129-Euro-Ticket FAQ

In this FAQ we want to answer how the 49-Euro-Ticket could affect the semester ticket. Therefore, we have outlined why the student bodies in NRW are calling for a 129-euro semester ticket that is valid throughout Germany and financed on a solidarity basis (petition “Save the semester ticket“) and why the politicians’ proposal is unfair for students and also legally questionable. 

What are the student bodies in NRW demanding?

The student bodies in NRW are calling for the further development of the NRW semester ticket into a 129-euro semester ticket that is valid throughout Germany and financed on a solidarity basis, via the Landes-ASten-Treffen (LAT) NRW. This would mean that from May 1, all students in NRW would be able to use public transportation throughout Germany with their semester ticket and would pay 129 euros per semester – or 21.50 euros per month. As in the past, the ticket should be financed on a solidarity basis, as this is the only way to achieve an enormous price advantage.

Why solidarity funding and what does this actually mean?

All regular students at our university are part of the student body. Through the semester contribution, all students pay a mobility fee and therefore receive the semester ticket. The students therefore form a solidarity community in which everyone pays the same contribution – regardless of how often the individual person uses the semester ticket. This is why the semester ticket is also called “solidarity ticket” or the underlying financing “solidarity financing”. 

The solidarity financing makes it possible that the semester ticket is currently about a factor of ten cheaper than comparable tickets for public transport in NRW. There is no other financing method that makes such a low price possible without external subsidies (e.g. from the state or federal government). The semester ticket therefore enables affordable and sustainable mobility for all students. 

Another advantage of the student body as a community of solidarity: in cases of social hardship, individual members can, among other things, have their mobility contribution reimbursed. This means that students who are in a particular financial hardship can continue to use their ticket, but do not have to pay anything for it. This is financed by a contribution hardship fund into which all RWTH students pay automatically 0.15 euros via the semester contribution (e.g. in the summer semester 2023). The Social Committee of the Student Parliament decides on applications for social hardship.

What will students save with the 129-euro semester ticket? What will be better for students?

The price of the semester ticket would drop significantly for all students. In Aachen, the NRW semester ticket (without the extension to the Netherlands) costs 201.64 euros per semester (or 33.61 euros per month) in the summer semester of 2023. Aachen students would therefore be relieved of more than 72 euros per semester. By comparison, the 9-euro ticket, which was valid from June to August 2021, gave all students a refund of 70.69 euros. 

Another advantage is the extended validity of the semester ticket. Being able to use public transportation throughout Germany is a great advantage for many students, but especially for those who come from states other than NRW. In the future, they would also be able to use public transportation in their home state with their semester ticket.

What does politics propose for the future of the semester ticket? Why is this not a good idea?

The federal and state governments want to introduce a so-called upgrade model for students’ semester tickets starting May 01. This would mean that the current NRW semester ticket would remain in place and students would be able to decide each month whether they want to upgrade their semester ticket to be valid throughout Germany by paying the difference between the 49-euro ticket and the semester ticket (approx. 14-15 euros).

Why is this not a good idea? Students would then still HAVE TO pay about 35 euros a month (in Aachen 33.61 euros) for their NRW semester ticket, while the general public CAN buy a ticket valid throughout Germany for 49 euros a month. According to previous judgments, this is not legally permissible, since there must be a sufficiently large price advantage between a solidarity ticket like the semester ticket and a freely available ticket like the 49-euro ticket. See also “Is it fair that students pay less than the general public?”

As a reminder, the price advantage of the Semesterticket used to be almost 90%, but this will now fall away with the introduction of the 49-Euro-Ticket and therefore the Semesterticket must fall in price and the area of validity must be extended to the whole of Germany. Otherwise, the semester ticket could be overturned in court and abolished. This would make mobility much more expensive for the majority of students! See also “What if the Semesterticket were abolished?”

Even more absurd is the comparison to the Jobticket: Unlike the Upgrade-Ticket for students, there is a subsidy from the federal government of 5% if the employer subsidizes the ticket with at least 25%. This means that employees can travel throughout Germany for a maximum of 34.30 euros per month, while students can only travel through NRW for almost the same amount (or even a little more). This is unfair!

In the long term, the federal and state governments are planning a Germany-wide valid solidarity ticket, as we demand, but no fixed timeline has been given for this, and until all the federal states have agreed… 

In addition, there must be – even transitionally – no, according to previous assessments, legally questionable upgrade model and students must not be simply forgotten again! We demand therefore the Germany-wide valid solidarity ticket starting from 01 May! See also “Why is a nationwide solidarity ticket in NRW already necessary on 01 May, even if some other federal states are not yet so far?”

Is it fair that students pay less than the general public?

Yes! Since the semester ticket is offered in a solidarity model in which all students pay the same amount – regardless of how much the individual person uses the ticket – it would be legally impermissible for students to pay the same price.

