Germany set to raise price of flat-rate public transport ticket next year
Tagesspiegel
The price of Germany’s countrywide flat-rate public transport ticket could rise by about ten percent to between 62 and 64 euros per month in 2026, newspaper Tagesspiegel reported.
The “Deutschlandticket” allows passengers to use all regional and local public transport across the country, currently for a monthly price of 58 euros. The ticket’s price had already risen from 49 euros the previous year.
The cost of the Germany ticket is a constant point of contention between the federal government and the states, who share the cost of the initiative. The government agreed to support the ticket with 1.5 billion euros next year, with the states matching the amount. However, city and transport associations say this is not enough to compensate transport companies for their expected revenue losses and additional costs.
Negotiations on the future financing of the ticket will take place tomorrow, 18 September, at a special conference of all regional transport ministers. A preparatory document, seen by Tagesspiegel, stipulated the price rise next year and proposed a further increase in the following years. The German states are set to present their financing proposal there, and aim for the federal government and states to commit to continue funding the ticked with 1.5 billion euros each until 2030, the newspaper reported.
The ticket is credited with reducing carbon emissions in the transport sector by five percent, and has led to a steep rise in people using regional trains. “The value of this offer is so much higher than its cost,” said Greenpeace mobility expert Marissa Reiserer reacting to the reported price increase. “Transport minister Patrick Schnieder and his state colleagues must not ignore this.”
The coalition government between the CDU/CSU alliance and the Social Democrats (SPD) pledged to extend the Deutschlandticket beyond 2025, and gradually increase the proportion of user financing from 2029 onwards.
