How expensive will the Deutschlandticket be from 2025? The transport ministers will decide on this question today in a special digital conference. The transport ministers of the federal states had already announced in July that the price of the ticket, which currently costs 49 euros per month, would have to increase.
According to the Bavarian Ministry of Transport, the price must be raised to 64 euros from 2025. The reason for this is the need to cover costs. Other countries are more cautious. As the German Press Agency learned from state circles, the trend is more towards 54 to 59 euros.
Countries see little room for maneuver
“Given the rising costs, a price increase could only be avoided if the federal government made additional funds available. However, that is currently not foreseeable,” said NRW Transport Minister Oliver Krischer (Greens). “That is why we cannot avoid a moderate price increase, which on the one hand must not jeopardize the attractiveness of the ticket and on the other hand also puts the ticket on a solid financial basis.”
Baden-Württemberg’s Minister Winfried Hermann (Greens) warned against too large a price increase: “We must not risk too many customers jumping ship due to excessive price increases.” The ticket must continue to remain affordable for as many people as possible.
Lower Saxony’s Transport Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) called for a reliable price: “We cannot make giant leaps now.” Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Economics Minister Reinhard Meyer (SPD) said that the scope for a price increase was very small. Every euro counts.
Schleswig-Holstein’s Transport Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen spoke out in favor of a moderate price increase. “We need continuity and a reasonable price,” said the CDU politician. An index model for price development is also necessary. “It cannot be the case that the transport ministers have to get together every now and then to discuss ticket prices.”
Threatening terminations due to price increases
If the price increase is too high, customers are at risk of cancelling their subscriptions. This is shown by a study of how current Deutschlandticket customers would react to higher prices. According to the analysis, if the price increases by five euros (10.2 percent), 6.7 to 7.1 percent of customers would be lost. Even if the price increases by ten euros (20.4 percent), the picture is less clear: According to the analysis, 10.3 to 21.1 percent of Deutschlandticket customers would be lost. If the price increases by 2.50 euros, 2.4 to 3.9 percent of customers would cancel their subscriptions.
The result of a YouGov survey is similar. According to it, 49 euros is already the 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 one would cancel the subscription or no longer buy a ticket if the price increased. There are tariff areas in Germany where a normal monthly ticket currently costs even more – but without the advantage of being able to use it nationwide on local and regional transport.
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 have been increased for this purpose. So far, the federal and state governments have each contributed around 1.5 billion euros.
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