This is because: the legitimacy of solidarity-financed semester tickets has been justified by the Federal Constitutional Court and the Federal Administrative Court of Germany on the grounds, among others, that the burden on a member of the student body who does not use the ticket is low compared to the benefit gained by the student body as a whole.

Until now, this was the case with a semester ticket, which costs about one tenth of comparable tickets. But with the introduction of the 49-euro ticket, the price advantage of the NRW Semesterticket compared to the 49-euro ticket will be minimal and, in addition, the new ticket will offer a larger, Germany-wide area of validity. 

If the semester ticket is not reformed, lawsuits from students can be expected after the introduction of the 49-euro ticket and there is a risk that the ticket will be overturned by the courts (see “What if the semester ticket were abolished?”).

Moreover, in addition to the legal perspective, arguments can also be made from a social perspective:

Students are structurally short of money, as most live well below the poverty line of 1251 euros per month. For comparison: the BAföG maximum rate is currently 934 euros per month – and not even 11% of students receive BAföG at all.

In addition, the current multiple crises are exacerbating the financial situation once again, and the one-time payment of 200 euros that the federal government promised all students over five months ago is still not received.

What if the semester ticket were abolished?

The abolition of the semester ticket would mean that mobility for students would become significantly more expensive – which contradicts the goal of the 49-euro ticket. Without the semester ticket, students would not even be able to use public transportation throughout NRW for 35 euros a month. Instead, students would have to buy a 49-euro ticket, which in Aachen would be about 15 euros more per month. 

Abolishing the semester ticket is therefore unacceptable. Especially since students are structurally short of money, since most of them live well below the poverty line of 1251 euros a month. For comparison: the BAföG maximum rate is currently 934 euros per month – and not even 11% of students receive BAföG at all.

In addition, the current multiple crises are exacerbating the financial situation once again, and the one-time payment of 200 euros that the federal government promised all students over five months ago is still not received.

Another problem is the revenue that is lost for the transport companies as a result: Fixed revenues over – in Aachen – a contract period of three years have provided reliable funding not only in the COVID-19 pandemic. Oliver Wolff, CEO of the Association of German Transport Companies (“Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen”, VDV), also argues in this way when he says that the monthly cancellability of the 49-euro ticket leads to considerable revenue risks. Accordingly, the semester tickets are of great relevance for the transport companies. 

To quote a few figures: Assuming an average price of 35 euros per month for the NRW semester ticket (conservative estimate), with approximately 700,000 students in NRW (not including the Fernuni Hagen, which does not have a semester ticket), this would result in 294 million euros that would be lost to public transportation in NRW as plannable revenue. If the semester ticket were to be abolished, the financing of public transport in NRW would collapse.

Why 129 euros per semester?

The semester ticket is offered in a solidarity model. This means that all students pay the same amount – regardless of how often the individual uses the semester ticket. Up to now, this has resulted in an enormous price advantage, because the NRW semester ticket used to cost about one tenth of a comparable ticket.

But with the introduction of the 49-Euro-Ticket, the price advantage of the previous NRW-Semesterticket becomes minimal and at the same time the 49-Euro-Ticket offers a Germany-wide validity. According to previous judgments, a continuation of the NRW-Semesterticket in its current form is not legally permissible, since there must be a sufficiently large price advantage between a solidarity ticket such as the Semesterticket and a freely saleable ticket such as the 49-Euro-Ticket. See also “Is it fair that students pay less than the general public?”

That’s why the Semesterticket must be reduced in price and its validity extended to cover the whole of Germany. Otherwise, the semester ticket could be overturned in court and abolished. That would make mobility significantly more expensive for the majority of students! See also “What  if the semester ticket were abolished?”

The 129 euros result from the fact that, in our opinion, the semester ticket must be worthwhile from the third month onwards, since all students buy the ticket for the whole semester, but may not use it every month.

Does the 129-euro semester ticket require additional subsidies?

No! As we understand it, no more subsidies are needed to implement a 129-euro semester ticket than are currently planned for the 49-euro ticket. This is because the solidarity model has essentially been self-supporting up to now, and it would continue to function in the future.

The subsidies that exist for the 49-Euro-Ticket must be allocated to the student bodies as a group for this purpose. However, this means that no more subsidies are needed, since all students will then not buy a 49-euro ticket individually, as it would be the case with the upgrade model or the abolition of the semester ticket. The subsidies therefore do not go to the 49-euro tickets of individual persons, but to the tickets of a group, in which solidarity financing then makes another lower price possible. The additional price advantage for students therefore results solely from solidarity financing and not from additional subsidies.

The solidarity model we are calling for is therefore also quite different from the 29-euro ticket that Bavaria now wants to introduce for students, or the 365-euro ticket that exists in Baden-Württemberg. These tickets are not based on solidarity funding and therefore require additional subsidies, unlike the 129-euro semester ticket.

