Germany mulls daily Deutschlandticket for occasional users

Germany’s state transport ministers have said they want to introduce a “tap, tap, cap” version of the Deutschlandticket as an alternative to the monthly subscription.

Transport ministers propose daily Deutschlandticket

Three and a half years after its launch, the Deutschlandticket remains extremely popular. Around 14,5 million people in Germany (nearly 20 percent of the population) currently have a subscription, which allows unlimited travel on public and regional transport across the country for 63 euros per month.

For anyone who uses public transport daily, this is a pretty good deal, even if the monthly price is set to rise to 66,80 euros in January 2027. But what about people who use the bus, Bahn or tram very regularly, but not enough to justify the monthly expense?

While the traditional Deutschlandticket isn’t going anywhere for now, according to a draft resolution seen by Rheinische Post, state transport ministers are planning a ticket “for occasional users with validity to travel nationwide, analogous to the Deutschlandticket".

The resolution comes as state transport ministers meet in Hohenschwangau, Bavaria, to coordinate transport policies for the coming months. Other agenda items include banning e-scooters in pedestrianised zones in Hamburg and rolling out more autonomous vehicles across Germany.

How would the alternative Deutschlandticket model work?

So how would the “occasional use” Deutschlandticket work? According to Rheinische Post, transport ministers in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg put forward the proposal.

The alternative subscription would be based on the “eezy.nrw” ticket currently available in North Rhine-Westphalia, which uses a “tap, tap, cap” payment model. 

When travellers buy the eezy.nrw ticket, they are always sold the cheapest ticket available for their chosen route. Then, every time they travel, they check in and check out on the app. 

If they travel so much in one month that the total cost of the tickets they have purchased exceeds 63 euros (the current monthly cost of a Deutschlandticket), their payments are capped.

This way, travellers do not have to commit to a monthly Deutschlandticket subscription, but if they travel a lot, they don’t have to worry about paying more than if they had bought a Deutschlandticket. 

Further details of the plan remain unclear. The Conference of Transport Ministers (Verkehrsministerkonferenz) will wrap up on October 22.