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1h ago

Germany’s Bus and Rail Growth Stalls as H1 2025 Ridership Rises 1%

Statisticians say limited counting systems plus ticket-sales gaps complicate year-over-year comparisons.

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Ein Bus steht an der Haltestelle im Erfurter Hauptbahnhof.
Im Fernverkehr mit Bahn und Bus sind in Deutschland im ersten Halbjahr 76 Millionen Fahrgäste unterwegs gewesen. Das war ein Zuwachs um vier Prozent im Vergleich zum Vorjahreszeitraum.
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Overview

  • Official Destatis data show local and regional services carried 5.7 billion passengers in the first half of 2025, a 1% increase from a year earlier.
  • Long-distance travel rose 4% to 76 million riders, including 71 million on long-distance rail, measured against a 2024 period affected by strikes.
  • By mode, bus ridership grew 2% to 2.6 billion, regional rail increased 1% to 1.4 billion, and tram usage edged up to about 2 billion passengers.
  • Growth has cooled since the Deutschlandticket launch, following gains of 10% in the first half of 2023 and 7% in the first half of 2024.
  • The Deutschlandticket costs €58 per month with industry estimates of roughly 14 million users, and reporting cites a planned increase to €63 from 2026 that passenger groups say could curb usage.