Actually, the timetable change made at the end of the year should make train tickets cheaper or at least keep prices stable. In general, this was also the case with regard to the promotion of environmentally friendly transport. A look at the costs for taking bicycles on regional transport shows exactly the opposite.
Ticket price increases by 18 percent
As the ADFC Bayern reports in a press release, the price for a takeaway ticket in regional transport has even increased significantly. Apart from large transport associations such as the VGN (Greater Nuremberg area) and the MMV (Greater Munich area), Deutsche Bahn has turned the price screw up by a good 18 percent.
The ticket price for taking bicycles with you on regional transport (day ticket) has secretly, quietly increased from 5,50 euros to 6,50 euros. For many cyclists, this is another unexpected step after the railways already banned the carriage of cargo bikes in August.
Short haul more expensive than long haul
If you take a regional train from Munich to Nuremberg, for example, you pay 6,50 euros to take your bike with you. Holders of a Bahncard who cover the distance from Munich to Hamburg are asked to pay only 5,40 euros. The reason for the price increase is the sharp rise in demand for train tickets for taking bicycles with you. Especially in public transport.
The price increase is an attempt by Deutsche Bahn to compensate, especially since every bicycle transported takes up space in the aisle for several paying passengers. Most likely, a blanket increase in ticket prices would have been another possible, and probably less popular, decision.
Good news for cyclists in Bavaria
Bicycles with a tire size of up to 20 inches continue to travel free of charge in Bavaria. This is a special feature, because in Germany only bicycles belonging to children under the age of 6 are exempt from the obligation to buy a ticket. Folding bikes, on the other hand, can still travel everywhere free of charge.
Since many train attendants are not yet familiar with these special regulations, you should print out the relevant information when you take your bike with you in Bavaria Bookmarks in your smartphone ready.