Deutschlandticket

The Deutschlandticket (lit. 'Germany ticket') often shorted to the D-Ticket, also known as the 49-Euro-Ticket, is a subscription public transport ticket for all local public transport, valid in the whole of Germany, that costs 49 euros per month. The Scholz cabinet introduced it in May 2023 as a permanent successor to the 9-Euro-Ticket which had been offered in Summer 2022. The German federation (Bund) and the federal states (Länder) initially participate in the financing with 1.5 billion euros per year until 2025.

Validity
The ticket is valid on all local and regional buses, trams, metros, S-Bahn trains, and local and regional trains (RB/RE) across the whole of Germany, except on some RE trains operated by DB Fernverkehr.

It is usually valid on international eligible trains from/to end stations in a neighbour country, if operated by a German operator. Deutschlandticket holders can also go to a number of border tariff stations outside Germany using their passes including; Tønder (Bahnhof Tønder) in Denmark, Wissembourg (Gare de Wissembourg) in France, Basel in Switzerland and Świnoujście (Świnoujście Centrum) in Poland.

It is not valid on long-distance trains (such as Intercity Express (ICE), Intercity (IC) and Eurocity (EC) trains operated by Deutsche Bahn) and on long-distance bus coaches (such as those operated by Flixbus).

The ticket is only valid for transportation in second class. Often it is possible to buy upgrades to first class (if available) from the concerned operator. Children under 6 years old travel for free, but older children need their own ticket. The Deutschlandticket does not include transportation for pets or for bicycles in cases where they require a separate ticket.

Sales
The Deutschlandticket is sold as a monthly subscription at a cost of 49 euros per month. The ticket is valid for a calendar month, and is automatically renewed, with payment taken by SEPA direct debit from the user's bank account or by credit card. The subscription can be cancelled by the 10th day of each month. Users wishing to purchase a new subscription for the current month on the 11th day of the month or later must pay for at least the current and the following calendar month.

The Deutschlandticket is sold by participating local transit authorities. It is issued as a digital ticket via mobile apps offered by local transit authorities. It can also be issued on a chip smartcard using the "eTicket Deutschland" standard. Employers can subsidise the ticket for their employees, and university students can upgrade their "Semesterticket" to a Deutschlandticket. Some communities have additionally subsided the ticket for those on low income, senior citizens and apprentices. The city of Tübingen has gone as far as subsidising the ticket for every resident, so they can get it for 34 euros per month. While in the city of Stuttgart, the local council has offered the Deutschlandticket to its employees as an employee benefit.

The BahnCard 100, a rail card offered by Deutsche Bahn allowing unlimited travel on its trains, includes a Deutschlandticket at no additional charge.

History
After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, energy prices in Germany rose significantly. In response, the government introduced the heavily subsidized 9-Euro-Ticket, which allowed unlimited use of public local transportation across Germany at a cost of 9 euros per calendar month. It was available for June, July, and August 2022. After the end of this 3-month period, politicians called for a permanent successor ticket that would offer similar simplicity, though there was debate about its price.

At the end of November 2022, transport ministers reaffirmed the commitment to the monthly ticket for 49 euros, and it was planned to start in April 2023, as an earlier start already in January was considered too early for implementation. But the start has been delayed further by one month as there was still opposition from the local and regional transportation services like the Munich MVV that wanted more refunding from the federal and the state governments.

On 31 March 2023, the Bundesrat approved the bill passed by the Bundestag for a nationwide ticket for local and regional public transportation at a monthly price of 49 euros. The monthly tickets started in May 2023, but can only be purchased by subscription. There are no paper tickets for the subscription – with the possible exception at the start-up phase; the users have to authenticate digitally (either via smartphone app or chip card).

The ticket price is to be adjusted to inflation each year, although the 49 euro price is intended to be fixed for at least the first two years of operation of the ticket.

On 31 July, three months after the introduction of the Deutschlandticket, the transport ministry reported that 11 million people have subscribed to the ticket. They announced that of out of this; 5 million are from existing subscribers to monthly transport passes, 5 million are new subscribers from existing public transport ticket holders and one million are brand new users of public transport. On the 13 September, the Hamburg transport agency reported that itself has sold over a million subscriptions.

Since the summer of 2023, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) has been arguing with the federal states about the financing of the ticket. The financing of the ticket is unclear. Both sides have so far contributed 1.5 billion euros annually. If there is not enough money, the federal and state governments currently share the additional costs. The federal government rejects further financial commitments from 2024.

The Stendal district decided at the beginning of December 2023 that the ticket will no longer be valid on its buses from January 1, 2024. This would have meant that the Deutschlandticket would no longer be valid across the board. However, the district council reverted this decision two weeks later and the Deutschlandticket remains a valid ticket in the Stendal district.

Interest outside Germany
Due to popularity and interest in the Deutschlandticket in Germany, other countries gained an interest in doing a similar scheme in their country.

Portugal
On 30 June 2023, influenced by Deutschlandticket, the eco-socialist LIVRE party proposed a monthly rail pass for the regional trains by the state-owned rail operator Comboios de Portugal in the country's annual budget. The proposal passed through parliament, and the Portuguese government said it was introducing from the 1 August 2023, a 49 euros per month regional rail pass called the Passe Ferroviário Nacional (National Train Pass). It would allow unlimited travel on all regional trains, known as comboios regionais apart from the tourist trains like the Comboio Histórico do Douro, and suburban rail services in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra.

Critics like have said the rules and exclusions of the pass, there are virtually no regional rail services in the middle of the country and frequent strikes by rail workers makes the pass worthless.

France
On 9 June 2023, the minister Volker Wissing said in an interview with Berliner Morgenpost, that he was talking to his French counterpart Clément Beaune about the scheme in a meeting between the two ministers during a discussion about a Franco-German student travel scheme.

In an interview with French YouTuber Hugo Travers on 4 September 2023, French president Emmanuel Macron said his government is looking at a French equivalent of the Deutschlandticket. Later that week on the 7 September, on France 2's breakfast programme Télématin, Beaune said the transport ministry is provisionally working on a similar scheme called "Pass Rail" which would come in the summer of 2024. The ticket would allow unlimited travel throughout France on the country's regional trains, the TERs and the regular Intercités for 49 euros per month. Beaune said the government is talking to local authorities about including local bus and trams as well.

Reactions to the proposal by others were mixed, the region of Grand Est is supportive saying that it is good idea, while the region of Hauts-de-France was critical particularly over costs, pointing out that his region already subsidises its TER to the tune of 530 million euros. The president of the Île-de-France region Valérie Pécresse said in an interview on France 3 Paris Île-de-France, that cost of such for the scheme would be around 1.8 billion euros for her region, which is unaffordable. Wissing has said he would to interlink the two schemes, so that persons could use either pass in each other countries.

On 27 September, Beaune and the presidents of all the regions, came together in Saint-Malo to begin discussions on financing such scheme, together with general rail finance such track fees and rolling stock. It is hoped that such a subscription would be available by the summer of 2024.