Germany’s coalition government has announced plans to make the 49-euro Deutschlandticket cheaper for families and students come 2024. A policy negotiation period with the 16 federal states will begin soon.

Germany’s students and families to get reduced Deutschlandticket

The German government has announced that the new Deutschlandticket scheme, which allows unlimited travel on public and regional transport throughout the country for a monthly 49-euro subscription, will get cheaper for families and people studying in Germany come 2024.

Speaking to the AFP news agency, Green Party member Julia Verlinden said “families are still not given enough consideration when it comes to the 49-euro ticket policy. Using public transport with children is still too expensive.”

Verlinden added that the new Deutschlandticket policy should prove a “great help” to families who organise their lives using public transport instead of driving. 

Government must negotiate 49-euro ticket policy with federal states

The ticket, which has been valid since May 1 and has already sold to over 7 million people, is available to anyone who has a European IBAN number. Apart from workers, who can get a company discount through their employer, the Deutschlandticket is available to everyone at the same price.

Since students in Germany already pay for a local public transport ticket via their mandatory semester fees and the Deutschlandticket doesn’t allow holders to travel with children, the new policy should do more to make sure the ticket is as affordable and beneficial for students and families as it is for other groups.

While it is still uncertain how much the discount will be, the Green Party say that the coalition government have now formally agreed that a change within the available budget will be made. The federal government must now begin a negotiation period with governments in the 16 federal states before the new policy can be introduced.

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