German transport ministers weigh pay-as-you-go 'D-Ticket light' for occasional riders
State transport ministers meet in Hohenschwangau from Wednesday. North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg want a nationwide smartphone fare with a monthly cap, but operators object.
Symbolic image · Photo: MissyWegner / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Germany's state transport ministers meet for two days from Wednesday in Hohenschwangau, Bavaria, with public transport funding at the top of the agenda. North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg are tabling a motion for a working group to design a nationwide digital fare for occasional riders as a complement to the Deutschlandticket. Passengers would check in and out by smartphone, and the system would automatically charge the cheapest fare. Monthly costs would be capped at the price of the Deutschlandticket, currently 63 euros and rising to 66.80 euros in 2027.
The model is North Rhine-Westphalia's eezy.nrw scheme, which charges by straight-line distance with a base fee, a per-kilometre rate and caps per 24 hours and per month. More than 1.4 million trips were billed through it in September, according to the state's transport ministry. NRW Transport Minister Oliver Krischer of the Greens said occasional bus and rail users must be able to travel just as easily and on fair terms. Lower Saxony's Grant Hendrik Tonne (SPD) promised a “constructive” discussion but called it a very tough task.
The Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) opposes the plan. Its representative Alexander Möller said the offer “causes costs” and undermines the logic of the Deutschlandticket, adding that neither the industry nor the states have the money. Passenger group Pro Bahn backs the proposal and suggested including groups and families. Nothing has been decided, and financing, revenue sharing and common fare rules remain open.