Price of flat-rate Germany-wide public transport ticket to rise in 2025 – media

The price of the Germany Ticket, a monthly subscription allowing passengers to travel on regional transport across the whole country, is set to increase next year from its current 49 euros per month due to budget shortfalls, although it's unclear what the new monthly price will be, according to German media reports. Following a special transport ministers' conference, North Rhine Westphalia's transport minister Oliver Krischer told reporters that a new price will be decided in October and come into force in 2025. "As transport ministers of the federal states, we naturally want to maintain the attractiveness of the ticket. We will do everything we can to ensure that this increase is as moderate as possible," said Krischer, referring to inflation, increasing costs and a 350 million euro cut in federal government funding. The ticket is subsidised with federal and state funding to the tune of 3 billion euros.  

The Germany Ticket is generally considered a success with more than 11 million users. A recent analysis by transport policy think tank Agora Verkehrswende partly attributed the dip in cars on German roads to the popularity of the ticket, saying that more people are opting for long-distance trains. The Deutschlandticket, introduced in spring 2023, has been hailed as a potential breakthrough in transport policy that could trigger a long-term change to mobility patterns. However, the issue of how to fund the ticket has been debated by the federal government and states since it was introduced, casting doubt on the offer’s long-term viability.