New Price for Germany Ticket Set at 63 Euros Starting January 2026
München - Following extensive discussions, a decision has been made regarding the Germany Ticket, which will see its price increase to 63 euros starting January 1, 2026. This marks a 5-euro rise from the previous price of 58 euros, which was implemented earlier this year.
During a recent meeting of the transport ministers from the federal states, it was agreed that this adjustment is necessary to secure funding for the Germany Ticket through to 2030. Christian Bernreiter, Bavaria's Minister of Transport and chairman of the ministerial conference, stated that a new inflation index would be developed to guide future price adjustments, taking into account wage increases, living costs, and railway track prices.
Despite the increase, concerns have been raised regarding whether the new price will sufficiently cover the expenses incurred by transportation companies. Both federal and state governments are contributing 1.5 billion euros annually to support the program.
This price hike has sparked debate, particularly as it appears to contradict an agreement made in the coalition contract of the current government, which stipulated that any price increases would be implemented in a socially responsible manner only starting in 2029. Stefan Schnorr, a state secretary in the Federal Ministry of Transport, defended the decision by suggesting that the ministry had anticipated a reduction in its annual contribution to the ticket program, which led to the decision to maintain the subsidy at 1.5 billion euros.
In addition to financial concerns, there are also issues related to the distribution of ticket revenues between regional transport providers and nationwide operators like Deutsche Bahn. Regional providers often sell far fewer tickets compared to their larger counterparts, which has led to financial strain. For instance, the transport company VLP reported a loss of 3 million euros in the first half of 2025, despite having approximately 11,000 residents in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district utilizing their services.
In response to these financial challenges, the district's Landrat, Stefan Sternberg, has threatened to withdraw from the Germany Ticket program unless a clear plan for revenue sharing is established with the state government. He emphasized that a lack of clarity on this matter could lead to difficult decisions regarding the ticket's integration into the fare system.
Minister Bernreiter has suggested that a compensation mechanism is in place for those experiencing losses, citing previous discussions with the Munich Transport Association as an example of how such matters can be addressed effectively.