49-euro ticket from May 1st: Advance sales started – already high demand

Advance sales for the 49-euro ticket have started.

However, the Germany ticket is only valid from May.

There is already high demand.

• Advance sales for the

  49-euro ticket

  have started.

  A high demand can already be seen.

• NRW Minister of Transport expects the Deutschlandticket to be very popular.

• The Federal Council has approved the financing plans for the

  49-euro ticket

  .

• This news ticker is continuously updated.

Update from April 4, 7:20 a.m.:

The advance sale of the 49-euro ticket started successfully on Monday, April 3, 2023.

The demand for the Deutschlandticket, which is valid from May 1st, is already high.

“People want the Deutschlandticket.

This morning we had twice as much traffic on our digital sales channels as on an ordinary Monday," a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn told

.

In addition to online purchases, a conclusion is also possible in the respective customer centers on site.

It is issued as a chip card or mobile phone ticket.

The Association of German Transport Companies expects around 5.6 million new customers.

According to the forecast, eleven million existing subscription customers will switch to the Deutschlandticket.

49-euro ticket: Advance sales started – passengers need to know that

Update from April 3, 6:30 a.m.:

From today you can buy the 49-euro ticket.

However, it only applies to passengers in local and regional transport from May 1st.

Then users can use it to travel all over Germany.

Long-distance transport and private providers, on the other hand, are excluded.

The Deutschlandticket is a subscription that can be canceled on a monthly basis.

It is tied to a person and cannot be passed on to other users.

The transport companies sell it online and via the respective mobile phone app.

It can also be ordered through the customer centers.

It can be used digitally on mobile phones from May 1st.

Alternatively, a chip card is also possible.

A purchase at vending machines or in paper form is not planned.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, a number of additional regulations for the Germany ticket are planned or under discussion, but they will only be valid within the federal state.

As of July 1st, as a supplement to the Deutschlandticket, a monthly bicycle subscription valid throughout NRW will be available for 39 euros, the

reports .

An additional ticket for 1st class for 69 euros per month is planned for July 1st, but this is also only valid in NRW.

A social ticket valid throughout NRW is also planned.

Pupils should also be given an offer for NRW-wide trips with local and regional transport.

The prices and start dates for these offers have not yet been determined.

The 49-euro ticket arrives – the last hurdle cleared

Update from April 2nd, 2:30 p.m.:

NRW Transport Minister Oliver Krischer expects the start of sales of the 49-euro ticket on Monday to be very popular.

Mobility in public transport will be rethought with the new offer with a ticket, price and tariff area, said the Green politician, according to his ministry on Sunday.

"The days when customers needed a collective high school diploma when buying trips are over."

Millions of commuters would be relieved by the new ticket.

In addition, many people are offered an incentive for climate-friendly mobility.

In addition to his work as a minister, Krischer is also the chairman of the Federal and State Transport Ministers' Conference.

After approval in the Bundestag: Bundesrat approves the financing law for the 49-euro ticket

Update from March 31, 11:55 a.m .:

The way to start the 49-euro ticket on May 1 is clear.

After the Bundestag, the Bundesrat also approved a financing law on Friday.

According to this, the federal government will provide 1.5 billion euros from 2023 to 2025 to compensate for half of the loss of income from transport providers due to the low ticket price.

The federal states should pay for the other half.

The Federal Ministry of Transport announced that the EU Commission did not need to approve the 49-euro ticket.

Advance sales of the 49-euro ticket start on Monday

Update from March 31, 9:55 a.m .:

Advance sales of the 49-euro ticket start on Monday, April 3.

In NRW, too, customers can then secure their Deutschlandticket as a chip card or in digital form.

You can buy the 49-euro ticket from all local transport companies in the customer centers or online.

For chip card users, the KVB in Cologne offers several advantages with the 49-euro ticket.

These include free minutes when using KVB bikes.

49-euro ticket cheaper: NRW is examining the introduction of a social tariff

Update from March 29, 10:20 a.m.:

North Rhine-Westphalia is examining the introduction of a cheaper social tariff for the 49-euro ticket in the next few months.

, NRW Transport Minister Oliver Krischer (Greens) announced this

on Wednesday a few days before the nationwide start of sales of the Germany ticket on April 3 in Düsseldorf.

"Mobility must become easier and better for everyone and, above all, remain affordable," said the minister.

Other federal states are also examining the introduction of a social tariff for the Deutschlandticket.

Lower Saxony's Minister of Transport: The price of the 49-euro ticket should remain the same for two years

Update from March 28, 4:38 p.m .

: Lower Saxony’s Minister of Transport, Olaf Lies, is in favor of not increasing the price of the Germany ticket from 49 euros per month in the first two years.

"My goal would be to say very clearly that these first two introductory years must be reliable," said the SPD politician to the

.

