In view of the falling number of Deutschland ticket users, Green Party leader Katharina Dröge is calling for the ticket price to be lowered again. "The Deutschland ticket should be a 49-euro ticket again. And remain permanent," Dröge told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (Friday).
The ticket had become too expensive, especially for many young people. “Yet the ticket was a great success: it made bus and train travel affordable for trainees, students and people on low incomes,” the Green politician emphasized. Dröge accused the CDU/CSU and SPD of jeopardizing the continued existence of the Deutschland ticket with their policies.
“What we need now is reliable, long-term funding - and a falling price,” she emphasized. Buses and trains are climate-friendly and are there for everyone. “They must also be accessible to everyone.” Following the price increase for the Deutschland ticket at the turn of the year, the number of people using the ticket plummeted by more than one million, according to market research conducted by the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) and Deutsche Bahn.
With the price increase from 49 to 58 euros in January, the number of users fell to 13.4 million - compared to 14.5 million in December 2024. Among young people between the ages of 14 and 29, the figures even fell by more than a third. Market research attributes more than half of the decline to the price increase.
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