In Saxony-Anhalt, several districts are planning to use the Deutschlandticket for school transport from August. These include the Saale district, the Salzland district, the Börde district, the Wittenberg district, the Jerichower Land district and the Burgenland district, according to a survey by the German Press Agency. However, the implementation on site takes place very differently, and in some cases the district councils still have to decide on this.
When it comes to student transport, the distance from the place of residence to the school is usually decisive. In the Saale district, for example, the limit of more than two kilometers applies to school years 1 to 4 and more than three kilometers to school years 5 to 10. The Deutschlandticket is to be used for eligible schoolchildren for the time being in the period from August to December. The district council still has to vote on it.
The Deutschlandticket, which is valid throughout Germany, has been available since May 1 for 49 euros per month. It entitles you to any number of trips in local and regional transport.
On request, however, the districts point out that there can be very different regulations even within a region. In the Burgenland district, the Germany ticket will be issued at the beginning of the 2023/2024 school year to all people “whose entitlement is the same as or higher than the Germany ticket”. This means that students whose ticket is cheaper can pay the difference. If no additional payment is made, the students will receive a ticket according to the current tariff offer of the Central German Transport Association and thus no Deutschlandticket.
It is similar in the Salzland district. In the case of cheaper monthly tickets, parents of the children concerned are given the opportunity to collect the difference in order to “upgrade” the student ticket and receive it as a Germany ticket, said a spokeswoman.
In Jerichower Land, too, the Deutschlandticket is used as a matter of principle. However, schoolchildren who travel to school using the local tariff will continue to receive a ticket using the local Marego tariff. This costs less than 49 euros per month and is therefore the most economical option, said a spokeswoman.
However, several districts and the three urban districts of Magdeburg, Halle and Dessau-Roßlau are also not issuing Germany tickets. As part of school transport in Halle, there are “no plans to expand it to include nationwide validity,” said a city spokesman. In Dessau-Roßlau, almost every third pupil is currently entitled to school transport. As a rule, corresponding tickets for a price of 40 euros each would be financed for eleven months. So far, no change in the statute has been discussed, said a spokeswoman.
In the Altmark, the applicable regulations will also remain in place. Due to open questions, no Germany tickets will be issued from the new school year, said a spokesman for the Stendal district. The Altmark district of Salzwedel announced that Germany tickets will not be used in the new school year, but that could be different in the future.
The Ministry of Infrastructure in Saxony-Anhalt rejects a uniform solution in the context of school transport. Where the Germany ticket is cheaper, it should be used, said a spokesman on request. In principle, however, it makes sense if a decision is made on site.
