Overview

• Frankfurt’s city assembly approved a Linke motion directing the magistrate to instruct VGF and Traffiq to refrain from filing criminal complaints under §265a StGB.
• Passengers caught without a valid ticket must still pay the 60‑euro elevated fare, with continued checks to deter nonpayment.
• The change applies to city buses, trams and the U‑Bahn, not to S‑Bahn, regional or long‑distance services.
• Mobility councillor Wolfgang Siefert welcomed the move and urged uniform rules, while RMV cites about €50 million in annual revenue losses and the VDV opposes weakening criminal deterrence.
• Frankfurt joins a growing list of municipalities, including Mainz, Wiesbaden, Cologne, Dresden, Bremen and others, that have stopped submitting criminal complaints for fare evasion.