Public transport users in Germany will soon be able to purchase a physical or digital contactless travel pass that will enable them to make unlimited journeys on local and regional public transport services across the entire country for a fixed monthly fee.

The Deutschland-Ticket will be available for €49 (US$52) per month as either a contactless smartcard or a digital QR code-enabled ticket stored on a user’s smartphone. It will be valid throughout Germany for second class travel on rail, bus and other transport services operated by regional and local providers as well as national carriers including German rail network Deutsche Bahn.

The Deutschland-Ticket app will also provide users with access to real-time transport information as well as bicycle, scooter and car sharing offers.

The national rollout follows a three-month promotion in summer 2022 that enabled passengers to pay a single €9 (US$9.60) flat fee for a month’s public transport use across Germany. It is being implemented by transport providers using technology compliant with electronic fare management standards developed by the German association of transport providers VDV’s eTicket Service to ensure nationwide interoperability.

Nationwide harmonisation

“The transport companies and associations are working flat out on the implementation of the Germany ticket, which will be sold nationwide from the beginning of April and will be valid nationwide from 1 May,” VDV explains.

“On the way there, numerous measures have to be implemented. A key project is the digitization and nationwide harmonisation of sales and control infrastructures. Because the ticket should only be offered digitally (via smartphone and chip card) and every ticket must be controllable everywhere. This requires Germany-wide coordination because the local digital requirements are very different.”

“The Deutschland-Ticket results from the nine-euro ticket that was offered on a promotional basis in the summer months of 2022. The nine-euro ticket was introduced on the initiative of the federal government to relieve the burden on citizens due to the sharp rise in costs for electricity, food, heating and mobility,” Deutsche Bahn says.

“Due to the great success of the nine-euro ticket and the climate-friendly effect of the increased use of public transport, the Deutschland-Ticket is to be introduced as a permanent season ticket offer in cooperation with the federal and state governments as part of the federal government’s third relief package.

“As a ‘flat rate for regional transport’, the Germany ticket simplifies local transport tariffs, as it enables travel across national and tariff borders. It is therefore a strong argument to switch from the car to a climate-friendly means of transport.”

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