Germany increases 'Deutschlandticket' price to €58

The "Deutschlandticket" monthly travel pass allows passengers unlimited trips on local and regional trains, trams and buses. Starting in 2025, the ticket will be €9 more expensive.

German transport authorities will increase the price of the "Deutschlandticket" to €58 ($64.50) starting next year, they announced on Monday.

From January 2025, the nationwide public transport ticket will cost €9 more than the current price of €49 per month.

Transport ministers from Germany's states met in Düsseldorf on Monday to discuss the future of the scheme as the national railway Deutsche Bahn stares down a budgetary black hole.

"This is a moderate price increase," said North Rhine-Westphalia's Transport Minister Oliver Krischer.

"We believe that it will continue to be attractive for consumers."

What is the Deutschlandticket?

The Deutschlandticket was introduced in May 2023 and now has more than 13 million monthly users.

It followed the "€9 ticket" that ran for just three months in the summer of 2022 as a way of helping people struggling with soaring energy prices.

That ticket cost only €9 per month and saw a major increase in the number of people traveling by train.

Like its predecessor, the Deutschlandticket allows passengers unlimited journeys on all local transport — trains, trams and buses — as well as on regional trains between cities.

However, it has acted as a price cap, with regional transport companies missing out on usual revenue from single tickets or seasonal passes.

The chair of the Federation of German Consumer Organizations, Ramona Pop, said passengers would turn their backs on trains and busses if authorities raised the price of the Deutschlandticket.

"The Deutschlandticket is a highlight of the 'traffic light' government that has been met with a lot of approval. It must remain affordable for all," she said.

The "traffic light" refers to the governing coalition of the "red" center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the "yellow" neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP).

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zc/wmr (dpa, AFP, Reuters)