Good news for all Ü65er: The Seniorenticket Hessen is to start on 1 January 2020. It is to cost 365 euros a year. It is aimed at the more than 1.2 million seniors in Hesse and is valid from the age of 65. With the ticket, buses, trams, underground trains, suburban trains and regional trains can then be used throughout Hesse on weekdays from 9 a.m. and all day on weekends and public holidays. Now only the supervisory boards of the three Hessian transport associations have to decide on the new offers in the coming weeks.
The mayor of Frankfurt and RMV supervisory board chairman Peter Feldmann is strongly in favor of the ticket: "For 1 euro per day everywhere in Hesse to. A real price hammer for our senior citizens," said Feldmann. "We have already shown with the successful schoolchildren's ticket that more people use public transport if you expand the offer and make it cheaper at the same time. The ticket, which is valid throughout the state, will further level the tariff boundaries in Frankfurt /Rhine-Main. Together with the new neighbourhood tariff, the region will grow even closer together. And older people will be able to visit family, friends and acquaintances and do their everyday errands at a low price by bus and train, which is an important step towards a social-ecological change in transport. Further steps must and will follow. An important demand of our seniors is thus finally fulfilled."
The Seniorenticket is the consistent continuation of the successful concept that was launched with the Schülererticket Hessen. Moreover, for RMV it is also a logical continuation of the previous senior citizen offers: "Only five years ago, we introduced the first ticket for this generation with the 65-plus annual ticket. In 2018, around 90,000 tickets were sold. From 2016 to 2018 alone, sales figures in the senior ticket segment have increased by more than 70 percent. This shows quite clearly that the age group over 65 is also extraordinarily mobile with public transport if you make them the right offer," said RMV Managing Director Knut Ringat.
The plan is to put the senior ticket on sale before Christmas. There will also be an upgrade offer to the single ticket. Over-65s who want to travel around the clock will pay 625 euros for the ticket, for which they will also be able to travel in 1st class, take one other adult and as many children under 14 with them after 7pm and all day on weekends. This is roughly the same price as the previous senior citizens' offer in the North Hessian NVV (610 euros). Unlike before, however, this ticket is also valid nationwide and entitles the holder to travel in 1st class.
Over 400.000 sold Schülerertickets in the first year
Since 1 August 2017, all students and all trainees can travel for 1 euro a day across the whole of Hesse. The student ticket Hesse costs 365 euros a year. The ticket can be used on buses, trams, underground trains, suburban trains and regional trains throughout Hesse. The attractiveness of the offer is particularly evident in the enormous increase in sales figures. In the 2015/2016 school year, RMV, NVV and VRN together sold 255,000 annual school tickets in Hesse. In the 2017/2018 school year, the new Schülererticket Hessen was sold 407,000 times. This is an increase of almost 60 percent. "Those who have a flat-rate ticket in their pocket also use it," said Al-Wazir. "More than 400,000 young people in Hesse are mobile with the Schüler Ticket Hessen. And one in four say they have been getting on buses and trains more often since then. That is a great success."
"Many people want to change their mindset when it comes to transport," explained NVV managing director Wolfgang Rausch. "This is proven by new representative surveys. However, from rethinking to taking action to leave the car at home more often, it is another big step to break habits. We want to make this step easier by offering attractive schedules and fares." Rausch also stressed that they wanted to enter into more talks with the state and the two other associations RMV and VRN on how to shape the further development of prices. "How and in which steps do we go in the direction of a citizen's ticket and what can that look like in concrete terms? These are questions that are important to us for the further development of public transport as a whole."
Pupil and senior tickets should not be the end of the line, however. The offer of flat-rate tickets is to be further expanded. The long-term vision is a low-cost citizen ticket for all Hessians. However, it will certainly take some time before this is achieved.