He wants to give a guarantee, above all, to potential car changers.

But after two years you have to consider whether the price of the 49-euro ticket will change – that is, increase – because of inflation or other factors.

“But you must not give the impression that this is a bait offer.

Then we won't win people over to public mobility," said Lies.

49 euro ticket not enough?

Country meeting should bring clarity

Update from March 23, 7:22 a.m .:

The transport ministers of the federal states end their two-day consultations in Aachen on Thursday.

The results will be presented at noon.

The ministers' agenda primarily included open regulatory details on the 49-euro ticket, for which the Bundestag gave the green light last week.

In some regions, the transport associations have already promised special additional tickets for extra services - for example, to be able to take additional people, animals or bicycles with you at low cost.

The conference of transport ministers should endeavor to achieve harmonization here.

49-euro ticket in Schleswig-Holstein for state employees at a bargain price

Update from March 22, 10:49 p.m.:

Those who work for the state of Schleswig-Holstein will get the 49-euro ticket for a bargain price of only 16.55 euros.

This was announced by the state's finance ministry on Tuesday.

According to this, there is also a state subsidy of 30 euros for the Germany ticket, as has been the case since 2021 for the job ticket from the local transport company Nah.SH.

There is also a Nah.SH discount of 2.45 euros.

"In the future, our employees can choose between the job ticket and the Germany ticket," explained Minister Monika Heinold (Greens).

"I hope that other employers will also take this step and thus become an active part of the mobility turnaround." Around 5,000 state employees in Schleswig-Holstein are currently using the job ticket.

49-euro ticket: cancellation is more complicated than expected

Update from March 22nd, 2:20 p.m

.: If you buy a Germany ticket from May, you should pay attention to a few things when buying.

For example, a purchase in the middle of the month is only worthwhile to a limited extent, since the subscription is only valid from the first to the last day of a month and not for a certain number of days.

The cancellation of the 49-euro ticket is also much less flexible than expected.

As announced, this is possible on a monthly basis, but only at the beginning of the month.

"Anyone who no longer needs the D-Ticket can cancel their subscription by the 10th of the month at the end of the month," says the D-Ticket website, which is operated by the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV).

Deutschlandticket – Ministers of Transport meet in Aachen

Update from March 22, 8:18 a.m .:

The transport ministers of the 16 federal states begin two-day consultations in Aachen on Wednesday (March 22).

The focus is on open questions about the 49-euro ticket for local transport.

The Deutschlandticket, which is valid nationwide, is scheduled to start on May 1st and will be on sale from April.

The chairman of the conference of transport ministers, North Rhine-Westphalia's head of department Oliver Krischer (Greens), is striving for the most uniform possible procedures in the tariff structure for tickets - for example with the student ticket.

The question of how to deal with the transport of bicycles should also be discussed.

The results of the conference of transport ministers are to be presented to the public on Thursday (March 23).

Climate activists and environmental organizations have registered various demonstrations in Aachen for both days of the conference - on Thursday with several hundred participants.

The most important questions and answers about the 49-euro ticket

Many things are still unclear about the Deutschlandticket.

24RHEIN answers the most important questions about the 49-euro ticket.

The DGB calls for improvements to the 49-euro ticket - countries want to address open questions

Update from March 21, 2:43 p.m

.: The 49-euro ticket will officially be launched in a few weeks, but there are still many unanswered questions.

The Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB) now finds clear criticism for what has been planned so far.

Many groups are neglected.

The DGB is therefore calling for the Deutschlandticket to be expanded nationwide to include cheaper social, student and trainee tickets.

According to the DGB, lessons should also be learned from the mistakes of the 9-euro ticket.

Many buses and trains were overloaded last summer and the workload could hardly be managed, said the DGB NRW South-West of the

.

The introduction of the 49-euro ticket would further aggravate this situation.

In order to attract the necessary staff, better wages and working conditions are essential.

On Wednesday (December 22nd) the next conference of transport ministers will start in Aachen, which will deal in particular with the Deutschlandticket.

The states are trying to find procedures that are as uniform as possible, explains NRW Transport Minister Oliver Krischer.

For example, with the semester or student ticket or taking your bike with you.

49-euro ticket should be offered to millions of passengers cheaper

+

The Deutschlandticket could be cheaper than 49 euros a month for many people.

© Christian Ohde/Imago

Update from March 20, 12:25 p.m

.: The federal states are working to ensure that many groups will get the Germany ticket for less than 49 euros in the future.

The main focus is initially a nationwide solution for students.

Saxony is leading the federal states and is lobbying for a "bridging solution" in the semester ticket solidarity model.

"We want to increase the attractiveness of the offer with a discount of ten percent on the Germany ticket and enable the solidarity models to be preserved," Economics Minister Martin Dulig (SPD) justified the proposal on Sunday (March 19).

Talks between the federal and state governments are to take place these weeks.

