Deutsche Bahn launches chaperone service for solo child travellers

Deutsche Bahn has announced it will launch a chaperone service to enable children aged six to 14 to travel more independently in Germany.

Deutsche Bahn launches chaperone service

From August 21, families in Germany will be able to take advantage of a new Deutsche Bahn service: the DB Junior Express programme. The programme enables children aged six to 14 to travel more independently through Germany, accompanied by a Deutsche Bahn chaperone.

Currently, all children under six travel for free on Deutsche Bahn services and children aged between six and 14 travel for free if accompanied by someone aged 15 or over. Children travelling with a chaperone need a ticket. However, if parents book their child a standard or saver ticket, a 50 percent discount applies.

After they’ve booked their child a ticket, parents can use the Deutsche Bahn website or DB Navigator app to book a chaperone up to 24 hours before their child is due to depart. But the service is costly, 69 euros one way, on top of the cost of the child’s train ticket.

On the day of travel, parents then bring their children to a designated point at the departure station, where they meet two Deutsche Bahn employees. These trained chaperones are permitted to travel with groups of up to 14 children, and the travel groups sit in a designated area on the train.

During the train journey, the chaperones organise activities for the travel groups. Upon arrival, family members or friends pre-authorised by parents can collect the chaperoned child.

DB Junior Express bookings open on August 12

From August 12, families can use the Deutsche Bahn website or DB Navigator app to book chaperone services for journeys on or after August 21. 

The service will initially only be available on six ICE connections between Berlin and Munich, Munich and Cologne, and Frankfurt and Hamburg and will operate on Fridays and Sundays.

The new service is similar to the Deutsche Bahn-Bahnhofsmission Kids on Tour programme, which ran from 2003 but shut down in 2021 due to a lack of funds.

Relaunching a chaperone programme is just one of the many new services and discounts Deutsche Bahn has announced in the past months to get more passengers using the train; others include the 99-euro Family Ticket and a last-minute offer scheme.