Welfare ticket atlas: Mapping the social discounts for public transport in Germany

Public transport is essential for people on low incomes, but fares pose a major barrier to everyday mobility. In 2023, the “Deutschlandticket” flat-fare was introduced as a nationwide travelcard; since then, its price has increased to €63 per month. Although the German government discussed a nationwide subsidy, a uniform discount for low-income travellers is not expected to be introduced in the foreseeable future. Instead, 31 federal states and local authorities provide subsidies, while hundreds of municipalities continue to offer their local welfare tickets to tackle transport poverty.

This atlas maps the welfare tickets in Germany for the first time. Information on almost 300 subsidies was collected; granted according to various criteria, they are differentiated by fare type, price, area of validity and eligible group, among other categories. A comprehensive and openly available data set, the atlas contains an explanation for each ticket as well as useful links for further information.

The atlas shows that 48% of welfare recipients can purchase the “Deutschlandticket” for a discounted price. Furthermore, 71% have at least one welfare ticket available where they live. The variants include more than 300 offers including pay-as-you-go tickets and travelcards as well as two municipalities with free travel. In most cases, these tickets are facilitated by a social pass, which is usually issued to people on welfare allowance such as “Bürgergeld”. Subsidies are often granted in urban areas where public transport provision is relatively good. In contrast, the vast majority of rural areas has no welfare ticket. 243 out of 497 municipalities do not; and in at least 148 cases the implementation of a local welfare ticket has failed.

The wide range of welfare tickets reflects Germany's political federalism. Further, this comprehensive data set shows that the public transport system demands a lot from those entitled to buy a welfare ticket. There are no standardized criteria for eligibility, and the process often involves outdated or contradictory information. A first step could be to standardize the criteria to reduce barriers. A nationally valid and uniformly subsidized welfare ticket would serve as an effective solution.