As already emphasized by NRW Transport Minister Oliver Krischer, the goal is a nationwide student discount on the 49-euro ticket.

But other people should also get the cheap Germany ticket.

Because the states also want to talk about a general, nationwide uniform social ticket with advantages for schoolchildren, apprentices, students and seniors.

Semester tickets should soon be cheaper than 49-euro tickets

Update from March 17, 4:34 p.m .:

The 49-euro ticket was the last topic in the science committee in the NRW state parliament.

At the request of the SPD parliamentary group, the concrete effects of the 49-euro ticket on the NRW semester ticket were discussed.

The NRW state government has taken a position on this.

NRW Minister of Transport Oliver Krischer said: "In the future, students should be able to access the Deutschlandticket at a lower price than the standard price".

In other words: there should be a discount for students.

If the state government has its way, there should be a corresponding discount nationwide.

Bundestag decides on funding for the 49-euro ticket

Update from March 16, 2:27 p.m

.: The 49-euro ticket has cleared another important hurdle.

On Thursday (March 16), the Bundestag officially passed the bill to finance the new public transport subscription.

The traffic light coalition factions agreed, the left abstained, while the Union and AfD voted against it.

The new law stipulates the financial support from the federal government from 2023 to 2025 (each 1.5 billion euros).

This is intended to compensate for half of the loss of revenue for the transport companies.

The federal states pay for the other half.

However, the Germany ticket is not yet completely in the bag.

Because the law still has to be approved by the Federal Council on the one hand and the EU Commission on the other.

However, both are extremely likely.

49-euro ticket: authorities consider Deutschlandticket to be “constitutionally questionable”

Update from March 14, 3:30 p.m .:

In a report to the budget committee, the Federal Court of Auditors pointed out the legal risks associated with the 49-euro ticket to the federal government.

In a letter available to the

, it says that it would be “constitutionally questionable” in particular if the introduction and specific design of the ticket came about through an agreement between the federal and state governments.

the Federal Court of Auditors cites a legal limit from the Basic Law as the background to its concerns

.

There it is stipulated that the organization of public transport in Germany is a matter for the federal states.

The Federal Ministry of Transport had previously emphasized that the introduction of the 49-euro ticket required a state treaty between the states.

"The influence of the federal government is extremely limited," the ministry told the

.

49-euro ticket: Flixbus threatens to reduce the route

Update from March 12, 4:14 p.m .:

The long-distance bus company Flixbus threatens to significantly reduce its route network if it does not become part of the 49-euro ticket.

"We would probably have to cut up to 20 percent of the total offer in Germany," said Flixbus boss André Schwämmlein of the

newspaper.

All in all, "the long-distance bus service in 150 German cities would then deteriorate or it would be completely eliminated".

Individual regions could be "cut off" from the long-distance bus network.

49-euro ticket: the price should be checked regularly

Update from March 10, 10:53 p.m .:

Even before the 49-euro ticket officially appears on May 1, it looks like the price of the ticket won’t last too long.

The federal states recently demanded a fixed regular check as to whether the price for the ticket had to be increased from initially 49 euros.

Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) told the German Press Agency on Friday that the Germany ticket “of course has to be evaluated”.

That was also agreed.

"But we shouldn't take the third and fourth step before the first," Wissing continued.

First and foremost, a smooth start is important to him.

But the fact that there is now more talk of the “Deutschlandticket” and not the “49-euro ticket” seems to make a future price increase likely.

Buy a 49-euro ticket: This is how you can pre-order the Germany ticket

The transport company Transdev gave the go-ahead for pre-ordering the 49-euro ticket in January.

In recent weeks, however, more and more local providers have followed suit.

In the meantime, for example, you can pre-order the Deutschlandticket in NRW from the KVB in Cologne, the Rheinbahn in Düsseldorf or the SWB in Bonn.

This is not yet possible with Deutsche Bahn.

The pre-orders for the 49-euro ticket can be made in various ways.

Either online via the apps and online shops of the respective transport company or by order form in the customer centers.

The same applies to the sale itself. The Deutschlandticket will therefore not be available from machines.

49-euro ticket: What to look out for when pre-ordering

Due to the nationwide validity, it does not matter which transport company bus and train passengers buy the 49-euro ticket from.

But if you already have some form of public transport subscription, you should pay attention to certain things when pre-ordering.

With many transport companies, such as KVB in Cologne, all customers are actively asked if they want to switch to the Deutschlandticket.

Although the price/performance ratio is usually better with this, many additional services such as taking people, dogs or bicycles with you are omitted with the nationwide ticket.

Meanwhile, the companies are being contacted for job and major customer tickets, which in turn are supposed to inform their employees.

There will also be an extra "Upgrade Ticket" for students in addition to the semester ticket.

List of rubrics: © aal.photo/Imago