Deutschlandticket price index to apply from 2027

German transport ministers have set the wheels in motion to introduce a Deutschlandticket price index. The index will regulate the cost of the public transport ticket from 2027.

Transport ministers plan Deutschlandticket price index

First it was the 9-euro ticket, then the 49-euro ticket, the 58-euro ticket, and now the 63-euro ticket. The monthly price of the Deutschlandticket, which entitles holders to use unlimited public transport nationwide, has risen significantly since it was introduced in 2023. Now, more information has been revealed about an index that will regulate annual Deutschlandticket price rises. 

At the Verkehrsministerkonferenz (VMK or Transport Minister Conference) in mid-September, ministers agreed that the cost of the Deutschlandticket would rise from 58 euros to 63 euros per month from January 1, 2026. Federal and state governments also agreed to finance the ticket until 2030.

From 2027, Deutschlandticket price increases will be decided according to the index, rather than through negotiations between federal and state governments and transport associations. The price index will project transport associations’ employment costs, the cost of energy and general operational cost increases over a three to five-year timeframe.

“Additional revenues above the indexed cost update, due to quantity effect, are to be used proportionally to dampen the increase in ticket prices,” a report summarising the VMK meeting explained.

More details will follow in spring 2026

Further concrete details of how the price index will work are expected in spring 2026, and price increases in the low single-digit percentages can be expected from 2027.

Once the cost increase has been decided by the price index it will go to the Bundesrat, which represents Germany’s 16 federal states, for approval.