At the same time, it would be possible to further reduce the price of the 129-euro semester ticket for students with additional federal or state subsidies. At the federal level, for example, it is questionable why the Jobticket is subsidized with 5% by the federal government, but this is not yet planned for the semester ticket.

What is the difference between the semester ticket and the future Jobticket?

Basically, the difference lies in the financing. Our demand is that the semester ticket should continue to be offered in the solidarity model and that its validity should be extended to the whole of Germany. Solidarity model means that all students pay the same amount for the semester ticket, as is the case today. Thanks to this financing method, the semester ticket has so far cost only about one tenth of comparable tickets. See also “Why solidarity financing and what does it actually mean?”

The federal and state governments have come up with the following solution for the Jobticket: Employees receive a Jobticket that is valid throughout Germany (monthly cancellable), if the employer subsidizes it with at least 25%. The federal government would then add another 5% subsidy, and employees would be able to travel throughout Germany for a maximum of 34.30 euros a month.

If the upgrade model that the federal and state governments have come up with for students’ semester tickets is implemented against all reason, it would mean that students in NRW would still HAVE TO pay around 35 euros a month for their NRW semester ticket (33.61 euros in Aachen) and would then be able to buy an upgrade to the 49-euro ticket for around 14 euros a month, while employees CAN buy their Jobticket for a maximum of 34.30 euros a month, which they can then use to travel throughout Germany. 

Since employees get a 5% subsidy on their job ticket, which is not available to students, this is unfair!

What are the problems of the upgrade model and why is the semester ticket in danger?

Most of the problems are described under “What does politics propose for the future of the semester ticket? Why is this not a good idea?”. 

Another fundamental problem with the upgrade model is that it threatens the acceptance of the solidarity financing. The introduction of an upgrade raises the question of why people who only travel in the city of Aachen and not throughout NRW should not pay a basic price just for the city, or why people who do not use public transport should pay a contribution at all. Compared to the fact that the upgrade is optional, it becomes hard to justify why the NRW-Ticket is not optional – because the price advantage in the upgrade model is minimal and is no longer up to 90% as it was before. 

Why is a nationwide solidarity ticket in NRW already necessary on May 01, even if some other federal states are not yet so far?

In NRW, thanks to the constituted student bodies as well as the existing NRW Semester Ticket – unlike in some other federal states such as Bavaria – there is already the possibility of transforming the NRW semester ticket into a ticket valid throughout Germany and financed on a solidarity basis. 

Even if the 49-euro ticket is aimed to standardize the public transport within Germany, it would be a disaster if this were to be done at the expense of the achievements in federal states with a well-functioning solidarity model and at the expense of the students. It is precisely these successes that should be preserved in order to serve as a role model and to encourage a possible expansion of the solidarity model. 

In NRW, the semester ticket is closely linked to the Higher Education Act. Since this is a state policy, regional differences between the states on the semester ticket issue are justifiable and fulfill an important function in the federal system.

For the implementation in the middle of the semester and the refund of the semester fees paid in advance, the experience and processes of the 9-Euro-Ticket can be used. It has worked smoothly there before. The procedures are there! The only thing standing in the way of the implementation of a Germany-wide solidarity ticket for students in NRW on May 1 is politics!

How have the student bodies in NRW expressed their position so far?

Immediately after it was announced in October 2022 that the implementation of a 49-euro ticket was planned, we as student bodies comprehensively discussed the various models and scenarios for an adaptation of the NRW semester ticket via the Landes-ASten-Treffen (LAT) NRW. At that time, we already discussed the different variants and the respective problems and advantages. This resulted in the decision of the LAT with the demand to transform the NRW semester ticket into a Germany-wide valid, solidarity-financed 129-euro semester ticket. 

This resolution was published as a press release in November. Furthermore, the student councils have spoken with numerous federal and state politicians and the transport companies, as well as drawing attention to the special situation of the solidarity-financed semester tickets with a participation campaign in which thousands of students in NRW took part. We have also contacted – in some cases even several times – the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport (“Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr”, BMDV), the Association of German Transport Companies (“Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen”, VDV), the NRW Marketing Competence Center (“Kompetenzcenter Marketing”, KCM) and the Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (“Ministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Verkehr des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen”, MUNV NRW).

What about the extension to the Netherlands / to Maastricht?
We assume that the extension to the Netherlands / to Maastricht can continue in the future.
 
What about apprentices, students and other young people?

Pitting different groups against each other is the wrong way to go! The semester ticket shows that affordable, social and sustainable mobility is possible for all. This achievement should not be put at risk, but should be a role model for other user groups.

Contact

For questions regarding the petition please contact us at semesterticket@asta.rwth-aachen.de. Press inquiries can be addressed to the AStA chairwomen at vorsitz@asta.rwth-aachen.de