German Student Union is calling for a nationwide regulation for the almost three million students.
The Deutschlandticket has given the railway a significant increase in regional traffic. Since its introduction in May, there have been “constantly more passengers on our trains,” said Evelyn Palla, board member responsible for regional transport, to the newspapers of the Neue Berliner Editorial Society (NBR).
Overall, there were 18 percent more passengers during this period compared to the time before the ticket was introduced in the spring. More than 50 percent of DB Regio passengers have the Deutschlandticket, Palla said. This makes the 49 euro ticket “a really big success”.
The ticket will continue next year. At their top-level meeting in the Chancellery at the beginning of the week, the federal and state governments agreed to use unused funds from this year next year. The Conference of Transport Ministers should develop a concept for further financing. An increase in the ticket price cannot be ruled out.
Palla praised the decisions. The constant discussions about continuation are “damaging for public transport”. Plannability is important for consumers. “Whether the price will ultimately be increased will be decided by the federal and state governments, not Deutsche Bahn.”
Student Union calls for a nationwide solution
The CEO of the German Student Union, Matthias Anbuhl, called for a nationwide solution for the almost three million students in Germany. It was regrettable that there was no decision on this at the recent meeting between the federal and state governments, he told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “Because there is still no nationwide solution for obtaining your semester tickets, they are now no longer available at many universities,” explained Anbuhl.
Since the launch of the Deutschlandticket, there has been discussion about how existing regional semester tickets can be integrated into the new, nationwide offer. Because the current semester tickets are funded by solidarity, every student is obliged to purchase one. However, the price differences to the nationwide 49 euro ticket are not too big. That’s why student representatives in many places have terminated major customer contracts with regional transport associations.
An upgrade option has been introduced in numerous regions. Semester tickets can be upgraded to Germany tickets by paying an additional fee. But this is not yet possible nationwide.