2024-09-22 16:39:27
Dispute over the Deutschlandticket
49 euros is the pain threshold for most people
21.09.2024 – 13:41Reading time: 3 min.
How much should the Deutschlandticket cost? The transport ministers will discuss this next week. A price increase is highly likely.
The current price of 49 euros per month for the Deutschlandticket is already the financial pain threshold for many subscribers and interested parties. 30 percent of those who have previously subscribed to a Deutschlandticket at least temporarily or are interested in it in principle would cancel the subscription or no longer buy a ticket if the price increased. This is the result of a YouGov survey commissioned by the German Press Agency.
It is certain that the Deutschlandticket will become more expensive. On Monday, the transport ministers of the states want to agree on a new price. According to the Bavarian Transport Ministry, the price must be increased to 64 euros from 2025 in order to cover the costs. Other states are more cautious. As the dpa learned from state circles, the trend is more towards 54 to 59 euros.
According to the survey, if the price were higher than 54 euros, another sixth of those surveyed would cancel their subscription or not buy a ticket again. For a good quarter, the pain threshold is more than 59 euros. According to the survey, only just under a fifth would be prepared to accept an even higher price.
Overall, almost a third of those surveyed have had a Deutschlandticket for at least a month since it was introduced. Almost one in five can imagine buying one, even if they have not yet taken out a subscription.
The Deutschlandticket for 49 euros a month has been valid since May 1, 2023. It entitles you to travel on all local and regional buses and trains nationwide, but not on long-distance trains. The ticket is intended as a subscription, but can be canceled monthly. For commuters, especially in metropolitan areas, it is often cheaper than previous season tickets.
For the survey, 2,048 adults in Germany were interviewed online between September 18 and 20. The results were weighted and are representative of the population in Germany aged 18 and over.
For the transport ministers, the price decision is a balancing act: “We cannot risk too many customers jumping ship due to excessive price increases,” warned Baden-Württemberg’s minister Winfried Hermann (Greens). The ticket must remain affordable for as many people as possible.
Local and regional transport is organised on behalf of the states in the transport associations. Expectations there differ. “The higher the price increase, the more customers will react by switching,” a spokeswoman for the Rhine-Ruhr Transport Association (VRR) told the German Press Agency.
The Rhein-Sieg Transport Association (VRS) and the Aachen Transport Association (AVV) explained that calculations for the Rhineland showed that 69 euros per month would bring the Deutschlandticket significantly closer to economic viability. This was also the result of original calculations by the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV).
Transport association: Coverage gap in the billions
The dispute over the financing of the Deutschlandticket is as old as the subscription itself. The transport companies are suffering high revenue losses due to the cheaper offer. The federal and state governments had originally agreed to each compensate for this loss by half. The regionalization funds with which the federal government supports the states in providing public transport were increased for this purpose.
Nevertheless, there are always disputes about the long-term security of the ticket. VDV managing director Alexander Möller told the newspaper “Welt” that next year there would be a funding gap of one billion euros. “From 2026 onwards, the entire financing of the ticket is unclear because there is still no funding commitment from the federal and state governments.”
According to a survey conducted by the newspaper, the states that are generally open to a price increase, in addition to Bavaria, are Rhineland-Palatinate and Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein, Baden-Württemberg and Berlin, Saxony-Anhalt and North Rhine-Westphalia. Other states did not comment before the conference.