49€-Ticket is a monthly travel card in Germany.
In 2024, travelers will also be able to use a €49 ticket for public transportation in Germany.
In the summer of 2022, German public transport users were the envy of almost all other countries. To promote eco-friendly travel and overcome the cost of living crisis, the German government introduced monthly tickets for almost unlimited use of public transportation, which cost only 9 euros.
This program ended in August. But now the government has prepared the next program – regional transportation in Germany will cost only 49 euros per month.
You can apply for a travel card on the BVG website or in person at the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe customer service center.
49€-Ticket
Of course, compared to a 9 euro ticket, the Deutschlandticket may seem expensive. But it still comes out very, very cheap.
For your information: if you wanted to buy a cheap train ticket from Berlin to Hamburg today using only local trains, it would cost you at least 35 euros. With the new ticket, you can make as many trips as you want for less than 2 euros per day.
Where is the valid ticket for 49 euros?
The €49 ticket is valid on all local public transport buses and trains (not high-speed) throughout the country. Exceptions were made only for high-speed trains and connections in Baden-Württemberg. Deutschlandticket holders can use high-speed trains on the section between Stuttgart and Singen, as they are the only way for passengers to get from one city to the other.
With a price of 49 euros, the new ticket will be much cheaper than many previous subscriptions in large areas of Germany.
In addition, it will save its owners the need to study extremely complex tariff models in cities and municipalities.
Is it possible to travel outside Germany with a 49 Euro ticket?
For example, several cities close to the border can also be reached with a ticket for 49 euros:
- Salzburg and Kufstein in Austria,
- Basel and Schaffhausen in Switzerland,
- Swinemünde/Usedom in Poland
- Venlo in the Netherlands.
The list also includes the following border routes in local trains:
Denmark: Süderlugdum – Tender
France: Berg (Palatinate) – Lauterburg and Schweighofen – Wissembourg
Austria: Pfronten-Steinach – Wies – Reutte (Tirol) – Erwald – Griesen
Poland: Gerlitz – Zgorzelec and Hirschfelde – Krzewina Zgorzelecka – Hagenwerder
Czech Republic: Zittau – Hradec nad Nisou, Berenstain – Weiprti and Seifennersdorf – Varnsdorf – Zittau
Start and validity of the ticket for 49 euros
Once the federal and state governments have agreed to fund Deutschlandticket, only technical issues need to be clarified before sales can begin. The most likely launch date is May 1, 2023.
The first cornerstones have already been set: the €49 ticket will be available digitally and as a plastic card. It will be valid for one month and can only be purchased as a monthly subscription. The Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV) offers the opportunity to order tickets online before the official start. The first debit occurs only when the subscription actually starts.
Deutschlandticket: this is how it is financed
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the prime ministers agreed to co-finance the €49 ticket, with both sides contributing €1.5 billion each. The federal government will also continuously transfer more money to public transportation.
The federal government is currently paying 9.4 billion to regionalization funds. The federal states use this money to order buses and trains from transportation companies. In addition, there is already a billion euros from another pot.
What about existing season tickets?
Many public transportation users already have a subscription to local transportation. Munich Transport Company (MVG), for example, will immediately notify its customers of a €49 ticket and allow them to rebook as easily as possible if a new ticket in Germany is a cheaper alternative for them.
Will the price remain at 49 euros forever?
For a ticket costing 49 euros, an introductory phase is planned for two years. However, in the second year, i.e. 2024, the ticket may become more expensive. Price dynamics is planned: the subscription fee will automatically increase with inflation.
Lower Saxony Prime Minister Stefan Weil said at a press conference after the deal that he also wants to offer a cheaper option for certain groups in his state. Similar models may exist in other federal states.
What about the transportation of bicycles?
Bicycles cannot be taken free of charge, an additional ticket is required. With the 9 euro ticket, there was also no free bike transportation in the summer. At Deutsche Bahn, a day ticket for local public transportation now costs six euros.
Ticket for 29 euros extended in Berlin
In Berlin, there is now a regional transitional ticket option for 29 euros. This has been available as a subscription since October, but it is only valid for the AB tariff zone (Berlin city area). The Berlin Senate has extended the validity of the 29 euro ticket until the national ticket costs 49 euros.
The idea, again, is to reduce CO2 emissions and help Germans overcome the cost of living crisis. In June, July, and August, a huge number of 50 million tickets were sold for 9 euros each. Passengers were able to make a billion trips with it every month and save 1.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
The new €49 ticket will come into effect in April 2023, and the government will revalue it at the end of 2024.
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